#interview who?

[generallygrace-blog1]

Interview Who?

My mom didn’t have much interaction with computers in high school. She assumed they probably had computers at her high school, but doesn’t remember using them really, except for word processing. Because my mom was going to school to be an elementary teacher, she didn’t think they would really need to use them in the future. She knew they would be important for people like my dad, who was an engineer, or other people going into science or math fields, but using computers was unlikely for her. I asked her what she thought about my dad having a computer in college. She said “He was like cool, cutting edge.” I thought that was interesting, so I asked her if she actually thought that. “Let’s just say I did.” The first mind-boggling use of computers she witnessed was when her friend in college used it to cut and compose music. He was able to connect a keyboard to him computer, so he could record it directly. She knew that math and science types used computers, but seeing someone use it for art was crazy for her to see.

After college, she pretty much always had a computer, because my parents got married and my dad already had one in college. She never really thought much of computers or used them often until the internet came around. The big reason she used computers then was to connect to people through electronic messaging. It was popular in the culture to use email, so that’s what she did. Of course there were the benefits of speed and simplicity, but it was the common thing when she did it.

My mom said that the main reason she values computers is because of the opportunities they gave to my sisters and me. Because she was a teacher, she was always focused on learning opportunities for us. My three sisters and I grew up on edutainment. We played games like Oregon Trail and Zoombinis and games with Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse characters. It made life easier for my mom, because she felt okay about us “playing” these “games”, because we were really learning. They were the epitome of “kid tested, mother approved.” Now, not all of the computer games we played were educational, though. We did have Commander Keen and when we went to my grandparents, we played Ski Free. I remember using powerpoints with applause as ending credits for our home movies that my sisters and I made with the help of my mom.

I am definitely somewhere in between my mom and dad when it comes to computers. My dad is so used to using technology and computers and my mom would prefer to just write something out on paper or only use computers when it’s convenient for her. Before I did these interviews, I assumed their answers to be pretty much what they were, but it was interesting to hear about the more specific stories. One aspect I really like was that one of the turning points in their views on computers were associated with music. I didn’t know that previously, but because music plays such a large role in my family, it makes sense.

[bodaciousllama-blog]

Interview Who?  Gateway 2000

Growing up, I remember seeing a bulky white computer on our desk with a golden worded logo and a dairy cow patterned box.  I decided to Skype my mom and ask her about it.  As I predicted, it sure enough was a Gateway 2000 (now just Gateway).  She couldn’t remember the exact model, but knew it had to have been from around 1998 or 1999.  After doing some research, I believe it was the Gateway 2000 Pentium II that came out in 1998.  

When I asked why her and my dad had gotten the computer, she said they wanted to use it for emails, documenting (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), my brother’s homework, and that they had gotten a good deal on it.  Gateway 2000 had come from Sioux City, Iowa and they were known for having a pretty good reputation at the time, which would be part of the reason why they bought from them.  Additionally, it turns out the company got the dairy cow logo idea from a farmer’s cow that lived in my hometown, West Point, Nebraska.  This particular cow’s pattern was seen as “perfect,” and Gateway decided to use it for their logo.  Well, the farmer with the famous dairy cow had bought soybean meal from my dad’s company to feed his livestock, and so my parents got a deal when they bought the computer since my dad had “contributed” to the cow’s upbringing.  I thought that was kinda crazy.  I was actually pretty surprised they never had told me, but then again I was only like 4 or 5 years old and probably wouldn’t have cared back then.

When it comes to other computers during this time, my mom said Compaq and Dell were pretty well known.  She also pointed out that computers were sort of pricey back then.  That “they were an investment,” and added how “now-a-days everyone has one” and can get some models for a pretty good price.  When I asked her what is most different about computers then and now, she laughed and said “no dial-up.”  She said how it would be annoying at times if you wanted to use the Internet back then that no one could use the home phone, which of course was used often since cellphones weren’t anywhere close to being big back then.  My stepdad who was in the background mentioned how communication and presenting at his company is a lot easier with today’s computers, plus they hold a lot more memory and are quicker.  My mom also said “accessibility.”  Being able to find any answers with just the click of a button, and being able to do simple things like online shopping.  She added “it’s really nice now with laptop computers because you can take them anywhere,” and that “laptops back then were too expensive.”  Also, back then you had to print out pictures and now you can just save them on your computer.

