LOW TECHNO SELF ESTEEM
12/02/06
I struggle daily with new computer advancements, that make my old computer knowledge obsolete. I often wonder how many people, as myself, suffer from low techno self esteem. This affliction has become a serious issue for me , having to hurdle new advancements in the ongoing process of simply operating my desktop computer.
I am continually amazed at the number of new and improved updates I receive for my computer’s security, and my Windows system. I can’t imagine how archaic and vulnerable my system would be without the automatic updates. I can’t imagine how vulnerable my system is with them. So many people are newly computerized or oldly computerized , and must constantly struggle to remain somewhat aware of technological advancements. I did a complete security scan of my system the other day, and found that I had over 150,000 files, 149,500 of them I had no idea what they were. The security scan found one Trojan and one potential virus and quarantined them. I was very impressed. Then I wondered , what if it missed one? I got the latest (recommended) updates and whatever else was put in with them, but I keep hearing about the worm virus and the new viruses, that are continually attacking computer systems. There are hackers who are intentionally trying to gain access to personal information. I do not store any personal stuff on my computer. I don’t like virtual numbers and don’t trust putting all my personal information into anything and taking all the time it takes to put it in, so it can be vulnerable to hackers or an unknown virus or delete it by accident.
What bothers me so about computerization is that for some “strange” reason all computers are designed to store the complete history of everything a computer owner does on his computer. Why is that I wonder? What purpose does it serve; unless it is so police , NSA and FBI ever want to know if you have looked up an Arabic website or god forbid, a porn site. Now these bastards can enter your house and take your computer. I’ve got over 150,000 files on my system and have looked at thousands of websites, and I can’t remember one quarter of what I’ve looked at. The first thing the cops seem to do when arresting someone , regardless of the crime, is to confiscate the computer. Why the hell would any criminal with an IQ over 50 keep anything on his or her computer, they wouldn’t want the arresting agency to see? I’ve got nothing to hide except a manuscript of a book I’m working on. Nothing secret, but I’d hate to lose all the work I’ve done; because some law enforcement agency needed a new computer for their office, and couldn’t get the funds allocated for it.
There is so much technology I don’t know and never will know. By the time I figure out half of the things I should do and can do on my computer everything I’ll have learned will probably be obsolete. I have often heard and read about many older writers, who still hand write or type their manuscripts on a typewriter. Bill Clinton hand wrote his book. Why did he do that? Could it be because he didn’t trust his work being placed on a computer? Having been President he knows how easy it is for a spy or government agency, to hack into a computer, regardless who it belongs to. Maybe Bill was giving everyone a hint?
Of all the slings and arrows hurled at my techno self esteem, perhaps the most painful of all is knowing that, children as young as five or six years of age are more computer savvy than I am. In elementary schools kids are creating their own websites, programming their own systems and learning advance software. I haven’t even achieved an intermediate understanding of basic computer skills. The only skill taught to me in high school related at all to computers was typing.
So onward and upward I go, trailblazing into an aging technology, hoping to reach the summit of Windows XP understanding before it becomes obsolete. I have a long way to go. I want my low techno self esteem readers to know; that I am walking with them on that long , dusty, pilgrimage, to acquiring greater techno self esteem.
L.A. STEEL
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