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Sunday, July 17, 2011

A Geek for All Seasons


By Jody Worsham


All right reserved for Frequent Geek Trips


The Geek Squad, I imagine, was started by somebody's grandchild who constantly had to program his grandparents' DVD player, change their digital clocks to daylight saving time, identify all buttons on their cell phones, and set up their computers. Then he had to translate 21st century terminology into Boomerisms. For Example:


Tweet= formerly what the birds did but now a shorter form of texting with stalking capabilities.


Facebook= previously known as a picture album, but now a way for people you've been trying to avoid for 30 years to find you.


DVD= a shiny mirror thing that has movies on it, not underwear for a dyslexic grandpa


Update= What your computer will do whether you want it to or not and then you have to call for help…again.


Cut and Paste= what you used to do with scissors and glue but you now do with a mouse, not the live or dead kind but the kind attached to your computer.


Keyboard= a typewriter without the throwback thing or that annoying bell.


Blog= a diary that everybody can read whether you want them to or not.


Blogger= Gossip, know-it-all, motor mouth on a keyboard


Blog roll= Not the fruitcake log you got for Christmas but a list of stories you read when you accidently find them on your computer


Internet= world-wide party line


E-bay= formerly known as the Sears Catalogue or newspaper want ads


Webcam= An electronic Peeping Tom.


Lap Top= Not a dance at a men's club but a small computer you can put on your lap


Netbook= Not a book about nets but a small lap top (see above)


Giga bytes= Not Texas size chigger bites, but a measure of storage capacity for your computer


Social network=quilting bee where there is no quilt and you don't have to provide refreshments.


Apple=not a fruit but the kind of computer you should have gotten in the first place


Recycle bin= like your pantry with the canned peaches from 1939 and mismatched cups and saucers, formerly known as a trash can.


Jitterbug= a dance from the 1940's now a telephone with big numbers, loud speakers, and a live person on call 24/7 who can dial, forward, answer for you and call you by name, also what I'm going to get you for Christmas next year


Spam=pretty much what you think it is except it isn't meat and it doesn't come in a can.


1-800-CALL-THE-GEEK = the number you call when you've lost your remote, hit delete, see a blue screen, have a call on hold for more than two hours, time to switch clocks to daylight savings time, or need me to open the childproof medicine bottles.


I don't care who started the Geek Squad, I'm just glad they did. When I can't find a ten-year-old to solve my electronic problem or open my aspirin bottle, I head for the store with the nearest Geek. No need to ask which counter to go to. You just look for the longest line of people with the most white hair, the thickest glasses, and the computers with the most pink stickers on the bottom!


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I want one of those jitterbugs.
Hey.....I was in that lineup yesterday, didn't see you!!

Wanda said...

I used to be a geek but advanced to an eavesdropper and person at the end of the line waiting to get my computer fixed.

jkraus8464 said...

Well my son works for Apple so he is my geek. Both my boys are in the computer industry and they got none of it from me. I am, however, better than I used to be. When I first started with computers, my sons would have to come in to turn on the computer for me. I could not figure that out.

Marti said...

You're getting it all right and telling us in a hilarious manner, Jody! Congratulations!

*sniffle* I am so proud to have mentored you, grasshopper.

Sharon said...

So good! Funny and informative. I want a jitterbug too. I just lugged my laptop all the way to MN to have geek son fix it. He did and also gave me a sony e-reader. Great kid!