There was much muttering and indignance in our drawing office when told we would have to start drawing our plans on the computer. That was back in the early eighties.
Whoever came up with the idea that a computer could draw plans better than we could manually, needs their head read! It won't last; they'll soon realize their folly!
So the older hands thought. I was part of that group.
We were horrified thinking that our treasured drawing instruments would become obsolete.
Everyone in the drawing office thought electric erasers were an amazing time-saver.
You will save so much time; simply select the line or text, and hit delete!
...said our bosses.
One of them felt like we did; he wasn't open to these new-fangled computers! Still used a calculator!
It was mind-boggling to think that many of our once-vital instruments would end up in the office storage room. Our scales would still be used but had to take a backseat.
At least no more smudging wet ink for me with my left hand! Our draughting tables were no longer angled as that awful computer would take the place of everything familiar!
Individuality, style, and creativity all out the window! SO, we all said!
We, however, soon learnt that it really was the best invention ever in a drawing office, saving time and much frustration when mistakes occur on a hand drawing.
I remembered the time I spilt a cup of tea all over a plan that was almost complete. I burst into tears, as it was a property with a river boundary, a load of work. My one boss tried to calm me down and said,
It's ok to make a mistake, but if you make the same mistake again, you are a fool!
I never had my cup of tea anywhere near a drawing after that episode!
Photo by HansjΓΆrg Keller on Unsplash
Remember those hand bricks with aerials that yuppies proudly held to their ears, and those smart flip phones. I remember a father at a school sports day walking up and down, talking at the top of his voice into this stupid fad!
Humph, said hubby and I, we'll never ever be seen with one of those silly phones. Surely one can wait till you get home, and if it's an emergency, there's always a phone booth nearby! Nah, it will surely die a sudden death!
Nothing can replace our trusted telephone. We had a telephone chair in a prominent place in our home. Unfortunately, if you could not make it in time, you had to try and guess who had called.
That got us thinking that perhaps at least one of us should get this phone as a test run!
Hah, we had to eat our words as eventually the whole family ended up with a phone!
Thinking back now, I honestly do not know how we managed, especially during emergencies.
Would we have believed that we cannot live without it now!
Do you still have a landline at home?
Our phones have multiple uses, simply irreplaceable!
The biggest game changer for sure was the internet - suddenly, we had the world right in our homes. No need for encyclopedias as all the information can be found online - or as the older folk used to say,
on the line.
We all know how online gaming exploded. Skype calls were WOW, connecting families. COVID-19 brought about online meetings, working from home, tele-consults with doctors, virtual meetings, web conferences, and even the streaming of family celebrations and funerals!
Would you have believed that this would become the norm?
I'll keep my mouth shut when criticizing any new techno stuff, as I've been proven wrong way too many times!
As for the AI debate, when I was first introduced to ChatGPT by my son, I was gobsmacked at its ability but also concerned that we would stop thinking for ourselves. No lengthy Google searches, the answers are spat out within seconds, and its ability seems to be endless.
Where it will all end is anyone's guess, but one thing's for sure: AI is here to stay, for good and for bad!
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