Some thoughts on how quickly times have changed!

**Kirsten** · 08-09-2009, 06:32 AM

I'm currently reading a book which I read for the first time in the early 90s, "Freeze Frame" by Marjorie Dorner. It's a novel telling the story of Beth, an American college professor who is on sabbatical in Cambrigde/England, and who is taking a photo of a duck family in the Botanic garden. In the background of the photo - a fact she's not aware of - a killer who is just approaching his next victim. When the killer realized the danger of being identified on that photo, Beth found herself being hunted by a dangerous lunatic.

Anyway, that's the story, playing in Great Britain of the late 80s, or early 90s, and even though I remember these days so well as if they were yesterday, I'm completely fascinated how much times have changed ever since I read that book for the first time - how our daily life has changed within less than two decades.

The entire story of this book wouldn't even work these days, I guess. The main part of the story is the killer hunting Beth for her camera and her films, fearing that she may bring her photos to a shop to have them developed. A normal thing back in the 80s or 90s, but these days with almost everyone using digital cams, things would be completely different. Geez, it takes Beth several weeks to take the 36 photos on that particular film, while I sometimes manage to take several hundreds a day with my digicam! LOL

Other things in the story seem peculiar as well, like the fact that the protagonist is getting her information (on England, or its gardens) from books, or libraries. I remember the times so well when we had to do that, but I haven't done that for years. These days, it takes you one mouse click, and you have googled everything you want to know.

It's sort of strange reading a novel that's taking place in a time you remember so well, and that still feels so familiar, but all the things of your daily routine, like computers, the internet, cell phones, digicams and so many other things are completely missing because they did not exist (or at least were not available for everyone) two decades ago. Either I'm getting old, or times have really changed rapidly within the last twenty years. And even though it seems to me like these old times are not so far away, I couldn't imagine a life without all these new technologies, as they came such a important part of my daily routine, something we already take for granted. It's strange when you start thinking about it, don't you think so?

Kirsten

**Medusa** · 08-09-2009, 07:12 AM

This goes along w/Reggie's thread regarding what we'd do w/out the internet. Some of my fondest memories are of going to the library w/my girlfriends and coming home excited and anxious to read the books that we borrowed. Now, as you said, the information that we need is just a click away. That's a good thing but it also is partially responsible for the separation of us all from each other. A "poke" on Facebook just doesn't do it for me. I'm all for progress and don't want to sound old-fashioned but w/each advance in technology I feel that we're taking a step farther away from each other and that is not a good thing.

**Kirsten** · 08-09-2009, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by Medusa

This goes along w/Reggie's thread regarding what we'd do w/out the internet. Some of my fondest memories are of going to the library w/my girlfriends and coming home excited and anxious to read the books that we borrowed. Now, as you said, the information that we need is just a click away. That's a good thing but it also is partially responsible for the separation of us all from each other. A "poke" on Facebook just doesn't do it for me. I'm all for progress and don't want to sound old-fashioned but w/each advance in technology I feel that we're taking a step farther away from each other and that is not a good thing.

I agree with you (just replied to you in Reggie's post). Facebook can be fun, but it is shallow and does not replace a decent conversation (like the ones we have here on PT, or the ones you have with friends in real life).

As for information being just a click away: I love google and I'm googling for tons of things every day, but I remember the times when we bought magazines. In the 80s, I used to be a huge fan of Depeche Mode, and I used to have scrapbooks of the band. It was fun to buy the teen and pop magazines every Thursday, and when they had an article, or a poster of the band, it used to be so exciting and it made my day! These days, you'd be overwhelmed by all the information from the internet, but it's not so special anymore.

Kirsten

**Medusa** · 08-09-2009, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by Kirsten

it's not so special anymore.

This says it all for me.

**Kirsten** · 08-09-2009, 07:26 AM

Yes, I think it's the lack of these special moments that makes so many lives so empty these days...

Kirsten

**catnapper** · 08-09-2009, 07:42 AM

I recently read a book like that too. In my book, the heroine needed info and waited days for it to come via fax... on that curly paper!

The info she needed could easily be gotten within 5 mintues today.

In one chapter, she was locked in an odd place; I kept thinking "where's your cell phone?!" but they weren't as common when the book was written.