Articles Random Musings My Computer and I
| My Computer and I |
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| Thursday, 01 May 2008 20:03 | |
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I have a love-hate relationship with my computer.
The computer, it is so handy. I can communicate with people across the road or across the world. I can IM my mum (saving on phone calls), email my friend prayer requests, and check out some new recipes without it costing anything. I can take photos of the kids for the cost of batteries and show them to friends and family for free. I can simply budget and adjust the budget, without having to rewrite the whole thing. I can write one note, and send it to thirty different people. I can learn new things and meet new people, I would never have met otherwise. But I feel tied to it. It calls me when I am doing other things. I clean the bathroom, wondering if my friend has sent me her prayer requests or to see if my friends are around to chat to. When I turn it on, it disturbs my momentum. It distracts me from the things I need to do. While I don't completely lose track of time, the minutes and (sometimes) hours seem to go by much more quickly when I am on the computer. The computer makes me more efficient. I can pay all my bills on the computer in five minutes, and have a constant grasp of the dwindling balance of our bank account, ensuring I don't overdraw. Over the internet, I can buy some goods less expensively than I could at the shop down the street or in the city. However, the research sometimes takes more time than it is worth. The computer makes me more environmentally friendly. I can get brochures through my computer, rather than more junk mail being sent to my letterbox. I can even get some bills through email. I can take 100's of photos of the kids and not have to print out one. But the computer takes a lot of electricity to run. Our monitor is not as efficient as newer models. The computer makes communicating with people so much easier. You can have a conversation, lodge a complaint, write a letter and RSVP to an invitation without even having to speak to someone. Then again, maybe that's not a good thing. The computer makes it much easier to communicate quickly. I can send a message to Mark at work, and get a reply immediately, without disturbing him as much as a phone call might. I can send messages to my mum, communicating about the days events, or asking questions. I can email the creche volunteers the latest creche roster. However, people then expect immediate communication with me. If I am sent an instant message, people expect that I will reply, or at least see the message, within a few minutes. It doesn't even enter some people's minds that I may not turn the computer on at all during the weekend. That God, family and friends may actually play an important part in my life. I gave up the computer, for the most part, during lent. I didn't use it during the day, and allowed myself one hour in the evening to catch up on emails. delete the ever-present spam, pay bills and all those other things that are now deemed necessary for our daily lives. It was a refreshing break. My house was as tidy as ever. I was still connected with most of my Internet friends, although probably not in as close communication. But, Lent is over, and the computer calls me. The computer is my friend. The computer is my enemy. |
