"The Electronic World of the Present" - Time Out #160

Here's a powerful question for you!

What has been the biggest "happening" in your lifetime?

I frequently ask that one to friends, acquaintances and, occasionally, slight strangers I encounter along life's path.

Lots of varied answers come back to me, most accompanied with a slight pause for thought-gathering purposes. A few responses are spontaneous.

So, what are my thoughts on that query?

The electronic personal device is my instant reply; hands down without any close 2nd place happening!

In my humble opinion, these usually hand-held pieces of electronic magic, have absolutely changed the world in our 21st century. Simply put, they are like locust, and are everywhere, all the time.

Let's rewind to the simpler/gentler times in Our Town and beyond in the 1950's.

Growing up in my Norman Rockwell-like neighborhood along tree-lined West 4th Avenue, yours truly, when not in school, constantly played outside, My time outside was usually limited only by the length of the daylight each day. When night crept up, or when Saturday morning made its weekly appearance, we usually sat in our "living rooms", and laughed at cartoons, cowboy westerns or assorted variety shows, on our black and white television sets. These large boxes were usually connected to the distant Oklahoma City broadcast towers via metal antennas on our roofs, or "rabbit ears", simply placed on top of the heavy/clumsy tv's. These portable in-room antennas could usually be adjusted by turning or bending them into various positions that sometimes improved our local reception. Another occasionally used trick was to wrap lots of tin foil around the metal antenna arms to improve the tv's picture. When color televisions started making their local appearance in the late 1950's, weekly outings were planned to rich people's homes to watch such color-filled regular features as Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and, later, the Ed Sullivan (Variety) Show.

Not exactly watching 500+ channels, 24/7/365 on today's curved or flat screen tv units, that practically cover an entire "media/entertainment room" wall in some modern homes, huh? Or, watching "Gone with the Wind" today, on your postage-stamp size screen, hand-held personal device , while sitting in a tent on top of your favorite mountain?

How about the telephone angle of our incredible electronic evolution?

Again, rewind to that earlier era, when I would pick up my local plastic telephone in Our Town, and have an operator at the other end, ask me what number I would like to call? The operator would then place the call for me, if the receiving line was not "busy", or if they were on a "party line" that was in use. If it was occupied, in either case, my only option then was to hang up and to try again later.

Today's options are virtually unlimited. Which method would you like, dear people, texting, voice mail, actually seeing the other person(s) as you speak with him/her, speaker phone, inside or out of your vehicle, or just old-fashion, talking one person to another? Yes, indeed, which option??

Also, how about today's choices of checking the current weather, weather radar, navigational capabilities, a bazillion games, listen to every musical aspect imaginable, apps for everything, including brushing your teeth (?), stock market quotes whenever it is open, personal exercise/eating/breathing monitoring, social networking forever, etc., etc., etc, etc.

And, sometimes these electronic wonders almost rule our human social interaction?

I recently received an e-mail from my long-time buddy, Shelby, who said he was inviting my bride, Debbie, and me to a get-together at his home for a few hours on a Saturday evening. His planned activity for the gathering was for everyone to sit around, and look at their cell phones for 2 or 3 hours.

I chuckled to myself over his invitation, knowing Shelby was absolutely spot on! Wow!!