Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Generally I don't take the time to write in my blog on Thanksgiving but today I find myself with a bit of extra time by myself. My married kids are spending time with their in-laws and so I find myself alone on this peaceful Thursday. I thought I would write about some of the things I am thankful for. Naturally I am thankful for family and friends but I wanted to highlight some of the technologies that make our lives better.
We live in a marvelous time with a lot of modern conveniences such as refrigerators and microwaves. When I first started spending time on my boat in California almost 10 years ago, I didn't have a lot of these modern conveniences. In fact, my fridge didn't really work that well and I often had food spoil over the weekend. I have since fixed that. I also didn't have a microwave. I do now and use it every morning I stay on the boat. That is how I cook my oatmeal. I also use it to heat up water to clean my breakfast dishes. These are wonderful technological devices that make my life a lot easier.
I am thankful for computers. While they may actually complicate our lives, they do make certain things a lot easier. Connect one to the Internet and you have an infinite source of information. Of course, not all of it can be believed but if you know where to look you can find out anything.
I am thankful for smartphones with cameras. I don't know how we survived in the days before mobile phones. Then they added cameras and now I can take pictures of the beautiful mountain scenes I have experienced every day this week as I have ventured out to do some backcountry skiing. I get to brag a little bit as I send the pictures to my friends back in the Bay Area. I also appreciate being able to look up driving directions and answers to important questions such as if my flight is still on time.
Finally I am thankful for jet planes. Without them I would have to leave the mountains that I love and live full-time in the Bay Area for work. I tell people that the Bay Area is a great place if you are into shopping and good restaurants. It is horrible if you like spending time outside in the mountains. Locals there claim they have mountains but those are really just hills with very limited access. If you like rock climbing and skiing, you have to drive somewhere else or catch a plane.
Yes, there is a lot to be thankful for. Hopefully you are reading this after Thanksgiving and had the time to create your own list of things you are thankful for.
Showing posts with label Microwave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microwave. Show all posts
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Thursday, February 23, 2017
The Art of Using Time Wisely
Everybody has 24 hours in each day, yet not everyone uses that time wisely. There are the requisite work hours that most adults have to endure with seemingly little time left over. This week at work I have even felt like I could have done a better job of using that time better. When I recognize it, I can generally correct it quickly and today I found myself a much better steward of my time.
Computers and technology are supposed to help us and make things easier. Back in the 1970's, the microwave revolutionized cooking as it allowed us to dramatically reduce the time required to heat food. The personal computer in the 1980's provided a platform that sparked such applications as the spreadsheet and word processor that streamlined financial calculations and document creation. Then in the 1990's, the Internet came along and gave us a limitless amount of access to information. Any time someone has a question, it is a matter of typing a few words into a search engine and the answer instantly appears.
So with all of these technologies that allow us to reduce the time it takes to do certain tasks, are we better off than 30 years ago? While I can quickly get the answer to who won the 1980 World Series (Philadelphia Phillies), does that help me in my daily life? Sometimes it allows us more leisure time but more often than not, it just means that more is expected. We also have the problem that all this technology now creates distractions. You can spend hours wasting time doing things like watching YouTube videos or looking at stupid pictures of cats.
As you find yourself with all of these modern conveniences, be mindful of your time. Are you using technology to create a better life for yourself or are you just wasting away the hours?
Computers and technology are supposed to help us and make things easier. Back in the 1970's, the microwave revolutionized cooking as it allowed us to dramatically reduce the time required to heat food. The personal computer in the 1980's provided a platform that sparked such applications as the spreadsheet and word processor that streamlined financial calculations and document creation. Then in the 1990's, the Internet came along and gave us a limitless amount of access to information. Any time someone has a question, it is a matter of typing a few words into a search engine and the answer instantly appears.
So with all of these technologies that allow us to reduce the time it takes to do certain tasks, are we better off than 30 years ago? While I can quickly get the answer to who won the 1980 World Series (Philadelphia Phillies), does that help me in my daily life? Sometimes it allows us more leisure time but more often than not, it just means that more is expected. We also have the problem that all this technology now creates distractions. You can spend hours wasting time doing things like watching YouTube videos or looking at stupid pictures of cats.
As you find yourself with all of these modern conveniences, be mindful of your time. Are you using technology to create a better life for yourself or are you just wasting away the hours?
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