Many times we lament how technology is going to do us in because of all of the glitches and trouble that we experince with it.
When you think about it, we have been challenged by new technology at each stage in life since the beginning of time.
In printing, I have actually used all of the technologies there have ever been?from movable type from a California Job Case and letter press to the current computer-to-plate and all of the other digital methods of conveying information.
When I think about all of the steps it takes to get the information from idea to delivery, it?s a miracle everything gets out to our readers on time no matter the technology being used to get it there.
In the old days, it was possible to run out of letters, because if the font and size of type being used had only five capital A?s in the drawer, that?s the most that could be used. If the A?s ran out, a different word may have had to be chosen.
Nowadays you could have 10,000 A?s in a row if you wanted to. A computer never runs out of a font, size or letter combination. You can make as many as you want of anything.
Back in the letterpress days it was possible to drop a form on the floor and all of the work that had been done to create a page would be in a pile, all mixed up and unusable. Now you can?t drop a page on the floor even if you tried, as the letters are stored in the computer?to be used once or as many times as you want.
We used to file all of the ads in a folder in a file cabinet when the ads were created in paper form prior to being ?photographed? on a camera. Now the ads are stored in the computer?or on the server, in our case.
Instead of going through a file cabinet looking for a previously used pasted-up newspaper ad, you simply search for it on the computer by using a key word if can?t find it in the digtal folders on the computer. If you need the ad to be a different size, or need to make changes, it?s a simple matter of changing the appropriate items and saving it as a different file. To make changes in the old days you basically would have to start over.
I wouldn?t go back to the old days. Trouble is here to stay.
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The other day Nancy said, ?I don?t know what lunch is.?
So I told her I thought it was the meal in the middle of the day.
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A while later I said I blew my nose and it fell off.
She then said, ?Your nose fell off??
What I was referring to was the scab under my nose from when I cut myself earlier that day while shaving.
I think I?m getting her trained in what to say in certain situations.
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I wrote last week that I was planning to cut down on diet soda and that water doesn?t do much for me as a substitute.
One of my readers, and not a sister, called me at home to recommend the liquid water enhancer by MiO, which comes in multiple flavors. I appreciate the help, and am not ungrateful, but I wasn?t wanting to spend the money for that either.
For now I?m drinking Crystal Light drink mixes, which we already had. I think I could get hooked on that stuff, too. Not bragging, but I went four days without even one Diet Coke.
If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@hillsborofreepress.com.
