I Didn't Interview God, No Matter What My iPhone Says

I’ve been Blackberry-less for two years now.

My thumbs still miss the keyboard that contained real buttons. As much as I have loved my HTC EVO 3D, and now my iPhone, friends have learned they cannot expect texts from me that make sense since I cut the Blackberry cord.

One day, I sent a text to a friend to discuss the details of our plans for the evening. I can’t remember exactly what I intended to say, but I’m certain I never meant to use the word “ninjas,” but somehow autocorrect thought that’s what I was trying to say. Every once in a while, I’ll include #ninjas at the end of a text or tweet to that friend. It’s gets a good laugh.

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Jeff Idelson, president of the baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. I recorded the face-to-face interview on my iPhone and afterward attempted to name the file, “HOF.” Imagine my surprise when I pulled up the file later and saw it named, “God.” I guess the letters H-O-F are close enough to G-O-D on the QWERTY keyboard for autocorrect to make the change, but it sort of freaked me out. I haven’t learned how to edit the names of audio files yet on my iPhone, so my biggest fear is that I’ll die and someone will find my phone and see that I think I interviewed God.  

I’m not the only one who has problems with this technology. I picked up a friend at the airport the other day and she sent me a text that said, “We’ve landed it’s a biotech and do everything.” My response? “No idea what that means. Are you cursing at me? :)”

Eventually, I will learn to adjust. Or maybe not. But holding on to old technology isn’t really an option for me. Oh, I guess a person could do it if he or she so chooses. Who among us doesn’t know at least one person who is using a cell phone from the Mesozoic Era? But staying in touch with family and friends is so much easier with technology that isn’t ancient.

I have family in St. Louis, Kansas City, Florida, and in various towns in Arkansas. And I have friends spread out across the country. I love seeing photos on Facebook of their family get-togethers, or of their kids playing soccer or attending school events while I’m sitting in a waiting room hundreds of miles away. And I love shooting them a responsive text, even if it is a bit garbled.

As I get older, I may not be able to use technology to its fullest, but that’s not even really a goal anymore. For me it’s about using it to maintain connections.

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