Being told and remembering some of these things gave me a brief case of nostalgia.  I still remember the white font and black background as the computer started up, along with the famous Windows ’98 tune blasting, which basically shouted to the whole neighborhood letting them know you were using the computer.  It’s crazy how far computers have come in a pretty short amount of time.  I, of course, prefer modern day computers, but the Gateway 2000 will always hold a special place in my childhood memories.

[johnbockdigitalamerica-blog]

Interview Who? Compaq Presario 1200

Back when I was a much younger person, around the year of 1999, I distinctly remember my dad using this huge black brick laptop. It made a big impression in my mind because we had our own big Compaq desk computer in our living room, but my dad had a laptop. He must have been a big deal if he had a laptop and not just a normal old computer. 

I Facetimed my dad to ask him a number of questions about what he used his laptop for. To this day he really is not tech savvy at all. He’s not the biggest fan of having a smartphone, other than being able to Google something right away to get an answer. He loves that. Constantly he complains about his coworkers always texting instead of calling and emailing each other while being just down the hall from each other. So it really made me wonder about what my dad was using this laptop for. 

Andy Bock, a real estate agent since 1991, bought a Compaq Presario 1200 “sometime around 1999 or so”, he says. He couldn’t remember the exact model or anything, just knew it was a Compaq. So I googled whatever Compaq laptop was selling around then and sure enough I saw the computer my dad always had on the dining room table. I felt a little stupid after he went into detail about his uses of the Compaq. He used it for everything from writing reports, contracts, spreadsheets, all sorts of typical real estate stuff. It didn’t occur to me earlier that that was the kind of stuff he was doing on the laptop, but that’s just me being dumb. Obviously people were writing documents and using spreadsheets on computers in 1999, I just didn’t think my dad was into all of that.

He also used the laptop to access Real Estate databases and get all sorts of information regarding that kind of business. The internet was still an up and coming thing, and he remembered having to use dial up all the time and how far it has come since then. That brought back a memory of how you couldn’t use the phone and the internet at the same time. I remember my dad yelling at me a lot as a kid for all kinds of reasons, and I think using the phone while he was on the dial up was one of them. 

So those were some of the uses my real estate agent Father would use his Compaq 1200 for back in 1999. I wasn’t allowed to use the laptop ever, it might have been just because I didn’t understand it. But I remember my older brothers Peter and Matt always playing Backyard Baseball on it. It was nice to have a conversation with my dad about his technology uses before I became a condescending tech savvy adult. Maybe Andy Bock has tons of more stories about his experience during the technology takeover, I’ll ask him about it at Christmas or something.

[generallygrace-blog1]

Interview Who?

I interviewed my dad about his experiences with computers. He was a sophomore in high school in 1980 when he had his first real interaction with computers. He was in a basic programming class to learn the fundamental language. The students had to get permission to take the class and there were only about a dozen students allowed in the class. He went to school in Blair, but they only had access to the interfaces and the computer they had to connect to was in Omaha, almost an hour away.

He knew that computers would be an important addition, but did not know the full extent of the purpose they would serve. He thought they would be good for businesses and research, but the idea of personal computers never crossed his mind at that point. He was able to get a personal computer when he was in college, which was unusual for most students. Unlike most of his friends, he was lucky to have one with two floppy disc drives, so he was able to use a program and save on the other disc. The idea of having a hard drive was a crazy notion at the time. He fondly remembered being able to choose which color monitor he wanted. He chose amber instead of the basic green.

