Thursday 18 February 2010

Technology


Saw a black and white film last night where they had what looked like a mechanical laptop. The screen was made of paper and you had to press the keys rather hard in order to write on it. Once you’ve written your document you simply remove the paper screen and post it. I wonder if it will ever become popular? I suppose it could be of use in places with no electricity to run an electronic laptop. The main problem with it is that it’s damnably difficult to correct errors and data storage is rudimentary to say the least.


Caravan asked me to come over and sort out his new TV and video recorder last night; he’s beyond technology. I must admit I was a bit flummoxed myself and am rapidly reaching the conclusion that I too am getting old and unable to operate new-fangled devices. I put it down more to the fact that the instruction manuals are written by people with the intellectual capacity of a spoon.




8 comments:

Doctor FTSE said...

Lovely! The real trouble with instruction manuals - they are written by people who are so familiar with the device that they no longer need the manual, so they cannot understand that the newcomer to the device knows absolutely nothing about it.

Correcting errors on the laptop screen isn't all that easy! Wherever I put the Tippex, the letters move about as soon as I start typing again.

Phil said...

Re the manual.... you of course have to add into the equation you are, or were, a bloody deck officer... There rests my case..

If, of course, you could find an engineer who wasn't in the pub or on the way to the bar, they would work it out for you in a heart beat !

I'm with the Dr,... our sectreary, god bless her 55DD and her blond hair, replaced her new monitor when she complained about not being to see it any more.. when I got home I simply wiped the tipex off the old one.

Chairman Bill said...

Doc: I find they're mostly written by Chinese.

Phil: Why are you showing up as being in Sheffield when you're in Soton?

Louise | Italy said...

My five-year-old saw your picture of a typewriter and said "what's that!" The other day he saw a radio and asked where the slot for the DVD is...

Louise | Italy said...

WPS What I'm doing in Busto Arsizio, I don't know...maybe I'm on the way to Malpensa airport, on the way to somewhere sunny...

Alan Burnett said...

I am given to understand that data storage in these old mechanical things is undertaken in something they call files. You would think that they could have come up with their own terminology rather than stealing a concept from computer storage.

Steve Borthwick said...

iTunes on those mechanical laptops mainly involves humming along to a tune in your head, blogging involves the use small fonts and pigeons, as for porn...

Jinksy said...

An entire office in which I once worked, was brought to its knees one find day, thanks to a cleaner who removed a crucial plug in order to Hoover the carpets...It's true, I kid you not!