Technobabble

Stolen from the blogosphere... of course.

1. Do you remember when you saw your first computer? When did you actually use one? What about having your own? Do you own a laptop? (PC or Mac?) Have you gone wireless at home yet?
The first computer I saw must've been a prop on Star Trek... But the first time I ever used computer that was not a video game console was probably in junior high - a Commodore 64. Shortly thereafter I got the white "64C" at home. I don't own a laptop. I've owned several PCs since 1993. I set up a wireless router for my folks but since I live in an appartment, I never bothered with wireless.

2. When did you first go online and/or use email? Who did you email back then? How did the internet change your life? When did you discover blogging? What about your home internet connection - is it dial-up, DSL, cable?
My first online experience was in 1995 when I installed my first 14.4 modem into my 486 (it was a loaner from a friend). I logged into a local BBS - it wasn't "email" like we have today, but I was able to post public messages and stuff. Later I tried the first iteration of MSN (it was like AOL back then). I got into "Internet" in university (1996). It changed the way I think about sharing information and communication.I discovered blogging just over a year or so ago. I have ADSL at home and have never looked back. I couldn't live without broadband now.

3. Do you remember your first VCR? What about a video camera (there were some bulky ones back in the 80s and 90s) and home videos?
The first VCR I used belonged to my dad and he paid like a couple thousand dollars for it... a top-loading contraption that had a wired remote control. It lasted FOREVER.My father had a video camera and made home movies when I was little. He stopped playing with it at one point.

4. When did you switch from VCR to DVD? How did it change your video viewing experience? Do you use TiVo or any such "contraption" to tape TV shows? Do you use Netflix or some other internet-based DVD "renting" service?
A few months after I bought my car I realized I was no longer bound to the limitations of carrying stuff home in my backpack on foot... I bought a DVD player that Christmas (2000). The upside of the switch is that since I'm a huge fan of anime and foreign films, I now get to watch the same film twice - once dubbed in English and once subtitled. I don't rent or tapes stuff much.

5. What about music? Did you enjoy listening favorite music in Long Plays or did you prefer cassette tapes? When did you buy your fist CD player and switched to CDs? Did you abandon them (and turned to downloaded music) for MP3 players or Ipods or do you still buy CDs?
What about it? I always preferred the convenience of cassettes. I bought a CD player in 1993 when I finished high school. it was a self-indulgent gift to myself. I never bought that many CDs... but I jumped to MP3 when I felt it was technologically acceptable (the early portables were self-defeating because you could only store about a cassette's worth of music at a time; I saw no reason to replace a perfectly good walkman.

6. Do you own and use a cell phone? Do you think it's useful or just annoying?(Did you always have a telephone in your house growing up? Did you have a phone in your own room?)
Now that I'm all over the place - driving from Sherbrooke to Montreal to Ottawa (and sometimes to Toronto) I do like having a cell-phone. It comes in handy but I don't use it that often. Very few people have my cell number. Yes, I had a phone in my bedroom growing up.

7. When did you first buy a digital camera? What kind was it (3.2, 4.0, 5.0 mega-pixels or better)? Did you start taking more pictures or were you a photo aficionado before then? What about a digital video camera?
My first digital camera was a 1.3 megapixel by HP. I've slowly taken less and less pictures over the years. The only digital video I have is the aweful little thing built into my cell phone.

8. What about televisions? Have you already embraced the new technologies, such as HDTV, plasma, and flat screen? (On the other hand, you wouldn't remember black & white TVs, would you?)
I've been putting off a flat-panel television forever even though I know I CAN afford one and should upgrade to widescreen. I never had a B&W - the earliest I remember my parents owning was a small (19"?) colour Citizen set with the dials (but we used a cable convertor on it).