I was reminded how much ordinary habits have changed the other day when I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things my wife Toni wanted.
In front of me was an older lady with a few bags of items who was writing a check to pay.? I hadn¡¯t seen anybody do that for quite a while. She also asked the clerk for a book of stamps. I guess the smart cash register hadn¡¯t seen a check for awhile either, as the scanner did not print anything on the back of the check. The clerk called a manager, who found the transaction in the system and approved it, thereby solving the issue. All this took about 10 minutes and the folks behind me abandoned the line, while I stuck around, interested to see how things evolved, as the nice older lady struck up a conversation with the clerk, me and anyone else around. The manager also got the book of stamps, and took the money for that, this time in cash. The lady packed up everything in her purse, put everything away and left with the bagger, who escorted her to her car.
I was reflecting on how normal all of that (except for the electronic glitch) would have been back in the day.
I suspect the lady still uses a landline and pays all her bills by mail. Probably still writes letters, too.
Meanwhile at my house, everything is 21st century. Admittedly, I¡¯m a nerd and an early adopter of technology.
No landline. All cellular for the past 7 years at least.
No cable TV. All streaming services. 5g cellular internet service from T-Mobile.
Smart lights with automated routines by Alexa.
Robot vacuum also controlled by Alexa.
Smart thermostat also controlled by Alexa.
Ring doorbell.
Motion detectors to trigger alarms or turn on lights.
Security system.
CO2 and air quality monitors.
All bills paid automatically, and logged in my online financial system (Countabout). Only exception is taxes.
My only concern is how Toni will manage all this tech if I die before her. In fact, she asked me to show her how to file with TurboTax this year. I think a few things will likely revert to old school ways if I kick the bucket first.
How 21st century are you?
