The Eager Projectionist
When we were kids, dad sometimes brought out the 8mm film projector and the family enjoyed - really enjoyed - reliving those vacation memories. It was a night at the movies, literally. It seemed to be a very masculine thing: it was dad’s machine, a technical thing that required lots of finger manipulations; the sort of thing that boys like. Dad = the eager projectionist. As time passed, my parents had the silent 8mm film transferred onto VHS video with added musical accompaniment by a service. Then after that, the movies were transferred again onto DVD. Now, I still possess all those films on a USB flash drive. Something else is coming soon, I'm sure. In fact, the next thing might not be a physical thing at all. Instead, our pictures and video might exist only virtually - digitally and online, in "the cloud." You can debate about whether that’s an improvement, or not. Who ever imagined, when we were kids, that we would be using words like “VHS,” “DVD,” or “USB?” With modern smart phones it's easier than ever for families to record their lives visually and share them not just within the family but with the world, instantly. But for me the instantaneity of it is somewhat diminishing. I think sharing things with family and friends is often the motivation for people - especially older people who grew up with older, more mechanical technology - to take the plunge into new devices, new technologies, and even social media. That’s exactly the reason why I got a computer in the first place, then e-mail, then a digital camera. After that, I started a blog, and then finally I joined Facebook.