Dear Dad … 1)

By Rhiannonw

Thu, 14 Mar 2019
  • 2205 reads
8 comments
 

Dear Dad,

How much did you know about computers, before you died? You were always interested in everything – mathematics, mechanics, chess, story writing, places, people, politics, history. I suppose the computing principles were well known, and you’d have understood the on/off switch principles to enable coding, punched tape – the resulting calculating computers (eg those enabling the moon landings) – amazing but many still room size, and the new silicon chip work.

Did you imagine about the shrinkage of size that would probably occur, the ubiquitous ownership, the constant games and instantaneous sharing of information world-wide, accessible everywhere, and to anyone via cables (especially using light pulses in fibres), and earth-orbiting satellites.  Gadgets to find your personal location anywhere in the world and provide driving directions to wherever you want to go. And phones that could be used anywhere, cordless, emitting and receiving by radio waves: constant communication, immediate and brief, rather than the waited-for personal meeting, with conversation accompanied by facial expression and observed body language and careful replies, or the occasional thought-out postal letter.

These changes don’t really alter the challenge of daily living and hatred and love, kindness and evil in our hearts, in our society. Can be very useful, can be an intrusion and waste of time, and cause of misunderstanding, spread of lies.

Much change, but no real difference!

and there’s me, now, nearly seventy, married, four children, all married, six grandchildren, and another developing!

Rhiannon

(he died in 1969, nearly 50 years ago, and I am imagining talking to him about the world now.
Nothing mystical, just an interesting exercise thinking of the changes of 50 years. This is supposed to be the first of a series, but whether other ideas will take clear form, I don’t know – not this week anyway!)

 

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Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

What a good idea Rhiannon! I do hope you continue with this even after the IP ends. A really nice reflective beginning - well done

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Insert. It was interesting to try to think and check what the state of technology was then! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I wonder if you could find any old episodes of Tomorrow's World on YouTube? They might jog your memory

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, that's a thought! I hadn't wanted to be too detailed in this, and remembered quite a bit, and checked out a bit on websites about the state of computers then, but I'll bear that in mind, thank you for the idea! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Rhiannon,

I think your letter does describe how much the world has changed since your dad died. I actually worked in an office where we punched out information on machine cards. It was during the early 1970s when I worked for an animal feed company called BOCM Silcocks on the docks in Avonmouth. The machines were huge and there was four of them. Eventually the Sumtron machine came out which did the work of four, so many lost their jobs, again machines have got their uses, but it's sad to think people were discarded.

Your letter bought back those memories which I look on fondly. Met some great people there and especially one friend who I kept in touch with until she died about three years ago.

I often wonder what my gran would think of the world today and if she'd cope with the challenges that face us each day in this ever changing world that seems to move so fast.

Any way I'll stop rambling and say thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Jenny , for sharing your thoughts, too! I suppose their suddenly seeing the world now would be a shock, because we have seen the changes arrive relatively slowly.  When my husband was first teaching he taught some computer science, and the class had to send their programmes up to the county offices to be run, and then the answer sent back, all by ordinary post I think. It took the week between lessons I think! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

your Dad sounds very clever, the kind of person who is intrigued by change and not afraid. I didn't know computers were even known about outside NASA then! Was amazed to learn a phone nowadays has more power than the computers that sent rockets to the moon. It is people like your Dad who made the internet, ABCTales even, possible :0)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, yes he was intersted in everything, and so it seemed easy speaking of the changes he would have followed with investigation and interest. Rhiannon