If you are looking for instructions, read no further. Thankfully, there are more knowledgeable people who write information that is more helpful! I sat down with a cup of coffee this morning and decided to call a cousin in Virginia (we sometimes have coffee together on the phone). She immediately started regaling me with her latest adventure with technology and I was soon laughing so hard that the tears were rolling. It seems her land phone had quit and, after 45 minutes on her cell phone, answering recorded questions (press 1 for …, 2 for …., 3 for …., etc.), she got instructions. I did not mean to laugh but picturing a tiny lady over 80 walking around outside her house with a screwdriver and pliers in 95-degree heat (which she was told to do but did not!), had me in hysterics. This was followed by another 40-minute call to set up an appointment for a repairman. Then a call saying they would attempt to make the repairs remotely which was successful. If not a success, she was asked to use the phone that was not working to call and tell them it had not worked. Luckily, this was not necessary! The next afternoon the repairman appears at the door who, apparently, had not received the message that the problem had been fixed. Many have discarded their land lines, but I was told that my bill would go up if I discontinued my land line since I had a “bundle”. I no longer try and find the logic with certain problems.
And now we have cell phones which, I must admit, I use probably 15% of its capabilities and enjoy every second. We no longer need to remember a number since they are all saved in “contacts”. Since I do not remember what I did yesterday or a friend’s number that is called daily, why do I remember that when I was growing up, our phone number was 234J? Not to mention that we sing the words to every song from the 60’s and 70’s! She remembered more phone numbers from her childhood than I did. It never ceases to amaze that we may order an item and it will be at our door tomorrow or we can ask Siri important questions such as, “How old is Robert Redford?” and receive an instant answer. I do not miss encyclopedias! And that we can carry around hundreds of photos that we can share with friends or have them printed and mailed to us with the push of a button. Wow.
The conversation then turned to remote controls. Need I say more? In the past we were told to make wills. We reached the conclusion that it is now more important to leave detailed instructions on how to turn the television on and off. I presently have a holder next to my chair containing 6 remote controls (two of which do nothing, but you never know when they may be needed!). If you have a DVD player, ROKU, and various gadgets connected, the remote needs to be handy. During the discussion, I realized that I have a TV with no cable that only plays DVD’s but is useless because the remote does not work. In another room, I have a small TV with no cable, but it does play old VHS tapes. I did manage to throw out many but there are a few that are special and cannot be parted with. She also mentioned getting a new TV which her son hooked up. Everything was working great when he departed until she tried to turn it off. I think she may have unplugged it or left it on mute until she wanted to watch again or found another remote to turn it off. Could she have asked “Alexa” to turn it off? If it is a “smart TV”, why is there a problem at all? I try and remember the advice of a friend who, in the face of problems, said to turn everything off and on again. This usually works. If not, I go to another room and check that TV! If that fails, I go to sleep with a prayer that things will repair themselves during the night. But now, excuse me while I try and watch a movie on Netflix but if it does not work, I will call and ask my granddaughter. Have a great day!
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