How IT All Began ??

NOTE: I’m not sure who the original author of this piece is, but my thanks to my friend Rodger for sharing with me. Enjoy

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, “Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?”

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, “How, dear?”

And Dot replied, “I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah’s Pony Stable (UPS).”

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent. To prevent neighbouring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures – Hebrew To The People (HTTP).

And the young men did take to Dot Com’s trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates’ drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say, “Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.” And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known. He said, “We need a name that reflects what we are.”

And Dot replied, “Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.” “YAHOO,” said Abraham. And because it was Dot’s idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham’s cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot’s drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God’s Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).

That is how it all began. And that’s the truth.(?)


Welcome

Nearly twenty years ago, a good friend of mine worked for a major computer manufacturer. I worked for the state of Illinois, consulting with school districts in their implementation of technology. Since he worked in K-12 marketing for his company, we finally got a chance to work together on something. As part of a marketing campaign, he had coined the phrase “I am a technology apologist”, and had it printed on T-shirts that he provided to one of our tech conferences.

Even though nearly every person who saw the shirt asked what it meant, I loved the shirt, and I loved the term “technology apologist”. As a matter of fact, I had several of the shirts, and had one until just a few years ago – when my wife finally made me throw it away.

So you might be wondering what exactly is a “technology apologist” (tech apologist for short). Let me begin by saying that I have worked in the information technology industry for over 27 years with organizations public and private, large and small. That’s where the “tech” comes from. “Apologist” is a little harder to explain.

The word apologize comes to mind…and sometimes as a IT professional I have had to apologize, for something not working correctly, even if the problem was with the user and not with the device or application. This therefore is a different use of the word.

Merriam-Webster defines apologist as “one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something” or “a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.” In my mind, someone who defends or supports something, sometimes has to also explain it and help others understand. Therefore a “tech apologist” is someone who would defends, supports, and explains technology and its use in modern culture, hopefully in a way that helps others to understand.

So if you are not thoroughly confused yet, in this blog and podcast, I hope to bring light to confusing, sometimes frustrating parts of technology. We’ll discuss computers (of course), the Internet, consumer electronics (smartphones, tablets, etc.), social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and some helpful tips and tricks. I will endeavor to provide insight, assistance, and hopefully a little humor.

So please check back with me. It’ll be fun.

T