Technology, not for the faint of heart

   Technology is also not for those who get queasy easily. Take those big screen, HD, life-sized weather men, flat screen TVs. I watched one recently when shopping for a new laptop. It had some kinda features that give the High Definition a 3D effect. As the camera man zoomed in on a shot of a basket ball headed for the hoop, my stomach did a flip flop. I turned away from the fast motion of the game only to find myself zooming down a toilet with Nemo on yet another incredibly large screen with graphics that would make your head spin. It did mine anyway. Looking yet another direction had me skiing from the heights of the Himalayas without the assistance of Dramamine. Unable to stand the roller coaster effect any longer, I averted my eyes and lurched out of the TV section, where I really didn't belong in the first place. We don't actually buy TVs, but rather pick them up on the curb where they sit dejectedly waiting for a new home. So far, our curb-side shopping has not exposed any flat screens. Moreover, none of these new flat screen models will fit in my old entertainment center and I can't get rid of that! Where would we store the stereo, records, and all the other stuff that lives there?

   Having steadied myself for several minutes against a wall to regain my balance, I continued on to my original destination, the computer section. There I hoped to find the ultimate, lightweight laptop to replace my current laptop that has decided to move on  in life and become a desktop. I could live with my old lap top being heavier and a bit slower, but the fact that it had given up on batteries and wished to remain plugged into a wall in order to operate was too much for me. I had toyed with the idea of buying yet another battery for it, but did not think it was really worth the money since any heavy usage usually resulted in crashes, the black screen of death, and several hours of cursing.  I would much rather save my cursing for paying the taxes or mowing the law.

   In the computer department I found myself underwhelmed by the variety and technology. I knew what I wanted. Something that was i7 or faster, had enough memory to contain a small country, touch screen, high resolution, comfortable keyboard (it is like a pen, some of them are more comfortable to use than others), and under 3lbs. Did I mention that I wanted this for a reasonable price? Do you know that I believe technology has not caught up with me yet? Oh sure, I could pick up a Gamer's Alienware computer that would do everything I wanted, but there was that price thing. It seemed if it had the lightweight features I was craving for my mobile personality, I was forced to sacrifice resolution, speed and memory. What to do?

   I had been advised to shop on line. I would be able to get the computer I wanted and close to the price I wanted, all delivered right to my door. Great.  But a little voice inside my head wanted to know how it would feel to type on the keys, swipe on the screen and ask a dozen questions of the store clerk. Especially about expected battery life. I wanted to be able to lift the merchandise to decide if it really mattered if the computer weighted 2.5 lbs or 3.6 lbs. I wanted to see if the touch screen was responsive to my cold little fingers. I needed to feel if the keyboard was the right width or if the touch pad was where I would constantly be bumping it with my thumbs and changing the page.

   So many, many, many, many stores later, I  we I we settled for a very lightweight laptop with touch screen (good resolution), i7 and most of the memory I craved. Not that I store photos and documents on the machine, I don't. I worried about being able to load programs and apps! Photos and music and documents can all be stored on a cloud. Those programs and apps, however, have to live on your device. I have learned through my smarter than I am phone and a tablet or two that those little buggers take up more space than you would think. And when the memory card dies, you just have to reload the programs and apps. Not so easy with photos.

   Smiling and happy with our purchase, we tottered off home to enjoy our new toy. In several weeks both my husband and daughter may approach the keyboard in hopes for a glimpse of the speed and technology that this thing provides. By then they should be able to pry my cold, dead hands off it.

   In the meantime, I am learning the quirks of Windows 8.1. Like swipe the touch pad the wrong way and you change programs. Ummmmm, where was I? Or that Apps ain't always apps. What? Sure,

Facebook acts the same as it does on the tablet and phone, but others are not really apps at all, just icons to take you to the internet. Grrr. And where is the AppLock app? One of the reasons I like Android over Apple is the App Lock app. It allows me to password protect individual apps on a device. Very useful when the tablet or computer is shared. Apple seems to think that each person has a separate device and there is only the need to be able to lock the entire device. Maybe when I win the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes we will all have our own technology. As of today, we share devices. But that doesn't mean that I want to share the apps I use. Not everything I view is rated PG, and this is a great way to keep my daughter from accidently opening the wrong thing. I really don't think she is old enough to watch CSI, among other things, so I keep a lock on YouTube, CBS, and the Play Store on our shared tablet. When I have time to supervise, I unlock them for her and then she can use. I can also lock her out of everything if she gets sassy. Probably a control thing. I like to call it protecting my daughter in the world of technology.  I am still searching for that feature, but have not discovered it on the computer or in the computer's app store. Maybe I am a little slow. I still have not figured out how to get one or two of the "preloaded" programs I don't want off the computer either.

   Perhaps more disconcerting than the learning curve on this "intuitive" machine and the fact that the Icon Apps all want to update and move on a regular basis (what for?), are the finger prints that occur when you use a touch screen. At this point, I cannot even blame anyone else for these marks as my family as yet only views the laptop from across the room. You would think that I was digging in the garden while working on the computer. Washing my hands before use doesn't help either. The eyeglass cleaning cloth is living with the computer at all times and there is a death penalty to the individual who separates the two.
 
   Thank heavens for the long battery life - I can work all day without having to plug in. Handy if you are hiding in the camper to get some writing done. And when I do plug in, the charge up time is super quick. I may have figured out my photo issues for uploading, downloading and pulling off SD card, but the techo-amish in me is having a difficulty using web sites with my fingers. Sure, you can touch the screen on the web page you are reading, but then you are magically transported someplace you did not want to go. That is NOT what I touched! Unlike the tablet, webpages do not switch themselves to mobile settings (those that have that capability) and therefore all the buttons and navigation icons are tiny. Pinching and zooming work fairly well, but can also result in unwanted internet exploration. Oh, I suppose I could change the display features, but that has only resulted in a background that moves when I scroll through my icons - or are they called apps? Either way, I would prefer that the background did not move. I don't want to take Dramamine just to do the bills.

  I forge on, unafraid, if somewhat queasy with some of the moving screens. I will continue to try and find the right program/app fits for my usage. Even if it means I have to first install and then uninstall at least a hundred apps that don't really do anything close to what they advertise. I can do that in the illustrious spare time I have between my using this great tool/toy for my everyday work, like paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, doing the taxes, keeping track of appointments, writing and cooking, cleaning and other necessary nonsense!