Heathkit Radio
Way back in the 1980s I bought my first computer–an Apple /// complete with a dot matrix printer. My interest in the then new idea of a desktop computer had begun in the 1970s when I was active in ham radio. My call letters were K6DKS.
I had built my own ham radio from a kit by Heathkit. A friend of mine was an avid ham radio operator. I had learned Morse code by listening to tapes of Morse code to learn how to listen and “read” the combinations of dots and dashes translating them into words. I had a telegrapher’s key so that I could transmit my own dots and dashes to others around the world, trading QSL cards with people throughout the United States and foreign countries. Ham radio is a marvelous hobby.
I subscribed to various ham radio magazines, such as QSL, and ARRL (American Radio Relay League). It was a whole new world.
In the ham radio magazines I was reading I came across articles about connecting the radio to a computer so that my computer would translate the Morse code dits and dahs (dots and dashes) into words displayed on my computer’s monitor.
Along about the same period of time this thing we now know as the World Wide Web emerged. That opened a whole new avenue to explore. Both ham radio and the WWW are means of communication. That led to e-mail and permitted world wide communication between us ordinary mortals. Fascinating.
Now, thirty years or so later I’m still at it and the possibilities continue to evolve. I have long since sold my Heathkit ham radio to a man in Tokyo via eBay.
My old Apple /// is long gone, relegated to museums. I transitioned to the Macintosh, and finally succumbed to the Dell computer I now use.
I’ve come from DOS to Windows, upgrading each cycle to the latest operating systems as the evolved. Last Friday I upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Each upgrade necessitates an exploration of the newest features of each edition of operating systems.
Thus far I like what I am experiencing with the new Windows 7 version. It appears to be even more stable than Vista. My connection with the WWW is broadband via satellite. My desktop computer is now connected, wirelessly, with my wife’s new laptop. For me it is something like technological paradise. I have, over the years, built and maintained websites, engaged in blogging, and even discover my ancestors in my family’s tree.
Today I read about the commercial use of Facebook and Twitter being used by some Las Vegas Casinos to communicate with their customers. Casino “executives can monitor customer suggestions on how to improve business, bask in guests’ kudos, offer immediate assistance to customers in distress — and cringe when unhappy patrons post critical remarks that ding their companies.”
“And for their part, customers are discovering that such Web sites are offering them an unprecedented voice, with their comments and reviews not only reaching casino managers but an untold number of other customers and potential customers over whom they can now wield influence.”
One gambler posted a remark on Facebook which read “Please folks …do N-O-T gamble in this casino. They run some of the TIGHTEST machines in Las Vegas. I LOSE almost E-V-E-R-Y time I try playing at (name of casino).” The managers of the casino read every word — and let the comment ride. Before they could engage the gambler about the competitiveness of their slot machines, another customer came to their defense minutes later: “If you don’t like (casino) that much — then just don’t go there. But the rest of us LOVE the place … better luck next time.”
Some time ago I read about a Pizza Parlor putting out a Tweet on Twitter about a sale they were having on a particular pizza and were inundated with customers appearing to buy their offering.
Literally millions of people are online and read or watch videos about such things. It is a whole new world of communication. It is here to stay and will continue to expand. There is no looking back.
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The computer is changing the way people interact and it is becoming increasingly apparent that those who do not embrace or at least learn to use) it will be left behind. Your grandson was just here looking for an idea for a research essay he needs to write about computers. He came up with the idea of discussing the effect of computers on different generations.
Funny coincidence. I just wrote a column for the local newspaper on just this topic. I got a tweet from Aaron about his research essay.