Neo-Luddism - what was I thinking?

I remember saying to Catherine in 1993,,my now wife my then partner, 'computers leave me stone cold, I will never use one'.

Today I had one of the best chats with my Mother, 10,618 miles away in Sydney, on...........you guessed it.......... a computer (and Skype)!

This neo-Luddite attitude stemmed from my early interaction with computers at University in the late 70's as part of my degree. We were given the simplest of problems to solve involving shopping, nails, wood and if I remember correctly, glue. The mathematical challenge was limited and the answer was on my lips within seconds of reading the problem - $14.22.

Three and a half hours later, the time it took to punch my data cards, I strode into the computer house, a 12 x 12 square meter room, to confront the Macquarie Mainframe, 'Motley', as I nicknamed it. A beast of a machine some 3 meter cubed, that I was informed was the future but, in my view, did nothing to help my cause.

I inserted my cards and waited for Motley to work its magic - it whirred, clunked, spluttered, belched, in fact did everything but deliver me the result I was looking for. The print out emerged and rather than seeing $14.22 all I got was a series of incomprehensible error codes and messages. Disappointed is an understatement. The prospect of re-punching all those data cards filled me with dread so I took the easy option - I canvassed my tutor group and used the cards from someone who had, you guessed it, got the magical $14.22 on their print out. To cut a long story short it somehow came to light that I had used someone's cards and I was summoned to appear before his Lordship, the Dean of the Faculty, who railed against my 'plagiaristic' efforts in what was the grimmest of days of my otherwise immensely enjoyable university stay.

Oddly enough by 1997 I had embraced the computer. Let's face it they were useful then. No cards to punch just plain speak, spelling and typing.. I launched my first website in 2000 but never really gave the computer, and the interweb, its full dues, quite possibly as a result of not getting Motley to spit out $14.22 under my own card efforts. Had I done so, and let my mind explore the endless possibilities Motley's cousins provided, perhaps I would have developed the next Ubesnaglechatthingy.

As it is I am now fervent believer - I love the freedom it offers to work from wherever you can find a little bit of electricity and connectivity. It has allowed me to work from home ever since our first was born. provided me with the world's biggest 'library, at my fingertips and most importantly it allows me to share cherished moments with my Ma as I did this morning. Thank you Motley for your perseverance - I should never have doubted your potential usefulness but it has to be said you have come a long way since those early days.

Never say never..........as they say.

P.S. I felt the same way about mobile phones having been turned off by a gent standing, bellowing into what looked like a house brick, in the middle of a wonderfully, peaceful and rustic restaurant on the undeveloped East Coast of Singapore back in 1984. I see the use for mobile phones but confess, I use mine rarely and this doesn't look like chnaging anytime soon.

#Luddism #neoLuddite #computers #mobilephones