We often wonder how fast the world is changing around us. A general rule that I’ve heard is that complete change takes 2 generations: even if your parents (or grandparents) died 20 years ago, they’d probably be able to deal with microwaves and cell phones. But not your ancestors who have been gone 40+ years.
Then I have to reset the clocks twice each year and think that maybe the rate-of-dramatic change is down to less than a generation. Yesterday (Sunday) it took about 45 minutes to get them all done:
Alarm clocks (2): easy, push-button changes.
Digital cable box, computers (2): it’s a breeze – they do it themselves. Windows doesn’t even prompt you to check your time anymore after the DST change.
Cars (2): the cars finally trained me to their vagaries a couple of years ago. One has hours/minutes buttons that require a pen. The other requires you to push the tuner button while hitting channel up/down. Note to self: don’t go car shopping until after Daylight Savings Time comes back. That way you’ll have 6 months to learn how it’s done in the new vehicle.
Analog clocks (3): so easy my grandparents could do it, even if they didn’t have battery-operating clocks back then.
VCR: now that Comcast has commandeered control the TV set, I can’t get the VCR menu to come up. That one’s still off by an hour.
Stereo tuner: about 2 minutes, mostly because the buttons are so hard to read that you need a flashlight.
Programmable heating control: not too hard, but you can’t set the timer directly. Instead, go to Day/Time mode first. About 4 minutes to get this one right.
Microwave oven: easiest of the digital devices (except for the ones that do it themselves).
Wrist watch: this one took about 10 minutes. Get out the Citizen manual, then set the time. Oops – you picked GMT because you were in the wrong mode when you pulled out the watch stem.
And then there’s the dog. But I don’t know where to reset that timer. She still thinks that it’s dinner time an hour too early. May Comcast commandeered her too.
Best regards,
Mooney252