Monday, January 30, 2012

Tech Guy Go To.

    With all due apologies to the teens across the street, I have an excellent go to tech guy. When ever I'm really stuck I can check with my son on how to do something. Now in some of my previous posts I have described my limitations in the tech world. Thanks to my son the header on my blog was changed recently.


     My son's introduction to tech stuff started a long time ago. In the early eighties Apple decided to give schools computers. What we received were Apple II e's. Now these computers were very primitive. They were on a disk operating system so you had to have a disk with a little program and that's about it. You could write something , print it and store it on a disk.


      My son was about thirteen when we got the computers at school. There were many games and the games were easily copied so all the little beaners wanted in the computer room after school to play games. We had a sign in system for the kids to use a computer after school. It was great fun trying to get these kids to leave after an hour.


     A friend of my was teaching a small community computer class in the evenings. He could not make one session so asked if I would sub for him. He had his lesson very well planned out for me. I took my son along to help me. So on one side the computers did what I asked and the other side nothing happened . I gave the instructions again. My son watched and tried it himself. Finally my son discovered that the one side had put the disks in upside down. From that time on he became my respected adviser.


     My son has stayed with high tech throughout his working life. He was in the Communications Branch of Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve) and became familiar with electronics. He taught four different computer courses at a small college in the 90s & continued teaching to adults in various school districts throughout the Vancouver area for many years following. He has worked for high-tech companies that produced air traffic control systems, DC power supplies and wireless telemetry equipment. Now he is an Accounts Manager for a company that produces Ethernet security systems for control networks.


     So I have somebody with great knowledge and experience to help me with computer challenges.   By the way , he still loves computer games which are a million times better than in the eighties.

16 comments:

  1. You are so lucky to have a tech savvy family member. He will help you in ways you can't even imagine... yet. I like that he's redone the header and added some pages, too. The larger type is rather nice, I always appreciate it when I don't have to manually make the type larger. Good job!

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  2. Thanks DJan. I need all the help I can get!

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  3. It's a beautiful header! Soon, it looks like we'll all have ipads in the school house. Isn't it amazing how fast the tech world spins. I can tell you are proud of your son & how wise you were and are to see his "gifts" and allowing him to use them even at a young age. Way to Go!

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  4. Thanks Debbie. My son went to the school I taught in and he hung around after school to get a ride home so I put him to work!
    Changes? Tell me about them. With the power of technology new developments occur at a much faster pace. Now two year olds can handle ipads and find their pictures and play games.

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  5. Hi Red ... My son also started writing programs in high school; they little programs to run games...He joined the US Navy and went into Nuclear science instead which no one seemed to understand except it was very prestigious...he taught Nuclear science for a while and when he exited the Navy, he went back into high tech and is now writing programs for factories...

    I think that type of thing is in the blood...once they get started, it's additive...

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  6. Judy, the high tech world is like a network. It leads you to discover more new things. My son navigates through what is produced and learns how to sell it to other people so they can use it.

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  7. I love the header! And what a neat post about your son!


    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

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  8. Hi Red / "Bluey".

    Maybe your son MIGHT like to visit Australia???? AC 33 direct daily from Vancouver and arrives at the sedate hour of 10.20am in Sydney!
    After Sydney, he can come up here and give me some lessons!
    Holidays and a lesson given that he will never forget - ha ha!
    Well, it is just a suggestion!
    I'll supply the necessary frayed nerve tablets!

    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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    1. If you also supply the airline ticket & a couple of cases of Tooheys, you got yourself a deal! ;)

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  9. Great to have tech support in the family! And handsome tech support at that. ;)

    I remember computers in the 80s, oh my. I had an Atari 800 for awhile. Then there was the Mac Classic! I have been a Mac person since I started my graphic design career in 1990.

    I also remember playing "Frogger" on a "Trash 80", aka the TRS-80.

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  10. Colin, my son has done quite a bit of travelling. In one job he supervised dealers so was on the road quite a bit.

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  11. Natalie, it's hard to believe how primitive those first computers were. I prefer PCs but then I'm not in graphics.

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  12. Great that he is so talented!! Some people just naturally have computer savy! I like your new header! :)

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  13. What a delightful post! Good for you and your son!

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  14. How nice it is to have someone so handy to ask your tech questions and dilemas to. I have such a guy too - my special guy Dr. D - we teach each other and share knowledge. Your son is quite handsome and has a lovely smile and a warm face. NICE POST Red :)

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