Recovering from Wi-Fi whip lash

Posted Jan 26, 2012 By Stacey Roy

In this fast-paced world it seems the biggest carousel of change can be found in the realm of technology, which became all too clear to me recently when I proverbially fell off this fantastic ride to hurt nothing but my pride.

The not-so-pleasant realization that I was out of touch with technology came in two parts this month: the first when I was traveling on a train to Toronto. The trip from Smiths Falls to Union Station is a common trek for me having done it for three years during college and later to meet my future husband. The landscape inside the passenger car in those days (circa 1999-2002) was a healthy mix of passengers reclining in their seats with either a paperback book or their headphones in their ears. You knew there was a businessperson on the train when a laptop came out, but this is not so any more. There I was confidently nestled in my seat and proud to hold my paperback in my hands until I looked around and realized people were looking at me questioningly - what is this object in this lady's hand - they seemed to be sympathetically thinking. It was then I realized I was the only person with a book in my hand in a sea of laptops, iPads, iPhones, electronic readers and the like. Where had I been? I looked at my book gratefully thinking at least paper and ink doesn't lose power until my foot caught on an unsuspected object to my right. VIA Rail has installed electrical outlets at each seat for computer devices! The snug arrangement assured me I wasn't in first class, so there was only one more conclusion to draw - I was out of date!

This conclusion was cemented later the next week when a routine call to schedule an interview exposed my technical failings. Busy schedules often require creative thinking, so I was grateful when the individual offered their cell phone number I could use to reach my interview. I was warned he was in the middle of competition and the best course of action would be to text him and ask for a good time. I mulled this suggestion over for a second, desperately trying to think of a hip way to tell this kind man that I had never sent a text message in my life and don't even own a cell phone. There was nothing to do but come clean and hope for another option. Thankfully, this man offered to text my interview and ask him for a good time and then relay this information to me. Thank goodness for angels.

I'm not against technology and often use Facebook to schedule interviews, but I must admit I like not having a cell phone. It often gives me the chance to speak to people face-to-face and see with my own eyes what I will be writing about. Technology has advanced to allow camera phones, but there is no replacement for the chemistry that happens when two human beings sit down and have a chat.

Why would I want to close the door on this?