Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Foo, Foo, Foo, Chango, and iPhone 6




Yesterday I posted from my new phone, using the Blogger app. I wanted to see whether any improvements or changes came with the iPhone 6, whether Blogger would need to be updated... just troubleshooting. Everything worked the same. And the only thing that needs updating is my own knowledge... I need to teach myself how to get links into the text of a post. Maybe my resolution for 2015 is Experiment. Maybe not. But, today I am fiddling with the camera on the iPhone 6. So far: Wow! Amazing! Super impressed.

And even though Apple didn't ask me to sing their praises, I will say, "This new phone is pretty spiffy."

I am tech reluctant. Is that one word?

I am techreluctant: adjective \ˈtek\-\ri-ˈlək-tənt\
:a person averse to adapting new devices, esp anything dependent on electricity and/or WIFI
See also: troglodyte.

It's true. From this blog, to microwaves, from my cell phone to the remotes for the television, I am slow and reluctant when it comes to figuring it all out. In fact, I am slow to even posses those articles, and they are here only because of Geoff. He assures me they are safe, interesting, worthwhile, and sometimes even necessary. It never fails to come as a bit of shock to me, but Geoff insists these devices are good, and easily adopted into our modern lifestyle. I drag my bare feet, stand by him, and grimace while he dives in and gets everything humming, synchronized, uploaded, downloaded, and online. I find a chair, sip chamomile tea, and daydream about living in a yurt pay close attention. I am neither boasting about my ignorance, nor particularly ashamed... okay, yes, it is embarrassing, but the truth is instruction manuals, and tutorials on subjects that don't include loads of pictures, or glitter, wool, or chickens, are indescribably inaccessible to my attention span. I lack discipline, or affinity, or the proper neural receptacles, or simply interest... in fact, I believe it is a tragic, yet effective, combination of all four barriers that keep me techreluctant.

But I do like my new phone, and I am thankful for it. And, thanks to Maria, I am learning to navigate IOS. And I do like posting from a mobile device, because sometimes my deep thoughts, and other musings, cannot be contained. And, so, I keep trying. I have figured out our PS3, so I can play movies, and I write my own HTML for Chickenblog... a bit, anyway. I've even used those registers that let you check your own groceries out at the market, though I can't say I am impressed with that whole scene. {All of this to mention that I have a new camera! And it is gorgeous, and small, and new. It came from Mom and Dad, for my birthday, and I've set it all up... and it scares the courage right out of me, so adopting it into my modern lifestyle is going slowly, because I am embarrassingly techreluctant.}

Would you look at my dear, poor, Chango? I've never had any camera that could capture and focus on the details of his face... his nose, the fine whiskers, his dark features, until this iPhone 6. His expression? Yes, I do have many, very many pictures of Chango looking utterly dismayed, ill at ease, confused, dazed, out of sorts. The wide-eyed terror. The twitchy eye. It is his state of being. He is a feral cat who has succumbed to the comforts of domesticity, and even he cannot comprehend how this has all come to pass, or whether it is secure. We adore our Chango. His is a tender, though guarded, soul.

6 comments:

Alicia said...

QUE AMOR DE GATOS!!!
TENGO 8....
SALUDITOS

Michele H. said...

Please tell your darling daughter that I sleep holding my cat's paw, too...Louisa May Allcat doesn't care for it, especially, but she's learned to tolerate it...smile. And I'm 54 years old!!

Anonymous said...

I loved this post! I, too, used to be techreluctant. I was one of the last people to get a microwave oven, a VHS player/recorder, smart phone. I'm terrible at following instructions in books and manuals, and learn much better with just doing it. Once I started in on the computer-related gadgets, though, I was hooked and now love them all. I don't have an iPhone, mine's an Android, and not a super-high-tech one, but I love it. My older sister, who is almost 71 (!!!) loves tech things. When she gets a new computer or phone, she tells the sales staff to show her the most complicated one they have. She says it keeps her brain sharp. I think she's onto something. :)

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Muchos cariños por los gatitos~
Saludos, Alicia!

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

"Louisa May Allcat" might be the dearest kitty name, ever! We all enjoyed reading your comment, Michelle H. Thank you.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Yes! I may be techreluctant, but I compensate by being a loud and enthusiastic booster for all people who push and test themselves and embrace challenges in the pursuit of knowledge. You, and your sister, are awesome.