dammIT

A rantbox

Modern day magic


Not so long ago I went fixing two computers. I generally don't want to fix other peoples windows computers anymore, but those where the pc's of the grandparents of my girlfriend, so I was glad to help them. While I was exploring the systems, installing things, updating stuff and nuking some spyware, I found grandpa in awe with my doings. I don't take this lightly, because he is a smart person [was a math teacher in highschool and is a sophisticated person in general], maybe smarter then I am, and not devoid of technical savvy himself. So when he went speaking admiring about my fast actions I started thinking about the subject. This man has used computers far longer than I exist, has a fast analytical brain, but lacks some kind of skills that I seem to have. It's like my dad; he introduced me to the world of computers [Commodore64, great machine, beats every pc in boot time], so has been using computers far longer than I have. He even uses industrial computers at his work and programs them. Still, his typing speed is abysmal and he has problems following my movements across the screen when I'm doing the exact same tasks as he was just doing, explaining [new] some stuff.

So, of course I'm obsessed with computers. I'm even more obsessed with the software running on those things. I know obsession is a good way to learn things in and out. But even with completely unknown software and OSes I'm confident in finding my way. It's like I've some insight that lots of other people lack. Thank $DEITY I've friends that are as savvy as I am, and does Google exist, otherwise I wouldn't be able to fix the problems I run in myself. And it helps _lots_ that I learn myself the shortcuts to certain tasks. They are called shortcuts because they make things faster, so _use them_ people. I hate it when I'm looking at my dad clicking 5 times just to copy a file from left to right in Total Commander instead of doing F5+Enter [or dragging the damn thing]. Even my little sister [that has already forgot to type with 10 fingers which she learned at a course and now has reinvented the wheel] is awestruck when I'm whipping up some windows to look for I file she "lost". Or while doing an admin task on her pc. Yet she outspeeds me by far in typing an SMS on her cellphone :P

Hmz, this sounds like I'm bragging about my 1337 computer skillz, but I'm not. It's just some thoughts about how some people are kinda like the old mages of forgotten times, who knew tricks that the normal people didn't. When they executed some "healing trick" [e.g., picking certain leafes and curing someones sickness], people where in awe. Even some trick magic was used by them to keep people looking up to them I guess. I think it's not appropriate to call myself a technomancer or digimancer, but it's fun thinking in those terms.