Ed Icionsub

A good friend of ours has been out of work for over 3 months now and I know her family is struggling to keep up with the bills. She is on the internet every day for her job search as well as networking and some entertainment to keep her distracted. Trying to be tactful, I asked her if she has considered getting dsl instead of cable internet, and she admitted that she didn’t know anything about it. She thought that cable was the only way to get online now.

I know a lot of people have painful memories of the old dial up internet, but things have changed a lot since the early 1980′s slow connections. I remember trying various services using the telephone line, and even went to the extreme of installing a second lad line so that people could call the house phone and have a chance of getting through. If you only had one phone line back then, people would just get a busy signal all night and not even be able to get through to the answering machine to leave a message.

Of course, all of that has changed now. You do not need a second line and almost no one uses answering machines anymore, either. Unless you are downloading movies and playing high level games on the internet, you can save a lot of money on basic internet service by ditching the cable and going back to dial up.

It was quite the historic moment 30 years ago today, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. That was the time and location of a world changing moment – the introduction of the IBM 5150 personal computer to the world.

Of course, other PCs were already on the market, such as:

the Apple II
the Commodore PET
the Osborne 1
the Tandy TRS-80

You have to admit, that even with the other PCs, the IBM PC was the first full featured, ready to use personal computer that was affordable for most businesses and many homes.

The IBM’s system ran Microsoft’s Disk Operating System, known as MS-DOS and booted from a 5.25 inch floppy drive. It sold for $1,565 with no software except MS-DOS. In today’s money, that would be a little over $3,700.

One of the best things about computers and the internet is the variety of games that can be played – both solitaire, against a computer robot or against other people in real time. The different types of games available are for all skill levels, from preschoolers to Bridge Masters.

I remember the very first game I played on a computer. It was a puzzle, adventure game. You had to type in each move as DOS code. You started out in t forest and you had to type in each move, going north or south, up or down, etc. It was totally addicting and everyone at work would try for weeks to solve the puzzle and beat the game.

Then we got a new computer that was pre-loaded with solitaire. The secretaries at work and anyone with a private office would spend hours at their desk playing Canfield, often caught by their supervisor and getting in trouble for playing games when they were supposed to be working. There was a lot of uproar among the ranks about feeling entitled to “take a break” and play a game or two on the company’s computer.

Now the computers allow us to get online and play thousands of games, often against real people from all over the world. It is amazing to be living and playing in the digital age.

My customer service representative at the demographics company has left. He had told me Friday that would be his last day. I’m sorry to see him go, as he was a great customer service rep. But he is pursuing his lifelong dream of moving to Hawaii, so I wish him all the best.

His wife is from Hawaii originally – they met in college at Berkeley. So now they have graduated, worked a few years, saved some cash and are headed back to Hawaii to buy a house and start their family.

Sometimes people are doing great in their chosen field, but they hit a plateau. Sometimes they feel bored, and sometimes they feel like they should be giving something back to their industry or their community. So they look for ways to enrich their lives and the lives of others.

I was talking with a golfing buddy who is looking into a medical teaching course as a way to give back to his industry. I think that is a great idea. I know a lot of industries have opportunities for experienced members to teach in various capacities.

Even if you are not interested in becoming a professor at a university, you can contribute by teaching a medical management course or something that interests you.

My good friend who retired from teaching last year after 24 years in the classroom can still contribute to her field. It is good to give back to your industry – it is a Win-Win situation. Students need to learn from an experienced person – not just read a book. Although it is good to have the internet as a resource, too. Sometimes we still need a good reason to get up in the morning and put on makeup, dress up and get out into the real world. Teaching part time and sharing what you know is a great way to help others.

My golfing buddy is looking into a teach the teacher course to stay to get a start in teaching other doctors. I have to give him credit for being so generous with his time and experience.