Tag: technology

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motivation

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

Man with son. "Welcome to the computer age, Son! I got you the finest Commodore 64 money can buy."

How would you like to be the kid in this cartoon? Dads can be clueless, can’t they? He may be surprised to discover his find doesn’t have a way to connect to the Internet. It would be a nice machine for someone looking for a trip back in time. But it wouldn’t be very practical for today’s computer needs. The father had not considered what his son truly needs.

This cartoon was for a book I illustrated entitled New Rider’s Official Internet Pages. It seems silly today, but at the time, a book about how to find what you were looking for on the Web was a good idea. Search engines were still a bit clunky. Google wouldn’t exist for another three years. So why not use a paper book to search on the Web? Today, that book is about as cutting-edge as a Commodore 64 computer.

You can still buy Commodore 64’s. E-bay has plenty of them for sale. While they don’t cost as much as when they were new, they still appear to cost as much as a new tablet or laptop. Today, you wouldn’t buy one for its power, but for nostalgia.

We can get stuck in thinking we know what the solution is when it isn’t appropriate. Old technology won’t work for today’s students. Yet, someone with an eye for eighties technology would love it. When considering a solution, be sure you know your audience. You want someone to be surprised in a good way.

In the meantime, who wants to play Ace of Aces on an old Commodore 64?

Man with son. "Welcome to the computer age, Son! I got you the finest Commodore 64 money can buy."
Categories
motivation

How Can I Feel Significant?

Cartoon of son to dad, "How long before I'm old enough to search for significance online?"

Many of us are challenged to find significance in a new environment. When I first posted this cartoon, social media was beginning to make a huge impact. It was a time before the term, “Influencer.” Today, social media continues to grow as we work from home and are keeping in touch electronically. You may ask yourself, “Can I really feel significant if my main interaction with people is online?” According to this New York Times article, We are searching for meaning during this time.

When I posted this on Flickr eleven years ago, I had a comment from a reader that simply said, “Ouchie.” It may have stung because an online-only significance may feel shallow and insubstantial. We are still humans that need to interact with other humans. As we continue to shelter in place for at least another couple of weeks, consider the following:

  • We will get back together with others soon. While it feels like we have been in lockdown forever, this too shall pass
  • Computers and the Internet are still a tool. It’s not the tool, nor is it the only tool we can use to interact
  • Finding a need to fill and helping someone with that need is still very effective offline
  • When interacting with someone online, consider if you would say what you are about to say in the same manner if you were face-to-face
  • Consider if making a phone call, or writing a letter is a better way to keep in touch with a friend or relative

I am thankful for the technology that allows us to keep in touch in so many ways. But there are so many ways to be significant and to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

Cartoon of a boy asking a man at a PC, "How long before old enough to search for significance online?"
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Business Business Cartoons holiday motivation

Administrative Professionals Day, and Earth Day

Cartoon of a man giving his computer flowers

This year is a different kind of Administrative Professionals Day. Many administrative professionals are working from home thanks to the coronavirus. Some are working the frontlines of essential businesses and keeping visitors from entering a facility without the necessary health precautions.

This year, Earth Day and Administrative Professionals Day fall on the same day. So if you have an administrative professional, this would be an entirely appropriate time to get them some flowers or a hearty plant. We all need a little nature as we stay huddled together in our humble abodes.

So thank you to all the administrators that make things happen behind the scenes. And thank you to a planet that needs some tender loving care. We couldn’t make it without either one of you.

Cartoon of a man giving his computer flowers
Categories
motivation technology cartoons

Are You Getting Tired of Staring at Screens Too?

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen

Yes, I am also tired of staring at screens. If it’s not a computer screen, it’s my phone, tablet or television. If you are working from home, odds are, your screen is the window to your workplace. If you are not working right now, a screen may be your entertainment, a diversion or vital information about the outside world.

I am thankful we have this technology. It gives us insight and helps us to be productive. Yet, it can cause our eyes to glaze over. I don’t know about you, but my eyes feel tired by noon. And there are days when the connection is slow and it feels like I spend more time waiting for the network to catch up than doing work. Yes, it can be frustrating.

Yet, this has been good for us. We are all now finding ways to work we didn’t think were possible at the beginning of the year. We were very paper-based in my office. Now we know it is possible to eliminate the paper. And in some cases, it is actually speeding up the workflow.

As we get through this screen-filled era, remember to take some time to look away for a while. Perhaps read that paper book you’ve been meaning to get to. Call a coworker or friend. Or close your eyes on your break and listen to some uplifting music or an informative podcast. Your eyes will thank you. And perhaps your mind will thank you for the break as well.

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen
Categories
motivation

True Friends During Social Distancing

Cartoon of two girls. One says, "Only a true friends would let you know you have a duck on your head."

One benefit of this time of quarantine and social distancing is that it is just as easy to keep in touch with friends in other parts of the world as it is the ones that live close by. I have learned to use Skype and Zoom for personal conversations as well as for business. It’s given me a new sense of what technology can do to bring us all closer together.

True friends are not just the ones in our own backyard, though it is good to check in with the neighbors. True friends will have your back while they whisper to you that your shirt needs tucked in back there! They are the ones who will have the courage to tell you that you’re wrong but do it in a kind, respectful way.

We need our true friends more than ever during a crisis. It’s been good for me to reach out to them through texting, calling, and seeing their activity on social media. Yes, there have been some positives through this crisis. Let’s keep in touch with our friends and let them know when they are experiencing such faux pas as wearing a duck during the Zoom call.

Cartoon of two girls. One says, "Only a true friends would let you know you have a duck on your head."