Inventions that left their mark

 By far the biggest inventions in my life time that have had a direct impact on my day-to-day life are the internet and cell phones.

Literally everything I do at work or at home is internet driven. All our files reside “in the cloud,” which is nice that you can get at them from practically anywhere, but being in the Air Force still, there are so  many lock-downs that while everything is available, it is slow getting to them, and susubsequently more difficult to use them.

The massive telework evolution due to the 2020 pandemic forced almost everyone as a society to become  much more tech savy and familiar with things like texting, chats, video conferencing, and collaborative on-line work environments. I really think it forced a lot of senior citizens, like my in-laws to pick up their tech game so they would not be so isolated over the past year.

Cell phones have made all that accessible from your fingertips, no matter where you are in the world. It is definitely a game changer both personally and professionally. We got phones in the mid 80s. Before that, it was find a phone to make a call or to check in. Now the calls find you, wherever you are. Parenting is a relative breeze now days. (Of course your kids have more unrestrained connectivity too, so there are drawbacks). But you can reach your kids or significant others through text or voice calls instantly. Its a huge change in family dynamics. The downside is the same applies to relatives, and co-workers.

A plus: now with online shopping and banking, you can order food, clothing, groceries, gifts, book flights, cars, hotel rooms, etc, and never really stop what you are doing. Super efficient compared to even 5 years ago. You essentially get minutes and hours back in your life every day. The trick is using that time wisely.

Bidets are cool too. 

Staying in touch, through the years

 When I first entered the military, 1978, at the Air Force Academy, there really wasn’t an internet or cell phones. So at college, I would call home Sunday afternoons or evenings, and talk to my parents or girlfriend. Each Squadron had two pay phones in the hallway, so people took turns calling. You would get a Sprint pre-paid credit card and pay by the minute. As a college student, that kept the calls relatively short.

Letters were big. My parents kept a notebook of letters I wrote over the years. Some are pretty embarrassing to read 40 years later… I struggled at school: academics were tough, and I was homesick a lot. I am amazed everyday I stuck it out and graduated.

All through the 80s I was on B-52s and never TDY a lot. There wasn’t much need for anything but long distance and letter writing. Laura and I corresponded a lot by letters and phone calls when she moved to Washington DC. We probably should have invested in telephone stock those two years.

When I got off Active Duty and switched to C-130s, I traveled a lot more. I deployed overseas numerous times to places like Saudi Arabia, Germany and then after 9/11, Kuwait and Qatar.

At first it was back to 20 minute morale calls once a week.  That lasted until the 2000s. By then the internet was pretty widespread. Cellphones were prevalent, but the cost per minute was astronomical, especially from overseas. So we had morale computers set up. You would use your personal laptop to write all your emails, upload onto a flash drive, then go to the morale tent, wait in line for a computer to open up, sit down and send all your emails. Next you would download your new incoming emails, and go back to your tent or room and read them. Then you would type up your responses, and the next day you would repeat the process. So … you were always about a day behind with what was going on back home, but much more in tune than the week behind with only morale calls.

By the late 00s and early ‘10s, we had wifi in the dorms. you could just log on from your room and email. Video chats through skype were starting. There was little privacy, so guys would go outside and chat with their wives and gfs… so you would hear a lot of arguments from around the compound. Sometime less communication capability is better. You can’t FIX things that are broken at home, but you want to, and while they know you can’t, they vent and you take it personally. Long distance is a challenge for everyone, especially families.

By my last deployment in 2015, you could live stream video and pretty much everyone had full email and cellphone capability. The only unchanging issue was time zones. Europe is 5-6 hours ahead of Pennsylvania. The desert is 8.

Favorite TV shows, then and now

 I’ve always liked Television. I think my generation pretty much grew up on it. We had little black & white sets when we lived in England, and then when we came back to the states, my parents started getting the console TVs, then the Sony Trinitrons, etc.

The first couple shows I remember was Branded, with Chuck Conner, and Combat. Branded was about a court-martialed Calvary officer trying to prove his innocence. Combat was about a squad of infantry during WWII. 12 O’clock High was terrific - all about a B-17 bomber group stationed in England.

The Wonderful World of Disney was always on Sunday nights.

In high school it was the Partrige Family, Six Million Dollar Man, and Sunday Night Mystery Movies, with McCloud, Columbo, and McMillan & Wife. This is where I got hooked on Saturday Night Live. Been an avid, if not always happy, watcher ever since.

In the 80s, Call to Glory, which reminded me of my life growing up in the family of a fighter pilot, usually in the desert. St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, Twin Peaks, Quantum Leap. When I met Laura, she introduced me to CBS Sunday Morning, with Charles Kuralt. It remains one of our strongest rituals.

In the 90s- 2000s: Homefront, Hill Street Blues, and Sports Night. The West Wing. Aaron Sorkin is a master of the walk & talk, and recreating the White House we all want. Friday Night Lights - great storytelling and camera work.

Since streaming came into being, we can revisit all the shows we missed, or didn’t think were that great at the time. I like a lot of the British police shows. They are quirky and more cereberal than just shoot ‘em up. Endeavor, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Hamish MacBeth. Downton Abbey caught me by surprise.

Lately we’ve started watching Ted Lasso, Hart of Dixie, and Gilmore Girls… Light, witty and well written.