Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Interview Questions of the Future, Reflections Answers

Leah over at The Internet Genealogist, had a fabulous post today.  Run over and visit.

THEN:  Answer the questions yourself.  If you don't feel up to posting them on your blog, how about answering the questions and including them in your data base.  The Wild Ones call it "color".  Record personal thoughts and memories.  Record small family stories, sad or funny.

Here are some of her questions and my responses:

What was the first cell phone you ever got? When or how old were you?

How old, haha, have no idea.  Can remember we lived in Westland Michigan and we paid well over $500 JUST for the phone, limited minutes per month and it was HUGE.  How huge??  About 8 inches long, antenna was ohhhh, 6 inches and did not fold down.  And it could throw a gal's back out carrying it in her purse!

What was your first e-mail address? Did it hold any special meaning? When or how old were you?

First email address was over at AOL, still have it.  Have had it a VERY long time.  Man and I are guestimating  late 1980's. The addy contained a surname I research a lot, with a "E" added on the end, cause Man figured the correct spelling would have already been nabbed. I totally disagreed with him, so in one of those female snotty sounding voices, I said, "So add an "E".  Bingo.  Sorry we did not try the correct spelling first.

When was the first time you used the internet and/or "got connected?"

A long time ago.  LOL  Again, probably in the late 1980's.  Connect speed was 400 baud, and when we could finally connect at 1200 baud we thought we were BLAZIN!!

When did you get your first computer? What did it look like? Do you remember what brand it was?

1981.  Vic 20 by Commodore.  Google it, lots of web sites.  Here we are, Moi, Sons # 1 and  # 2 and Man.  (Straight from my data base to blog.)


What kinds of stuff did you do on that computer?

The kids played games, I tried to learn some basic programming. Ownership sent me back to school to basic computer classes and into a few outbursts of tears when I had trouble learning all that terminology.

What kind of technological achievements did you see if your lifetime?

First home computers, first cell phones, wireless (air cards) connectivity, Google earth and maps (I LOVE maps).  First man on the moon (memories of which are recorded in my database.) Skype. Blogging, Facebook, internet researching.
 
What things did you use or do that have been replaced (either partially or entirely) by technology?

House land line for phone and later internet - - GONE!
 
What was the first Apple product you ever got?

Up until Christmas 2009, I would have had to respond - none.  Now the geeked owner and addicted to iPod Touch, 3rd generation.
 
Have fun writing up your memories.


*By the way, Leah and I discovered the other evening that she and Man share a distant ancestor. They be cousins!

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence.
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2 comments:

Nita said...

Isn't it amazing how times have changed in the computer world!? Our first cell phone was a bag phone. I wonder if they'll be worth anything someday? What amazes me the most, is how much prices have come down on all the items you mentioned. I got my Dell Laptop last year for under $400.

Leah said...

I remember those big phones with the antenna! My mom had one and it NEVER worked but it cost about $10 a minute just to attempt to make a call, lol. I'd forgotten that my family was late to the home computer world (early 1990s), they held off on a computer until then because they thought they were a "fad," and no, I've never let them live that one down, haha! I'm glad you liked my post and I love your responses. Crazy how technology has changed over the years! I wonder if we'll ever see any 1st generation PCs or cell phones on Antiques Roadshow and the like, lol.