Is technology really the best way?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It seems that I created an uproar the last time
\nI was in the U.S. You see, I had heard that I could get the old
\nfashioned kind of gramophone needles in the antique shops there.<\/p>\n
But whenever I asked for them, people would laugh at me and
\noften add: \"You still use the old fashioned gramophone? The ones
\nthat you have to wind up and change needles after each song?\"<\/p>\n
I would answer shyly: \"Yes, the ones with the big horn and a
\ndog listening to His Master's voice. I love to hear the old songs
\nI sang as a little girl: On the Good Ship Lollipop by Shirley
\nTemple, or the French chansons by Josephine Baker.\"<\/p>\n
They would just shake their heads unbelievingly, amazed that
\nwith the new equipment that is so convenient, people would still
\nwant to use those obsolete gadgets, especially when spare parts
\nare so difficult to find.<\/p>\n
I still remember the first change in sound equipment: a small
\nrecord with a big hole in the middle, no messy changing of
\nneedles. But if you ever lost the small attachment that fitted in
\nthe big hole, your ability to enjoy those records would be lost
\nforever. Then there was the tape recorder, a huge instrument with
\ntapes like a film reel, that could play many songs after another.<\/p>\n
But greatest of all was that the reel to reel contraption
\ncould record your own voice. Then the tape recorder became the
\ncassette recorder, with meters and meters of tape, all in a
\nplastic see-through box. All you have to do is to put it in the
\nrecorder, push a few buttons and you can have hours of music
\nenjoyment. Great!<\/p>\n
But the inventors did not sit still. They tried even harder to
\nmake people happy and to help them relax both during and after
\ntheir working hours.<\/p>\n
They invented television, but knowing that people are inclined
\ntoward do-it-yourself amusement they developed this further into
\nvideo recorders. For those who don't like to do it themselves,
\nthere are video cassettes. But very soon people with video
\nplayers found their equipment obsolete again, because a new
\ninvention invaded the market aggressively, the laser disc.<\/p>\n
I must admit that I have owned most of this modern equipment
\nat one time or another. I wanted to keep up with the Jones' and
\ndid my best to do so. I ended up with a storeroom full of old
\nvideos, cassette recorders and what not.<\/p>\n
But electronics also included the invasion of computers.<\/p>\n
Well, of course I joined the race there too.<\/p>\n
First I needed a computer, then I needed a better computer and
\nthen the need was for a faster computer. At last the computer was
\nnot needed for itself, but for the CD-ROM, for the fax-modem and
\nfinally for the e-mail. But after having been harassed on the
\ninformation highway, I decided to stop buying new things.<\/p>\n
I keep telling myself, that I don't need a hand-phone and
\ncertainly not a karaoke machine. I dare not even sing in the
\nbathroom, let alone in the living room. And although my friend
\ntells me that she even sings in the karaoke bar, because
\nsomething in the microphone makes you sing better, I chickened
\nout when I was asked to sing on the ferry to Sumatra. I wouldn't
\neven do that for the first class seat that came as a bonus for
\ntaking part in the singing.<\/p>\n
Computers are OK, because after all I need them for my work. I
\nhave become a computer wizard, because I always go shopping for
\nthe latest in games and programs. I learned how to convert one
\nprogram to another, making young people gasp with admiration that
\nan old grandmother like me could do so easily what they have so
\nmuch difficulty learning.<\/p>\n
I seldom travel, but I do own a lap-top computer, which I use
\nto work on the porch.<\/p>\n
I once interviewed the late Kho Ping Hoo, a famous writer of
\nbuku silat or cloak and dagger stories. He was quite a
\nphenomenon, because he wrote about 200 titles in his lifetime.<\/p>\n
\"I never use a computer,\" he told me. \"I have an old medium-
\nsized typewriter, which I take with me when I go to my retreat in
\nthe mountain area of Tawangmangu. I have created most of my
\nstories on this typewriter. I like the rhythm of the clicking
\nkeys, it gives me inspiration, that's why I can write fast. I
\nfeel lonesome in front of a computer and my mind goes blank.\"<\/p>\n
His words make me feel ashamed. Here I am, in front of my
\ncomputer and turning out one single article makes me feel so
\nproud! I should be working on a clicking typewriter, maybe I
\ncould help to improve the reading habits of the Indonesians.
\nHowever, the late Mr. Kho is not alone in his preference for
\ntypewriters.<\/p>\n
Traveling once with my friend Nora, I noticed that her hand
\nluggage was extremely heavy. She lugged it along bravely,
\nalthough she was always happy when we could find a cart. On
\narrival, she unpacked a portable typewriter that she brought
\nalong to finish a paper for the conference we were going to
\nattend.<\/p>\n
Noticing my surprise she said sheepishly: \"I once used a
\ncomputer and after having typed for hours the electricity went
\noff and all my work was wiped out just like that. So now, I would
\nrather work on my typewriter. It gives me security and that's
\nwhat I need.\"<\/p>\n
I was flabbergasted and started re-evaluating my jet-setting
\nfriend, who has a career that would make many people jealous and
\nlikes to stay in five-star hotels because of the room service.
\nBut then I thought about my own obsession with \"His master's
\nvoice\" and thought: \"Oh, well...\"<\/p>\n
-- Myra Sidharta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-technology-really-the-best-way-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }