Computers and I are friendly toward one another, but definitely not best friends. I took the computer class required for my degree, but it was more about the history of computers than hands on stuff, like programming or code. I've always known instinctively how to get one up and running (push the button), but nothing else is instinctive.
In 1987, I decided I wanted to go to law school. And I wanted to move back to California. So we selected UC Davis, and headed to Davis. In order to get in-state tuition, one has to live in CA for a year to establish residence. The only job I could get was with the university's temporary employment pool. For those unacquainted with such silliness, it means, if you have a special skill (like typing), they send you to different departments on campus that need your skill temporarily.
One of the first places they sent me wanted me to create a three column document listing a person's name, what they were bringing for the potluck, and what category their donation fell into (entree, dessert, etc). Well. . . . .we're talking 1987. In that department they had an IBM computer with, IIRC, something like Displayrite 3, or Display Write 3, or something I had never used before. Every action had to be preceded by some code. How hard could it be to create three columns with approximately 20 people's contributions? For me, very hard. Every time I touched something, the columns would get all messed up. When I left for home that day, the task was completed. I doubt it can ever be reproduced.
I showed up for my next assignment, in another department, and the woman said, "We need you to create a chart with several columns." I mean, this happened right after we introduced ourselves. I, being very cool, said, "You're kidding, right?" I was sure someone told her about what happened at the other department and she wanted to see my reaction. But no. She was serious. I told her I didn't think I could do it. She smiled such a nice smile, and walked me over to her shiny new Mac. And on the Mac was a spreadsheet. And if the words didn't fit in the space you had created, all you had to do was drag the little line, and the column got wider. It was magic!! And I could do it. And all was well in the world.
Microsoft later sued Apple to be able to use their technology. So now, even PC's have a bit of magic. But I'm stickin' with my Mac. Argue amongst yourselves.
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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