ARE YOU ANALOG OR DIGITAL?
By Srianee “Bunter” Dias
I have observed several comments and laments on the Blog about the lack of participation by more batch mates from the class of 1962. There are multiple reasons I am sure, but I think one of the chief reasons is the discomfort with
using computer
technology. I completely sympathize, as one who is more Analog than Digital,
but I think we all have to learn and be comfortable with advancing technology.
It is possible that another reason is the reluctance to share personal opinions
and experiences in a public forum such as our Blog. Some of us, who are more
fortunate, have more knowledgeable family members living in the same house, and
we tend to lean on them when we are stuck.
When we were growing up everything was
manual, remember? There was no such thing as a calculator! I have fond memories
of my mother sitting up late at the end of the school year, going through her
students’ records to enter in their school reports. She did not use a
calculator to add up the scores and calculate the final percentages for their
school reports. Nowadays that seems like quite a feat!
Our first home computer was an Apple II E,
when my daughters were in high school, and that must have been in 1985 or 1986.
It took up a lot of space on the desk that we were using. There were separate
disk drives and a large keyboard! (These days when I visit the Apple Store I
take great pride in telling the young people there that I was using an Apple
computer before they were born! ) My daughters were the primary users of that
computer and I started using it with great trepidation. I had to write notes to
myself beginning with “Turn the power button on!” Then I graduated to the
iMacs, followed by laptops, and the girls took off for college with their own
personal computers. I remained faithful to Apple products, but probably do not
use them to their full potential.
My transformation from an Analog person to
a Digital person was forced upon me. I had to learn the technology in order to
survive. When pathologists gave up pathology reports with multiple carbon
copies and started generating electronic pathology reports there was no choice.
I had to learn. My friend and I even enrolled in an evening adult education
class to learn keyboarding so that we could edit our reports without waiting
for the transcriptionists. As I type this article now, I am ever so thankful
that she dragged me off to that class! When I advanced to voice-activated
transcription, I was really thrilled, because I was not restricted by the
schedules of the transcriptionists. It was OK if they had to leave at 4:30 pm,
I could stay later and get my work done.
I am among the minority of people who clung
on to their vinyl LPs, in spite of buying a CD player. And I am so glad that I
did because my grandson enjoys them too! I don’t buy many CDs now, because we
are downloading music from Apple and Amazon, aren’t we?
Our iPhones and computers are getting
jammed with digital images. When will we ever have time to organize them? I
still own a film camera with multiple lenses, but I’m not sure when I will ever
use it again. Perhaps I can sell it on eBay!!!
My Analog personality rises up when I am
driving. I adamantly refuse to use GPS for directions! I consult maps ahead of
the trip, write down the directions and usually get to my destination without
too much trouble. I think that over reliance on technology is not a good thing.
I suspect that certain parts of our brains are undergoing ‘disuse atrophy!’
Speaking of driving, I think the newer cars with all kinds of computer
technology are not fun to drive at all! I like the feeling of control when
driving a car with a clutch and a manual shift. I was driving a loaner car
about a week ago while my car was being serviced, and it didn’t have a gear
shift! It had various buttons to put the car in the correct gear and felt very
unnatural. I spent five minutes trying to figure out how to put it in reverse!
Has anyone seen the interior of a Tesla? You might as well be driving a
computer.
Being under lockdown due to the pandemic
has pushed us further into the digital phase. We are all dependent on Zoom,
Face Time etc. for teaching, learning and socializing. Visits to doctors are
accomplished using Telemedicine. Privacy is probably receding to a non-existent
figment of our imagination.
So I ask you my friends, are you Analog or
Digital?
Greta article Srianee. I am very fortunate as I have kept up with technology from my very first ZX Sinclair, the the BBC "B" moving on to more sophisticated systems. I am afraid I find Sat Nav (GPS) most useful although I always check om a map if I am doing a long journey. I don't know what I would do if Google.YouTube and TED talks are removed from my life, not to mention my digital Yamaha Genos keyboard, Alexa and all sorts of gadgets!
ReplyDeleteZoom has been a boon during Lockdown for keeping in touch with friends, family and exchange of knowledge.
The answer to your question is, I am definitely digital! And don't raise that digit an-log me off!
Mahen, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my essay which was designed to generate a discussion. Just because we are retired and getting a bit 'long in the tooth' does not mean that we have to stop learning about new technologies. The Zoom meeting that you hosted this morning (by Indran Hensman) about robotic and digital surgery was an example of what is going on in medicine at the moment. That is very advanced stuff, of course, and is fascinating. As you say, Zoom has been a boon to those of us who have to stay at home because of COVID-19. We have managed to stay connected and have avoided major depressive spells! It is important master these technologies that have so many benefits. At the same time I continue treasure my analog devices as I have described, especially my old LPs!
