Caught in the mad world of computers!

Whoever thought that a day would come when middle-aged people, like this scribe, would be considered almost redundant in society not because they have graduated to become senior citizens, but for their inability to appreciate and emulate the technology that is reshaping societies for better or worse? There is no denying the fact that in this new age of technology none (this scribe included) can achieve much without the use of computers in their day to day life, either at home or at workplace. Computer has made life easier, albeit dependent on it for a wide range of functions, and bred a generation of tech-savvy young people across the globe instantly abreast with the various applications of the developing computer technologies. And with evolving microchip technologies and ever-expanding Internet links, computers have become part and parcel of our (sans this scribe's) daily life. The proliferation of hand-held mini-computer devices like smartphones, iphones, ipads with Bluetooth and blackberry technologies, and ipods have revolutionised young people's lives. It has also widened the existing 'generation gap' in societies across the world. We grew up in the fascinating world of radio, gramophone, cassette player, telephone, typewriter and later television (black and white). Now that the computer has combined all these technologies in one single device, it has become a whole new ball game, so to say, for the middle-aged people (more so in the case of this scribe) to use any of the devices with the minimum of satisfaction. This scribe very reluctantly parted company with his Remington typewriter a few years back being pressed by his children to give the computer a try. They were convinced that a computer was no less efficient for the purpose of typing any piece of writing. It is true that the computer has dispensed with the need for paper, rubber, carbon and ribbon. But does it give the users the same satisfaction that the rhythmic tapping of the typewriter keys used to give the typists while typing out a text? In all these years this scribe has barely managed to learn the three cardinal functions of the computer: text-typing; text-saving; text-printing, and that too on the PC he is familiar with. Even today he is grappling with some of the basic functions as he fails to understand certain computer commands that appear on the screen, which are so very commonly known to the computer users. Let alone learn how to 'download' and 'upload' materials from the Net. The mortal dread of forgetting passwords has kept this scribe away from the popular social networking sites like facebook and Tweeter, while his e-mail account is under constant threat of closure for repeated password mix-up. Readers might pity this scribe for being deprived of the fruits of the Internet boom, but they would only be partially right in doing so. This scribe frequently skypes with relatives, friends and acquaintances living abroad, but the system needs to be put in place at first by someone else in the house. He deserves this privilege at home, if not at his workplace, and is not ashamed of the lack of his technical know-how. It is worth recalling here an incident at the workplace that convinced this scribe that there are others no less inept at handling a modern day computer. It so happened, the other day, that a senior media man, who had been using computers for years (for typing text only) and is well-known as a prolific writer both in English and Bangla print media, failing to tame the erratic 'cursor' of his computer sought the help of his colleagues after hours of struggling all by himself. The problem was solved after the nearly exhausted writer was found to be holding the 'mouse' topside down on the pad in his urgency to file his story for the day on the computer screen. At least this scribe is not the only 'odd man out' in this crazy world of computers. ....................................................... The writer is Associate Editor of The Financial Express and can be reached at: Shaheed_rahim@yahoo.com