Ten on Tuesday

10 Ways the World Has Changed Since I have Been in School

1. Computers. In my work as a medical transcriptionist – we went from the big old hunkin’ electric typewriters with all the keys inside, to IBM Selectrics with those little balls that had all the letters on them, then electronic typewriters, then word processors and finally computers with word processing software.
2. Cell phones. (Probably most people will pick that one.)
3. Audio (and video) media. I won’t go in to the whole list, but from vinyl records we went from 4 tracks, to 8 tracks, to cassettes, to CDs and now MP3 players. Now that’s just the audio part, video similar – home movies on those little projectors and reels of film, to VHS to DVDs and DVRs…I think digital cameras both still and movie types also fall into this category – remember those giganto “camcorders” that eventually started shrinking down in size to the new digital ones? No? I’m old. I know.
4. Laparoscopic surgery. Since I type this stuff for work, I have seen big changes in the medical field via the reports I type. For example: Since I started in this field, they have gone from making about a 5 inch long incision in a person’s upper abdomen to three tiny little puncture holes in order to take out a gallbladder. Same for other organs. Blood loss has gone from being measured in “units (1 unit is 250 cc’s/ml)” to “cc’s (ml)” now – pretty amazing. (These are for the uncomplicated procedures, of course.) Lots of other amazing advances – and price increases – in the field of medicine, but this less invasive type surgery continues to amaze me. They even do some heart procedures this way now.
5. Knitting needles. I remember the aluminum ones, and the plastic-y ones – but now there are things like Addi Turbos, and bamboo and a wealth of other exotic woods to choose from. I guess Denise Needles were around back then, but I wasn’t aware of them. In just recent years, Addi came out with their lace needles, and of course Knit Picks developed their Options needles too. Now, I guess this doesn’t necessarily change to WORLD per se – unless you’re a knitter, and then they’ve likely changed your world.
6. Blogs and the Internet. Some folks have actually gained a measure of fame, and written books after first being part of an internet forum, or blogging. We can also shop, go to school, work, keep in touch with family all over the world, and meet people this way (not an endorsement, just an observation).
7. Gas Prices! I remember being concerned about the raise in gas prices back in the 70′s and my mother telling me “Even if it gets up to 50 cents per gallon, you’ll still buy it.” Moms are wise that way.
8. Gas stations. While we’re no the subject – I remember when most gas stations had an attendant that filled your tank, washed your windows and checked the oil in your car. Later you had the option of “full serve” or “self serve” and now – pretty much you do it yourself – and the whole transaction is between you and the gas pump and your credit or debit card.
9. Banking. We had bank books (for savings accounts) and we deposited our checks with a teller who stamped a date on your check book register (for checking accounts). Now – I never even see my paycheck. It’s just a number that shows up in my account – which I also check online. And some banks charge you to visit a teller – they much prefer you stay outside with the ATM machine and your piece of plastic.
10. Morals.