So my friend Athena compiled a list on Facebook of things she "is grateful for that they didn't have when she was a kid." I thought it was a good idea, so I decided to steal it (the idea, not the list itself) but use it as fodder for a blog post. Athena is actually a couple decades older than me, but the way technology advances these days it will be just as easy for my almost-thirty self to come up with a good list.
I have to say the worst is when I look at all the new products for kids, and am all like, now why didn't I have that as a kid? Seriously, seeing children driving around in their little carts in grocery stores.
Anyway, back on track. This was supposed to be about gratitude for all the technologies I do enjoy today.
Starting with the obvious:
Facebook
blogging - And it's come a long way since my livejournal days in early college
gmail - again, email has come a long way
smart phone - oh the things you can do from your phone these days
the many, many options I have for listening to music - Pandora (customizable radio!), Spotify, mp3 player...
Youtube
Pinterest (We used to have to clip things out of magazines?)
Skype - face-to-face time with people in a different continent
the ability to watch full-length shows via computer
Facebook games - Words w. Friends aka digital scrabble
online shopping
texting (sorry, Athena, I still think it's one of the most convenient ways to communicate)
e-book readers, although I've never used one
compact computers like tablets and netbooks
free wifi in Starbucks, Panera, even McDonalds
the myriad ways one can incorporate technology into fitness routines
the Nintendo Wii, especially Wii fit
on the same note, Wii sports...virtual skiing!
a bajillion customizable coffee drinks at Starbucks
McDonalds having a McCafe
online college/graduate courses (although I only took one fully online and one quasi-)
my nifty little car air freshener thing from Bath and Body Works
3-D movies
the customizable frozen yogurt places that are everywhere now
direct deposit; online banking
And a few I'm stealing from Athena's commenters:
easy availability of all kinds of ethnic foods
carryout no longer just for Chinese and pizza
Then there are the things I've never used but am still grateful for:
hybrid and electric vehicles
a whole slew of medical innovations I'm grateful I haven't needed
Finally, I feel the need to put central air conditioning on this list. Yes, I did grow up with it, but my grandparents never got air conditioning (even when they had the opportunity, my grandfather refused), and my mom didn't have AC in her college dorm. So I'm also grateful for the comparative modernity of my college dorms in 2001-2005.
What new-fanged technologies are you grateful for?
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