DeleteHi Srianee
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your post.I agree with your comment about reluctance to share opinions etc. in the Blog.Often I have concerns whether my comments will be misunderstood,misinterpreted,will they offend people,sound arrogant or boastful.I therefore give a lot of thought pre posting and have held back some comments.
Reading about school reports reminded me of a story related by late Mr L.W ..DeSilva a class mate of Warden DeSarem and a friend of C.H.Davidson,about his son's school report.The master in charge of swimming had written "this boy should
swim more".L.W. took the report to the warden and complained how can he swim more when he does not swim at all.
Bora, we love your comments, so please keep them coming! I love reading your reminiscences of life at STC, like the one you have just related. I do understand some of your reservations, but you could always get a 'second opinion' from Nihal or Mahen, before posting them, can't you? Just a suggestion.
DeleteBora, I know what you mean but we must enhance the blog by posting comments. We still travel by air although we are aware of the risks!
ReplyDeleteComing to Srianee, you are a keen Apple user I note. I use Apple for some art and musical work but I am afraid I am a windows PC man. I know you had problems posting from the blog using Safari. How did you overcome that
I also have Google Chrome downloaded on my computer, so my browsing is often done on Chrome or "DuckDuckGo" (which was recommended and downloaded by my daughter). DuckDuckGo does a better job of blocking trackers. It is a free download. Google is notorious for tracking one's behavior. (I am giving DuckDuckGo a plug, aren't I?!!)
DeleteThank you Srianne,
DeleteI have been using Google Chrome,like you,as my main browser.I down loaded DuckDuckGo on your recommendation and it seems that it is doing well and hassle free.I am not disappointed about your decline to comment on my previous request.Your are certainly,One Smart Apple.
Srianee
ReplyDeleteThank you for that thoughtful narrative so beautifully written with such great clarity. Being in radiology I had to embrace technology with both arms. I’ve indeed had an interest in computers since the very beginning. I do wonder how some manage without the basic IT skills in this digital world. From music to banking to shopping to films and health, everything is digital and on computers. One will seriously miss out without it. But who am I to preach? We all have our ways to live our lives.
Nihal, thank you for your comment. I predict that if we do not attempt to master some basic skills in technology, we will suffer isolation. I think of my mother who was very intelligent and loved visiting and conversing with her friends and family. Towards the end of her life she became very hard of hearing. We got her fitted with hearing aids, but she had difficulty managing the adjustments and whatever else was required to operate them optimally, and she gave up using them. This resulted in her becoming very quiet when we gathered in a group greater than 2 or 3, which was the usual occurrence in our family. There was nothing wrong with her mental faculties, but she chose to 'shut down' which was sad for all of us.
DeleteSrianee
DeleteYou did hit on a very important point - hearing. I have seen many older folk just getting sidelined and displaced to the periphery of life as they cannot join in conversations and cannot take and receive phone calls. It is a serious impediment and perhaps a contributory factor to the inset of dementia through lack of stimulation.
Srianee, it is a pity that your Mum couldn't find a suitable Hearing Aid. This must have been sometime back as these days, there are many varieties to choose from according to needs. I know a lot of my generation have significant hearing impairment but while some are unaware, others don't like to admit it. I have worn hearing aids for 16 years!
DeleteTo wear a hearing aid is An Apple of Discord.
DeleteAbout my mother's hearing loss, it was quite some time ago and the technology was not very sophisticated. In retrospect we realized that someone (a hearing aid professional) should have worked with her and taught her to use them properly. It takes a while to get accustomed to wearing them so I am told that it is a good idea to wear them in a quiet room at first, with a few people, and gradually use them in places with background noise (like restaurants.). At a restaurant sit with your back to the noise so that you can hear your companions better. How do I know all this? Full disclosure, my family complained that I was making them repeat themselves and I had a hearing test about two years ago. I had a very borderline loss in the upper frequencies, but I decided to try them. It has made a difference in following conversations, and the TV volume is set much lower too! As Nihal implied I was concerned about what hearing loss would do to my neurons as time went on. My family is much happier too!
DeleteHi Bora
ReplyDeleteYou are always polite and bring some humour to our blog which we require in this time of lockdowns and Covid. Life’s ups and downs have made us less sensitive. Working in the NHS has made us cynical though.
Srianne,
ReplyDeleteI hope that your electronics are in Apple Pie Order.
Good one Sumathi!
