1. Technology and the Future
1.1. Technology is constantly evolving and it's hard to keep up. Often it is hard to differentiate between true technological advancements and clever marketing strategies. I have my life, my values, my hopes for the life I will some day live and technology should only serve to enhance my present and facilitate the birth of the life I have always imagined. Everything else is extra I don't want to deal with.
2. Childhood
2.1. Playing Nintendo with my cousins.
2.2. Ginga/jinga pet
2.2.1. New node
2.3. Listening to cassette recordings of Miriam Makeba, Ann Peebles, The Carpenters, Barbara Streisand's "Higher Ground," and Celine Deon's "Let's Talk about Love."
2.4. My mother's fridge phone.
2.5. Received my first Walkman and started requesting cds for birthday and Christmas presents.
2.6. Television facilitates my obsession with Shemar Moore.
3. Adulthood
3.1. Transition from cd player to mp3 player: sansa disc mp3 player is my first personal technology purchase. At first, my usage of this device was extensive. However, now my use is minimal.
3.1.1. I acquire my music through libraries. I find something I like or have an interest in and then rip the music to my media library. I meddled with online sharing sources like, KAZAA, and Limewire but I was afraid of the Feds. I also tried itunes...not a fan. I resist the use of programs that require me to continuously download extensions....I hate clutter of any sort.
3.2. I am a regular facebooker. I only signed up for the account to maintain some connection to an old love. Now, I use facebook to stay connected to the lives of friends abroad.
3.3. First laptop: IBM. Second laptop:Dell Inspiron. Third laptop: HP Pavillion Entertainment PC (I have never been able to utilize all the fancy entertainment features that it purports to have).
3.4. Changed my cell phone usage. About two years ago I got rid of my text messaging service and now can only make and receive calls. I very rarely use all my minutes. I can't wait for my contract to expire so I can use the pay-as-go option.
3.4.1. My cell phone use has challenged my closest relationships, i.e. my relationship with girlfriends. They all have the Blackberry fever, and well...I am not feeling it. They communicate the small details of their lives regularly via bbm and that often leaves out of the loop until a later date. I have resisted the blackberry impulse mostly because its not cost effective for my lifestyle and because I really don't like the idea of being 100% accessible 100% of the time.
3.4.1.1. Access, connection, and social interactions.
3.4.2. Cell phone functions I use: calling, voicemail, and organizer (alarm and recorder).
3.5. Skype as a means to stay connected during my study-abroad-abroad experience.
3.6. technology I use everyday: cell phone, and laptop.
3.7. Recording technology and youtube for music projects (personal and academic).
4. Early Childhood
4.1. Watching prerecorded Michael Jackson performances with my family.
4.1.1. All key shortcuts
4.2. Receiving Disney Classics as birthday and Christmas presents.
4.2.1. Breaking my nana's remote control and vcr repeatedly, and then asking the technician at the video store if they fixed "vcrs."
5. Adolescence
5.1. Lauryn Hill provides the soundtrack to my life. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," "Sittin' on Top of the World," and "Believe" are my first owned albums.
5.2. Received my first cell phone. Cell phone type as a means of consolidating peer group identity.
5.3. First time required to type assignments or do extensive research online.
5.4. Social networking sites factor into my life: myspace, msn, and facebook.
5.4.1. Abandoned myspace (can't even remember my sign-in name); rarely use msn (only created an account to communicate with my mom and bff).