I discovered IBlink radio about a month ago, and your podcasts are becoming a regular thing. I look forward to Fridays when I can hear the new podcast. Your good humor and wisdom really come through. Your personable style makes it seem as if I’m listening to friends of mine on this podcast. Hmmm…
I enjoyed going down memory lane with you this week regarding your article on what kids no longer have to worry about these days. I can certainly relate with the whole Braille books and cassettes that Joe mentioned. I also remember the smell and feel of opening a new Braille book or magazine. Pen pals? Absolutely! I used to write letters in Braille and/or type them on my old electric typewriter.
I remember sending tapes to friends I made, not just through pen pal sections in magazines, but also through friends I made in summer school. My friends and I used to make memory tapes where we’d get one another’s addresses and phone numbers for those future tapes and letters. Did any of you do or remember doing that back in the day? I guess these days, blind kids could simply use IPhone’s Voice Recorder and get email addresses or skype user names and send an instant message to their friends. Too bad. It was fun making the tapes or brailling the letters. It took time and effort and creativity.

Jamie, I totally get what you said about the fact that you should have kept some of the old tapes you received, especially coming from those who meant something to you. Some of thoes tapes were more than letters. Some of those tapes, such as those memory tapes of which I spoke, were like audio photo albums. Did anyone keep tapes from back in their youth?

I’m also glad to know I’m not the only curmudgeon regarding text and short-hand. Ricky, I jst wnt u 2 know I shr ur vu! How was that?
Seriously though, I still find myself having to text in complete sentences and using proper grammar and correctly spelled words. I’ve been a writer all of my life, and I am not about to throw away the English language just to save space. My texts have actually been known to be more like mini-emails.
And…the sad thing is that my mom and her husband are better at texting and the short-hand than I am. Go figure!

I wonder if kids even have to worry about long distance phone calls any more and how cool it was to make such calls to friends. I especially remember starting college and rather than make tapes or write one of my friends letters, I’d make long distance calls and talked with her that way. What a breakthrough back then.

Even though time sure flies, and some things have changed greatly, it’s good to know that some things and people remain pretty much the same.

I look forward to hearing more podcasts and antics, along with tech news, next week.
Billy Joe Jim Bob