DeleteYes Sumathi, they are in perfect'Apple-pie' order! And when they are not, 'Apple Help' is always available!
DeleteAre you an Apple of some ones'eye?
DeleteSumathi, I decline to answer that question!!!
DeleteHope! Am not A Wide Apple.
ReplyDeleteSrianee, Your macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the pathology behind our “malady” shows you in your true colours as a pathologist !
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to learn about your mum’s hearing loss.
Iam mostly digital, but still love playing my old vinyls - Their sound quality is unbeatable specially for orchestral music in the correct setting.
Thank you for keeping our neurones firing.
Rohini
DeleteGood to see you on the blog. I have assumed my hearing is ok but I may be wrong. No ones complained but are they just too polite. I listen to a lot of music and I still appreciate the quality. I must take the cue and get it tested anyway. In this time of COVID that is a bridge too far. I must wait for better times and let my family suffer in silence that would be quite unlike Chiu!!
Nihal, I am sure you would have noticed any hearing loss if you’ve had to have people repeating themselves or had to turn up the volume of your music or TV to a level too high for others. With your music you could begin to miss the higher frequencies which are what you lose with age related hearing loss. In general, it is a good idea to have hearing tested early rather than late - as , if left uncorrected the pathways atrophy owing to disuse and then it can be too late. Iam sure you know all of this already , but we tend to leave these things till they become a problem!
DeleteBesides, it will be you who will have to “suffer in silence” and not family - How will you hear the ‘sweet nothings’ that Chiu will be whispering in your ear ?
Rohini
DeleteThank you for sharing your wisdom and experience as a GP. Although I need some peace and quiet I will indeed get my hearing checked when it is safe to do so.
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Not Yet Nihal !
DeleteRohini, Good to see you here. About my mother's hearing loss, see the reply to Mahen and Nihal above. She managed as best as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think by nature I am an Analog person, but I know that if I don't master the digital world I will be left flat footed and helpless. So, I force myself to learn new things in the digital world and I admit that many times I truly enjoy it. I certainly want to keep my 'neurons firing' as long as possible.
Srianee,
ReplyDeleteThank you - It is good you’ve brought this topic up . We are all at an age we need to preserve our faculties as much as we can. I had a hearing test a couple of years ago when Ana had his tests and found a little dip in my hearing in the middle range which usually is noice induced. I had it followed up last year and found no deterioration to my great relief. The only noice I can think of which might have caused this is the noisy train travel to Ragama OPD and back post internship. Iam very relieved I don't have to use hearing aids.
Hey ladies, have pity on us men who have hearing loss and are dependant on technology for our hearing. I have total loss of hearing in one ear ( not because of the train ride from Ragama) and have a Baha device for that ear and another hearing aid for the other. I agree its not the best but age takes its toll. Hang on to your neurons as long as you can. as my cousin once told me getting old is the pitts.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Rajan, I was not aware that you had train rides to Ragama as well !
DeleteI wasn’t speaking of one train ride ! They were twice a day over many months when a bunch of us MOs OPD travelled to work and back in those smoke spewing “Yakada Yakas” (name borrowed from Carl Muller) which rattled and shook as they rolled along the tracks with deafening noise - it was impossible to have a conversation !
Happy to hear you have taken all measures available to help your hearing.
Cheers
Come to think of it - noisy vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers could have contributed too.
DeleteRohini, I was also a commuter by train from the Maradana station to Ragama and worked as an MO OPD there. It would have been in the early part of 1970. I don't believe we were there at the same time. I think Rohini Abey was one of my travel companions. I worked in Ragama for a few months, and then became a trainee in Anesthesia for a couple of months before leaving for the US in October 1970. My Anesthesia boss was a nice guy, but I did not like being an Anesthetist!
DeleteThat is interesting Srianee - You must have joined after I resigned.
DeleteRohini Abhay was also one of the group with whom I travelled. The others were Thilaka Subendranathan (nee Thirunavakarasu), Rita Segarajasingham (nee Saverimuttu) from a Peradeniya batch, Drahman, Cassim from our Colombo batch, Chula and Anura Rajapakse from our junior batch. Some of them at least would still have been there travelling with you.
I am glad we are sharing these experiences. Nobody should be embarrassed at needing technological help for all of the losses we suffer due to advancing age. My hearing aids are almost invisible in spite of my very short hair. Guess what? they use digital technology and have some self-adjusting features, pretty miraculous I admit. (See what I mean, I am becoming more and more 'digital!') I can manage without them, but I know that my hearing is much sharper when I have them on. I've been told that they should be worn all the time even if one is hanging out at home alone, which is what is happening 90% of the time these days.
