Hit Nostalgia, and they are Back!!

Remember these?  

Or may be you don't because even for me, this is a stretch.  I remember the transistors and the boom boxes.  Then I remember the clock radios.  Now, not even that.  Since clock radios are ancient!!  

I have a computer. One gadget does it all. Clock, television, word processor, radio, and a newspaper.  And of course a computer.  We are tired of this multifunctional, all available, all time in business gadget!!

We want a life, and we want simplicity that we can control.  

When a radio is a radio, and a word processor is not a calendar reminding us it is our day to go to the grocery store...

So, when I saw this, I realised how bad we have wanted these back.  And when they do come back, they do not do so in hybrid version, they come back in the 50s and the 60s style, where we just look at them and sigh, and rush to get our friends to come and have a look.......'look..' and there are 'awww' and the 'oohs...''

And then....there is the that old familiar sound of the 'static' which we hardly hear now...'things not going smoothly', us tapping and hitting our favourite gadget so it would work...for a short time both of us are human ---us and the gadget, we give it a personality....it is tangible, not just an app, but uni-function gadget!! We can touch, feel and hit!!

I know for sure, as a media analyst, that this is a fad, but I think this fad will stick, as a fad for a while.  More so I think new and multifunctional gadgets will arrive imitating the simplicity--only in appearance, but being 'smart' in many other ways.

We will choose them for their practicality ....it is the rich, however, who will have these old and single function gadgets. For they are the ones who can afford the money, time and space to buy, enjoy and gather all the clutter.

For us ordinary folks though, their appearance and that famous static will always be something that we will narrate our old stories around....

And from time to time think about bringing these back into our homes, but mostly we will sigh and say, 'yeah, someday when I have a bigger house, more time and space, will I buy that old fashioned radio, that costs much less, is a single function gadget, and allows me simplicity.  When I am rich enough, free enough, cut off from the world enough, I will invest in simplicity!!'

Time to Turn the Lights On!!

 We still have long days and it has been warm.  Although I have not been going out that much, except for an evening walk.  But this summer i stayed here and so witnessed the long days and so know how by this time of the year people are happy that days are getting shorter.

Now when I go for walks about 8:00 pm or so the lights in the houses are on, making them look like small castles.  

Every few years there are new trends and fashions even for the houses.  And the following is one such trend. The new floors/porches (mainly for the outdoors) whether made of wood or concrete have  inbuilt light regulated bulbs.   Come sundown, they light up!!

A friend recently shared with me, 'Oh I went running and then came and took a shower at work.'

Do you have showers at work? I asked.

Yes!

Wow, a very modern office then, like Google and Apple.  

No, she shrugged, its just a very 80s office.

Meaning?

'Well, gyms are a new thing.  When we did not have gyms, usually offices had small gyms and showers within the office to facilitate people exercising.'

Hmmm.....

And just to add, 'Galleria' (meaning malls) are also only two decades old in Sweden

Krishnashtami and Teacher's Day!!

It is Lord Krishna's birthday today.  Its been raining all day here. I had to go grocery shopping and just could not dare to leave home. Its cold and rainy.  About 8 degrees centigrade.

And then I realized that it always rains on Krishnashatmi, at least whereever I have lived. We always said that it rains every year on Janamashtami.  Because it was raining hard when Krishna was born.  It has continued till this day.

Myth or just a belief.  I know that I have witnessed that no matter where I have lived.

It is also teacher's day in India.  Teachers are pampered and in many schools students are allowed to take over the whole school and run it as the teachers would.  I used to love those days....we little ones would dress up as grown ups and run the school. I remember in fifth grade I dressed up as a teacher.   And taught fourth grade. One class period, but I still remember that day.

I know my posts are not that 'meaty' these days, I am trying to catch up. I will try to write more. I have os much material but my mind is tired. Regardless, Krishnashtami is always a day of joy for me!!