English 342 (NU) discussion

I defiantly would consider myself a digital native and can relate to the people in both articles quite well. I have had access to a computer for just about as long as I can remember. I still remember playing Tetris and other simple games on our old computer at home running everything off of the MS Dos platform, and when I look at myself now I see the evolution from that to who I am now. Now in my dorm room I can access my email from anywhere in the room since I have wireless which I get a signal from Dunleavy, I can sync my computer to my phone. I can lie in bed and watch stuff on my plasma TV that is run through my computer since I have an s-video cord connecting the two and my wireless keyboard can control all of the options. When I go for a ride in my car I no longer bring a tape or CD with me because I have an auxiliary plug for my Ipod and who stops and pays tolls anymore now that there is Ezpass? And I can also thank Motorola and Bluetooth technologies for keeping me from getting any tickets for talking on my cell phone because now I can just turn on the headset and be worry free while I drive wherever I am going. All of these things that I do are what set me apart from some of my older relatives and parents. If either of my parents wants to know how much money they have in the bank they need to go to an ATM and check their balance and drive back and waste time. I can simply log onto the internet, go to my banks web site and check my accounts that way. It’s the same thing for paying my credit card bill; it’s linked to my bank account so when my bill is due it gets paid. These simple things that are everyday features for me are the things that motivate my mom into getting deeper into the digital age. My dad can’t quite grasp it yet but someday he will have to. And the moment I realized all this was a simple family bonding time over the summer. While we were all sitting in our hot tub at home discussing an issue with a local sports team my dad got mad at me for making an accusation. So I simply grabbed my laptop which was next to the hot tub providing us with music and jumped on the net via the wireless we have in our backyard. Linked with the site that I wanted, which was easy to filter through because I have learned what sites exaggerate information completely and was able to give him the facts without even leaving the hot tub. For the thought of where is all this heading the second article is the one I wondered about and just have one question to ask the group, do any of you think that one day funerals and wakes will become broadcasted via the web, enabling friends and family from across the world to pay their last respects. I only ask this because my great grandmother died over a year ago and my aunt came back to the US for the funeral from Malaysia and it was difficult for her to travel the distance she had to in such short notice at a low cost.