The evolving computers

Computers are everywhere. I do not think there is a day that goes by where one is not affected by the use of a computer. Even if the individual is not the one directly using the computer, they affect transactions at the gas pump, grocery store, bank, and even giving us a weather forecast. It is amazing how far computers have come in the short history of their existence. My mother who is in her 50’s remembers the first time she went to work on a computer. She had just started working for an Eye Clinic as a receptionist and technician. It was 1989. The computer was a big desktop. She does not recall the kind of computer it was although she is certain it was not an Apple. The company started with just one computer. She would insert patient information, mailings, work on spreadsheets, and do accounts receivable and payable on the computer. Appointments and patient files as well as other transactions were still all done by paper. Mom said she could definitely see the potential that these computers held.
Now, everything is done by computer. There are many different programs that each person must work on in order to make a business work. I worked for three years as an office manager for a newspaper company that included six different community newspapers. We did our main communication through our computers. I would be able to build ads and do copy editing on my computer and email it back to a town 40 miles away for them to use in their paper. There were a few times in the winter when I remember the power going out and we were literally at a stand still. No one knew what to do. There was nothing we could do. That would not have been the case in 1989. They could have gone about their day without their computer and got caught up on inputting information later once the power was restored. It’s amazing how far we’ve come and yet how dependent we are. Computers are great, when they work.