Are we making progress?

For centuries we wrote on paper, and for the most part we have had a decent survival rate, some book burnings aside. If you write something down on paper, chances are it will be around for a long time. Now some of you may not remember this, but back in the 90's I put a lot of information on what they called 5.25 floppy disks. Later came 3.5" floppy disks, but these were not floppy at all, they were quite ridged. For at least whole decade I stored things on floppy disks. When is the last time anyone has seen a floppy disk reader? It's a good thing I have had nothing important to say. It seems my creditors did not use these, that, or they have very good memories?

I have also had very bad experiences with televisions. I do not own one, but over the past few years when I find myself as a guest at a place with a television I find that I cannot even turn the thing on. I mean there are three controls on the coffee table, and you must press the correct buttons on each of these controls or you get nothing. All the controls have the same buttons, more or less. Only the true owner can start the system, if this is not so, somebody throw me a bone here. Is it only me, has the world moved on without me? I think not.

I thought things were changing, back in 1985 I had a cell phone. It came in a briefcase, and weighed about as much as I did at the time. Not long afterwards came the Motorola cell phone, we called it "the brick" because it had the uncanny proportions, and weight of a red clay brick...we're making progress. Back at the turn of the century someone went too far, and made a few cell phones so small that you couldn't even dial, the numbers were too small. Then came the "smart phones", these phones allow you to upload your life. You no longer have to remember any numbers. You can access your email, bank account, electric bill, and yes your phone bill. Do not lose one of these babies, or you'll be set back ten years. 

So, here we are, it's 2014, it seems that satellite phones have come of age, it's their turn, they have waited patiently. With a sat phone you can make phone calls from even the most remote places on earth. They do not require land based antennas hence the name, satellite phone. They have come so far that you can even use it to get on the internet...or so they told me. What a novel idea, I can use this sat phone for calling home from any location the winds might take me, and download crucial weather reports. I was sold. I have had my sat phone for a year now. I have had 4 different tech geeks (sorry bout this guys) trying to accomplish what the company says you can do, data, and no one has been able to receive a byte! So now I find myself way far from home with no way to get weather other than to ask my neighbor on the boat next to me, who bought a HAM radio instead.