Reformed Luddite

I was once described by my tech-savvy brother as a Luddite. Of course I had no idea what this was and had a hunch it was not a compliment. Apparently the Luddites were a group of people that fought technology during the industrial revolution. I admit I DO NOT embrace change, it takes me awhile to warm up to new things, especially high-tech electronics. I remember when we first started talking about getting a DVD player, I thought a VCR was just fine..."who needs this new fangled contraption?" Of course we got one(or two) and now I can't image not being able to watch special features, skip scenes and replay my favorites.

Well this last week I had a Luddite moment. A few months ago we downgraded our cable to basic(and I mean BASIC) programming. We basically go the local networks, PBS, the Spanish channels and a few public access channels. With school out and the deluge of rain that we have had in this summer I decided we might need to upgrade for the summer months. I called the local cable company sure they would be excited to upgrade my service(read:take our money). Well, the guy on the other end of the phone was ready to sell all of the best new features in digital cable. This is when I broke out into a cold sweat and could feel my blood pressure rise. He informed me that upgrading to the digital cable would make much more sense and it would even cost less than just getting the expanded basic cable I used to have. He informed me that the technician would be out to hook it up bring me my new box and give me a tutorial and show me how to use all the features....whoa! This is when inner Luddite came out, I told him that I wasn't interested in anything that needed a tutorial. To sum it up, I ended up just getting the simple old fashioned cable.

To all of you non-Luddites, I know my fear of technology might not make sense to you. Am I the only one who gets a new cell phone, digital camera, or other gadget and feels overhelmed that you will never figure out all that it can do? The funny thing is once I get the hang of the new device, it usually enhances my quality of life . I guess that is the whole point. :)

Hey little bro, don't worry there is hope for me. After all I am sitting here writing a blog post on my new MacBook with my wireless mouse and talking on my Bluetooth ear piece, aren't you proud? Baby steps....