Published by Michael Seidel
Science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. Singer (sorry, no shows) & nudist (in my home). Beer, cat, cheese, coffee, pie and wine friend. Left IBM and Silicon Valley for the southern Oregon life but I miss the ocean. We're too far inland. Gotta move.
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Several years ago we were in a restaurant one Saturday afternoon, as was our habit back in the pre-pandemic era, and a father and son were at the table next to ours. It was pretty obvious he was a ‘weekend dad’ and this was his time with his son. But, what did he do? He tapped away at his cell phone and every time the boy, somewhere circa 7 years old, would try to start a conversation, the dad gave a monosyllabic answer, often without even taking his eyes off his cell phone. I wondered why the dad even bothered to pick the kid up if he wasn’t going to pay any attention to him. Such is life in the 21st century. Hugs ‘n cheers, Michael!
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This is interesting because it’s a view of minders day life. It’s almost impossible to go any where that someone isn’t on their phone. I was watching Downton Abbey, okay more like binge watched it and after season 4 I pondered the idea that I’m from a generation that can actually remember what it was like to live with only a landline and one television set without a remote. A landline before call waiting, caller ID or *69 to see who called you then hung up you before caller ID. When we went out to a restaurant with kids we had to be on our toes and keep them in line. We were engaged with our family, friends and neighbors.
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Modern not minders stupid autocorrect…
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LOL
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Yes, we’re part of that generation, too. No remote, one TV, one landline, and a long-distance call was a big deal. Video? VCR? CDs, DVDs, what?
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