High tech is here to stay

This week brought home to me the enormous impact technology has had on all of our lives—mostly for better—but now and then for worse.

I am way down the line when it comes to being tech savvy. Over time, I have learned what I need to know, to write stories and take photographs and send them where they need to go. But I seldom reach out to learn about something new unless it is something I’m going to need to use. I don’t think I’ll ever be an early adopter.

Some small things:

I mentioned last week that I volunteered to house an exchange student for a few months. Sounded simple and easy, but there was a raft of “paperwork” involved, though none of it was on paper. If I hadn’t had a computer, I would not have been able to make myself eligible. When they needed my signature, I had to sign on the dotted line, photograph my signature with my smart phone and email it to the appropriate person. When they needed photos of my house, I used my phone again.

I drove to a vast parking lot at Colorado State University to hear an author speak one night last week. “Pay to park” the sign read and then it instructed me to use an app which I didn’t have and didn’t know how to get, to pay the fee. That was an easy one. I found another place to park.

Later in the week I had an opportunity to learn about the Colorado Encyclopedia project, a way for Coloradans to tell the story of their state described as “an informative cultural experience as diverse and colorful as the state it serves.” It will be online and only online. It’s an exciting project that would not be possible if there were no such thing as “online.”  It also means that people without some sort of device, computer, phone or iPad, or access to one, won’t be able to enjoy it.

Anyone is invited to contribute. It’s a great opportunity for wide exposure for small communities and local voices. Tourism will benefit as information is shared about little-known historic sites, attractions and events. And thanks to technology, it will be constantly and easily updated.

I don’t think to pack my cell phone every time I leave my house and more often that not, I’m sorry. “That would have made a great photo, if only I’d had my phone with me” or “Geez. I’m lost. I wish I had my phone.”

Charge it up! Kicking and screaming, we all gotta get with it if we don’t want to get left behind.