Thursday, February 11, 2010

For Me, Some Things Are Just Impossible to Understand


I do not consider myself to be someone who is technologically challenged. I try to stay up on the current ways of the world, otherwise, you just get left behind. Besides, I have a husband who is a bit of a tech junkie, as I've mentioned in the past, so I don't have too much of a choice in the matter. But even though I am quite capable of operating the tech gadgets that cross my path, I really am clueless when I try to imagine how they actually work.

I mean really, did you ever sit down and wonder exactly how you get music on your MP3player? I know the basics, of course. I plug the device into my computer, drag and drop a file and BOOM, there it is for my listening pleasure. But seriously, how does that happen? How is something the size of a credit card able to hold thousands of songs? Not to mention the countless pictures and full length movies. It boggles my mind!

And have you ever seen the inside of a computer? WTF? I turn the computer on and all the information I could ever want (plus some) is right there at my finger tips. But how? The guts of a computer just look like a bunch of scrap to me. Yet it really is the entire world, right there...crazy.

I received my Nook (2 weeks earlier than expected, YAY) and I turn it on, type in my email address and instantly there are over 100 books ready for me to read. All I have to do is touch "read" and there it is, without ever having to connect it to anything. Somehow the information magically transmits itself to the palm of my hand without any physical evidence that it is occurring other than the the screen displaying the word "downloading". But were is it coming from, how does it get to me, and why can't I see it happening?!

Honestly, I try not to think about this type of stuff too often. It can make me feel crazy inside. It's almost as though it just shouldn't be. It's unnatural, in a sense. And even though I consider myself to be a pretty intelligent person, I don't think I could wrap my head around all of this even if I had the most gifted of all scientists offering the explanation. Does anyone else ponder this stuff or do I just have too much time to let my mind wonder at night when I'm trying to fall asleep?

5 comments:

Nance said...

So, are these 100 Nookbooks all public domain books, or are they bestsellers or what? What are you reading right now?
(and as far as your question, I don't think about all that stuff. too complex for me!)

Nina said...

Nance~I've got some public domain books and some more current titles as well. You can find pretty much anything you want, including bestsellers and new releases. Right now I'm reading a book that I've electronically borrowed from the library (Jane Green, Dune Road) how cool is that! And check this out, when the loan period is up the book will automatically disappear from my Nook, no more late fees at the library! Just in case you're wondering, the loan period for this particular book is 21 days.

Lisa Johnson said...

I cannot even begin to understand it. I just try and enjoy it. I know there's some explanation for it all, but it still feels like magic to me. The first time I put some HTML code in my blog and it actually did something, I was over the moon! I still feel that way, each time I change some little bit of code. It's amazing!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day Nina! ♥

Nina said...

Anali~it really is like magic!

Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day!

Nina said...

Anali~it really is like magic!

Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day!