I may show my age a little here, but I have been through a lot of tech changes in my business and recreational life. When I was going to college, computer programming classes were still using keypunch cards as the primary medium for input of both computer programs and data. I would listen to music on my drives in to college on my 8-track tape player. I would plan trips to Toronto to purchase record albums not easily found in Buffalo. My first sales position relied heavily on the fax machine to receive purchase orders and to send out credit applications. Almost all marketing materials were sent through the mail. I remember buying a word processor and then purchasing my first computer, an IBM 286, around this time for personal use.
As time went on, internet and email were thrown into the mix. I remember using a noisy dial up connection at home, before a cable internet connection that was followed by DSL and now FiOS. Very early on, my TV choices consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, and a couple of public television channels. With my family’s roof antenna, I could watch hockey on the Canadian channels. Now I have satellite TV and streaming TV and movies via my Ruku player. Music is much easier to collect now, with no more visits necessary to record stores. When you go to concert, you can record songs on your phone. You can then jump on YouTube and see your favorite performers in the concert recorded by fellow fans.
It is a great time now for all things technical both at home and at work. So what’s the next big tech thing? I am not sure, but I look forward to it improving my life.