ReplyDeleteSrianee, Rohini, Nihal and Sumathi, it is indeed a good thing that we are sharing these experiences. As I said earlier in a comment, I have worn hearing aids for 16 years! The manner of discovery was interesting. When we teach medical students, we have at times an observer present to evaluate the Teacher. At the end of the lecture, the observer approached me and commended me but said "Dr Gonsallkorale, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but have you got a slight problem with your hearing?" (or words to that effect). I told her that I am unaware of any and asked her why she asked me that question. She said that at the end during a Q&A (which I always do after a lecture), a girl at the back asked a question which was quite audible to her but I had asked her to speak up as I couldn't hear her properly. This made me visit my ENT colleague who sent me to Audiology and they found a mid frequency dip. I was 59 at the time and my colleague was concerned about underlying pathology and send me for an MR to exclude Acoustic Neuroma and fortunately the MR was normal. I then went onto be fitted with hearing aids. I first had only one but was advised to wear on both sides. They were intermittently worn on a demand basis at first and for the reasons indicated by Rohini, I began to wear them all the time. I now only take them off at night before sleeping or when I have a shower. It made a tremendous difference to my life. The TV is not loud. I enjoy music more and I am able to join in conversation and not be an outsider, guessing when to join the laughter or be serious when banter goes on!
ReplyDeleteAbout 50% of people over 75 have a significant hearing impairment. Most of us adopt a kind of denial and are shy of wearing aids. Whenever I meet friends or people who don't know me well, one of the first things I do is to tell them that my hearing is not good and that I wear aids. I ask them to be a bit patient with me as even with aids, my hearing is not perfect. I would recommend an article on the Eeb and here is the reference:-
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hearing-loss-common-problem-older-adults
Some people have a hearing problem and don’t realise it. You should see your doctor if you:
ReplyDeleteHave trouble hearing over the telephone.
Find it hard to follow conversations when two or more people are talking
Often ask people to repeat what they are saying
Need to turn up the TV volume so loud that others complain
Have a problem hearing because of background noise
Think that others seem to mumble
Can’t understand when women and children speak to you
Mahen
ReplyDeleteThank you for that which we all septuagenarians accept as useful information. I dont have any of the above but feel now that I should be getting my hearing checked as it is such a common problem. I dont feel shy at all to wear a hearing aid. Being a buff of digital gizmos it would be yet another piece to appreciate and admire - if it is needed.
Pardon
Can you speak a bit louder please.
Mahen,
ReplyDeleteA comprehensive checklist for screening.
Just as we screen for Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease in midlife I think screening for hearing loss in late adult life should become routine before cognitive decline and social isolation set in. It is also believed that it could go some way to prevention of falls , as we are processing auditory cues all the while we are walking. A vast and important subject.
All of you have contributed a great deal of information to this discussion. Because hearing loss is not life threatening as other diseases may be, people tend to ignore it and somehow manage to keep chugging along. But, as everyone has indicated it definitely affects one's quality of life. It contributes to isolation and cognitive decline as Rohini has written, and perhaps depression too. In my case I curtailed many arguments with my family, because I was complaining about their 'mumbling' and they were getting tired of repeating themselves! So if anyone reading this blog is experiencing any of the symptoms spelled out in Mahen's comment, do get your hearing checked without delay! Once you get fitted with the proper hearing aids, you will say "Why didn't I do this sooner!"
ReplyDeleteDing Dong bell
ReplyDeleteDeafness,is life in Hell
Oh!is it you,darling belle
Do not wash your Pussy in the well
Life is dull without a ding dong
Old age,lose ding a ling
Some brains are going ding dong
Covid,ruined the London wingding
I didn't get round to reading in detail, all the comments above and would like to say: Srianee, I am an analogue peg in a digital slot. Each time I write, count, add, make an order, go shopping, do driving, cook meals at home, oh the situations are endless, I get my analogue self out of the slot, perform the task with digital precision, speed and perfection and deposit myself back in the analogue slot. I don’t think the conversion ever reaches perfection. Thankfully, we have our digital siblings, children and neighbours to help us prod along in this digital age with impending electric cars and robot servants and work colleagues. I don’t believe the conversion is ever complete unless one is born in the eighties or even nineties. Zita
ReplyDeleteHi Zita, better late than never! I am a bit like you. I am an analog person who embraces the digital world with caution and don't want to be overly dependent on all these devices that have been invented to assist us. I do appreciate the fact that nowadays we are staying connected to each other because of all the digital gadgetry. I certainly don't want to be left behind!
ReplyDeleteBetter late than dead spot.
ReplyDelete