IT Fluency….An Interview

My first experience with computers was playing The Oregon Trail and Van Helsing on a DOS-based computer. My best friend and I died multiple times of dysentery and being bitten by Dracula. I still remember typing in a page long command so that your character could move a half centimeter on the screen. It was great fun for us 80’s kids, and it made us feel like computer geniuses! My family didn’t own a computer until 1997 when I started my first semester of college. Until that time, we had typed all of our papers on typewriters and a word processor. You haven’t known true agony until you have to retype an entire research paper because you misspelled a word or left out an important sentence!

By today’s standards, I would consider myself conservatively fluent in technology. I use a smart phone. I can navigate most websites and generate information from internet searches. I own and operate a kindle and a tablet. My husband is an avid gamer and possesses numerous gadgets of which I have to learn how to use if I want to be able to access my Netflix account. (He currently has 5 different gadgets that I have had to learn just so my 3 year old can watch Pocoyo!) However, I know my limitations, and I often have to ask for help. Technology changes so often that when I have one thing figured out, something new is coming along that wipes the old away.

I decided to interview my husband for his perspective and knowledge about technology. John is a controls technician, and I vaguely understand that it has something to do with computers and technology.

 

Me: How technologically fluent do you consider yourself?

John: I would give myself a 7 out of 10.

Me: What various types of technology do you have a working knowledge?

John: networking, program scripting, PLC, industrial mechanics, building automation systems, server installation/maintenance

Me: Blank stare…

Me: What areas of technology do you feel most comfortable?

John: networking, scripting, building automation

Me: Do you have any areas of technology with which you are not entirely comfortable? If so, why?

John: There is no tech that makes me feel uncomfortable; it usually is a lack of knowledge of a particular tech that gives me hesitation.

Me: What are some new technologies that you are excited about?

John: Recently I have been really excited about the AR augmented reality headset being developed by Microsoft, the Hololens. It’s applications are numerous.

Me: You know we probably won’t be purchasing that until the kids are out of college or the technology is so old that they have a generic version.

Me: How do you see technology changing in the next five years?

John: More cloud based applications, for sure.

From this little interview, I realize that I have so much to learn about technology. Also, I found that I was right, we won’t be getting a Hololens anytime soon. They are $3000!