Friday, May 7, 2010

FDK, GTB and the Internet

Here I am on the Facebook. I am also on Gmail. Myspace. Blogger. Elsewhere. Think about it, I am on the world wide web and so are you. We are out there and in there, so let's all blow our minds as a team.

What is to become of hand-written letters, books, or any other way BESIDES THE INTERNET to send and receive information? Gosh. . .Do you remember when the only way to correspond was by use of a mailbox? And the only way to communicate was with a telephone? Honestly, who "puts the flag up" for anything other than Christmas cards?

I mean, LOOK at all of this. I think about my grandfather, Frederick Darwin Keeler, and how he would react if he was with us today. Pops was the most technologically-fascinated individual of his time. Granted, he stopped buying all of the "new" things prior to, oh, 1990 I suppose, but in spite of this, pops would be overwhelmed with wonder as I listened to an I-pod or as my sister edited her pictures on Photoshop.
“What’s that?”
“It’s my Ipod, Pops.”
“A what?!”
“An Ipod”
“What are you doing with it?”
“I’m listening to music.”
“On THAT LITTLE THING?!”
“Yup.”
“How?”
“I download songs from a computer.”
“Download?”
Like I say, Pops was a wonderfully curious man and those question-and-answer sessions would last an entire afternoon, sometimes extending into dinner time. Sarah and I loved these sessions, though. We marveled at his passion for knowing and answered him to the best of our youthful ability.
And now we come to Geraldine Taylor Besse, who in her time lived in Smalltown USA atop Anyrandom Hill. How would she react to "all of this internet STUFF"? Ah, Granny...a truly amazing woman. She was very involved in her community. And now, if she were still living and doing all her things for her town, she would have an email address. GTB@hotmail.com- sending, forwarding, and replying to issues regarding Old Home Day.
So now I wonder how much and to what extent Granny would utilize the "www"? Furthermore, how long would the Q&A on the subject last with Pops?

Wow.