AlSwilling
Beta member
- Messages
- 1
I'm probably an old fogy compared to the rest of you. I have been a writer, poet, and gadgetholic since I've known how to write; and I've been into computers ever since the Commodore 64 and Amiga days, back when hard drive size was measured in Kilobytes, floppy disks were 5-1/4" sheets of magnetic recording media, and virtually no one knew what a "CPU" was.
My age is somewhere between the age of the planet and dirt. I witnessed the first space flight, the first manned orbit of the earth, the first man on the moon; the transition from rotary dial to push-button phones; the advent of "mobile phones," when mobile phones was a cumbersome apparatus that was hard wired into a vehicle, with an antenna mounted to the trunk or roof; the invention of Pop Tarts and pop tops for soda cans and canned foods; the first use of plastic soda bottles; and the switch from money backed by silver and gold (all the paper money had "Silver Certificate" or "Gold Certificate" printed on it) instead of the government's word alone. I witnessed the invention of color TV, the end of radio programs like "Fibber McGhee and Molly", "The Lone Ranger", and "The Shadow", and saw those programs come to life on the TV or theater screen. I remember George Burns and Gracie Allen and their TV show, "Burns and Allen" and their sponsor, Carnation Evaporated Milk. I remember when everyone began switching from coal and wood heat to electric and gas, then to central heating and air conditioning.
I was born at the end of a war and have witnessed or participated in several since then. I served in the United States Marine Corps' Air Wing during the Vietnam War as a chopper mechanic.
I'm no "expert" on computers, but I've been around long enough that I have found a solution for most commonly-encountered problems and have learned the importance of good anti-virus and firewall software. I am "bilingual" in the sense that I can use both a Mac and a "PC". I've also learned that having a problem with an operating system doesn't require reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS--and most of the time, it doesn't require System Restore, either. There are often simpler, less time consuming answers. I consider myself an "advanced" user, but that is not for me to decide. If I know the answer to a question or problem, I will contribute what I know and hope that it will help the person seeking answers to his or her problem. If I don't know the answer, I won't try to guess.
There is an old saying, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with b.s." Well, I don't believe in baffling anyone who is sincerely seeking answers. If I know, I'll share that knowledge. If I don't know, I'll keep my mouth shut and leave it to someone who does know.
So, that's about all there is to know about me that's pertinent to this forum.
Thanks to the Admin for accepting me as a member. I hope I will be able to contribute something of value from time to time instead of reverting to, "As my grandpappy, Ol' Reliable useta say..." followed by some useless trivia.
I look forward to being part of this forum.
Again, thanks a bunch for having me!
Al
My age is somewhere between the age of the planet and dirt. I witnessed the first space flight, the first manned orbit of the earth, the first man on the moon; the transition from rotary dial to push-button phones; the advent of "mobile phones," when mobile phones was a cumbersome apparatus that was hard wired into a vehicle, with an antenna mounted to the trunk or roof; the invention of Pop Tarts and pop tops for soda cans and canned foods; the first use of plastic soda bottles; and the switch from money backed by silver and gold (all the paper money had "Silver Certificate" or "Gold Certificate" printed on it) instead of the government's word alone. I witnessed the invention of color TV, the end of radio programs like "Fibber McGhee and Molly", "The Lone Ranger", and "The Shadow", and saw those programs come to life on the TV or theater screen. I remember George Burns and Gracie Allen and their TV show, "Burns and Allen" and their sponsor, Carnation Evaporated Milk. I remember when everyone began switching from coal and wood heat to electric and gas, then to central heating and air conditioning.
I was born at the end of a war and have witnessed or participated in several since then. I served in the United States Marine Corps' Air Wing during the Vietnam War as a chopper mechanic.
I'm no "expert" on computers, but I've been around long enough that I have found a solution for most commonly-encountered problems and have learned the importance of good anti-virus and firewall software. I am "bilingual" in the sense that I can use both a Mac and a "PC". I've also learned that having a problem with an operating system doesn't require reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS--and most of the time, it doesn't require System Restore, either. There are often simpler, less time consuming answers. I consider myself an "advanced" user, but that is not for me to decide. If I know the answer to a question or problem, I will contribute what I know and hope that it will help the person seeking answers to his or her problem. If I don't know the answer, I won't try to guess.
There is an old saying, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with b.s." Well, I don't believe in baffling anyone who is sincerely seeking answers. If I know, I'll share that knowledge. If I don't know, I'll keep my mouth shut and leave it to someone who does know.
So, that's about all there is to know about me that's pertinent to this forum.
Thanks to the Admin for accepting me as a member. I hope I will be able to contribute something of value from time to time instead of reverting to, "As my grandpappy, Ol' Reliable useta say..." followed by some useless trivia.
I look forward to being part of this forum.
Again, thanks a bunch for having me!
Al
