“AN OPTIMIST SEES AN OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY CALAMITY;
A PESSIMIST SEES A CALAMITY IN EVERY OPPORTUNITY.”
Winston Churchill
When I am not expressing my views here I am in the process of writing a book on Kansas History. I have mentioned this before and trying not to use this as a shameless vehicle to promote it, BUT, the more I research my topics sometimes I get really frustrated at the lack of real information out there.
For those who are scared to death of technology this will be hitting close to home. Since I am not able to do much traveling as I do this I depend on local libraries, museums, historical societies, family members, books, newspapers, and search engines. If you believe everything you read, hear, and see, you would believe that the brave new world is being driven by technology. Heaven help us all!
If the 3 search engines I use are any example of how great the technology is, we have nothing to fear except those who close out everything to look at their little phone or pad, or whatever device rules their lives. If you do not believe how sketchy the world of search engines is just try to put in a relatively little known subject and see what it brings up.
As an example I am trying to get information on a man and a community of Exodusters that existed north of Coffeyville, Kansas. (and as I write this my spell check is telling me that I have spelled Exodusters and Coffeyville wrong and according to this neither exists). What comes up as websites, newspapers, and anything else is so far off the subject that their suggestions are totally worthless. Also as you travel down the suggestions it will suggest pornography sites. The World Book Encyclopedia that I grew up with did not include porn as a subject.
Besides the frustration of a technology that people now look to for information, solve problems, authenticate facts, and be authoritative there is a word I would use but cannot because it just isn’t polite to say to my readers.
Now I have to say that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th Century. What I used to write when I started doing this seriously was a #2 pencil and a legal pad. I also just got down the thought and did not worry about structure, punctuation or spelling until the editing started and it had to appear at least a bit competent.
My upgrade was an electric typewriter and an ever-sharp for a long time. When I did start into the computer world, I must say reluctantly, that I get so much more done and the corrections and structure do save a lot of time. I hated correction tape and fluid (some kids won’t know what I just said), so here I am in this whiz-bang world of computer technology. Better? Sometimes. Frustrating? You bet!
All I want you to know from this is to not be intimidated by this generation of technonerds that want you to believe they know everything, (it tells me technonerds is not a word either). When you want to use the search engines always remember it is like the internet, (or newspapers) what you see is not always the truth.
If a kid growing up into this tech world wants to do real pioneering work and be another Bill Gates, just have them develop a search engine that works. There would be a fortune in it. But Google would just buy them off.