He knew having computers would help make his job as an engineer better. When he started work, they had a computer that recorded information and monitored their machinery, but it was all on a very basic level. At his next job, they had computers that acted like supervisors, constantly monitoring the machines, recording and calculating variables and putting them in spreadsheets for workers to use. They used a program called GroupWise which was basically a type of electronic messaging, but they never used the term email. He said they would tell each other to GroupWise them things. I thought it was interesting how technological language changes over time. Today, we constantly use the term Google as a verb, which is exactly what they were doing, but I had never heard of GroupWise before. One of the biggest advancements he remembers is when they were able to order products online through McMaster-Carr, which was mind-boggling for him. They just clicked a button online and received an invoice. I’m so used to shopping online, so it was cool to hear about the first time he did that and how momentous it was.

One of his most memorable experiences with computers was when he watched a video from a Sting concert. He was so amazed by the differences color on the monitor, just like he was watching television. I’m sure if we watched it today, the thing we would be amazed by is the terrible quality and definition. It’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come technologically just within my lifetime. I grew up with computers and online content, so living without that possibility is almost inconceivable.

[digitalgraves]

Interview Who?

My dad was introduced to computers through his boss, who worked of Duncan Aviation in the Avionics department. Duncan Aviation actually has two patents for improvements on the gyroscope system as the result of his research. He first had an Apple I, then got an Apple IIe, on which my dad learned how to code a few simple things in DOS. They would sit a transistor radio next to the computer, just on radio frequency, to see if it was following a command and working or not. His boss programmed some interesting things on that computer. He got a Teletype (which is actually a brand name for a teleprinter, an electromechanical typewriter that could send and receive messages like a fancy telegram system, or analog email) after the Lincoln airport upgraded and connected it to the Apple IIe so he could print letters he typed on the computer, since home printer weren't available until the 80s. Since the teletype worked so much slower than the computer, he some how managed to create a buffer so the teletype printed at the right rate. He also bought a chess program for the computer that had 10 levels you could play it on. It was almost impossible to beat at levels 8-10. My dad remembers playing the game at level 5 or 6 and if he was about to win, the game would cheat. The screen would flash almost imperceptibly and when it came back the pieces were in different places, so you just really couldn't win a chess game against this program. My dad’s boss also wrote what was basically a robo-call program, where the computer would call people for a business or whatever instead of a human. At the time it apparently wasn't legal to call people with a computer, so they never pursued it. The next time my dad used a computer frequently pre-2000 was when he got one for home which ran Windows 95 then upgraded to Windows 98.

My dad said he never really had any negative attitudes towards computers, because they made his job much, much easier. He’s been a coin operated machinery (pinball, pool tables, juke boxes, cabinet games, etc.) technician and operator for quite a while so he’s been using and fixing computerized mechanisms since the switch over from electromechanical in the 70s. Pinballs used to be entire electromechanical, then there was a period in the 70s where they switched to partly electromechanical and partly computerized, and then they were entirely computerized. Cabinet games like Pac-Man were entirely computerized. To fix the old electromechanical pinballs, you had to know what was wrong and then pick a place to start fixing it. The computerized ones could usually run self diagnostics so it would tell you what needed fixing. It might not always be right, but it was better than guessing. Fixing the computerized games basically boiled down to component switching—just replacing the hard drive or the monitor or whatever part had a problem. There was minimal programming involved that the operator did, but when they did they could program whatever they needed to on the display instead of using dip switches. At first there were alphanumeric displays, which only made a letter or a number, then they switched to dot matrix displays which could show simple animations as well. There were plenty of tricks for working with the computerized games. The CPU chip in most game machines was removable, so when static electricity built up in the machine and it started acting wonky, they would take out the CPU chip and just hold it for a while so the small electric current in the hand would clear the chip out. There was a way to program a theft deterrent into a touchscreen, but the game might decide that it was being stolen at any time, and to fix it there was one chip that could be switched backwards in its socket, run for 2 seconds (3 seconds and it would fry the chip), and then switching it back the right way would clear the chip.

One of my dad’s favorite things about using computers now is the fact that if his computer is acting weird, he can go on another computer, look up the problem and find a way to fix it. He’s still in the coin-op business, which is even more computerized than it was before. There are new coin-op machines, especially juke boxes, that connect to the internet. They have way less moving parts than previous computerized machines, and the only maintenance is replacing parts when they need it. So, computers have served to make his life easier with every generation, which, as we’ve discussed in class, is their purpose.