THREW Mikes EyEz

Original Writings, Images, Video and Artworks of Mike Hartley

Tag Archives: dailyprompt-1889


by Leave a comment

techy

How has technology changed your job? – Asks the daily prompt.

I used to be a techy. Technology constantly made changes to my career in publishing. It came fast and furious and was exciting as hell to try to keep up with or set the trend.

Being over two years into retirement the changes I used to have to keep up with have passed. I’ve had to learn about E-tickets and Apple wallet. I’ve still to fully explore my navigation system in my car because most of the time I don’t care or I know where I’m going.

I’m getting away from tech, not because I’m scared of change or can’t learn new things. I just prefer a simpler life. Connecting with people in person instead of computer or phone. Not that I don’t like meeting people or having correspondence at all, it’s just not as special as seeing someone smile when they see you or a warm hug or handshake. That feeling will never be replicated online.

I guess one of my jobs in the future is maybe learning the technology of cornering mechanics and driving skills. I’ve been thinking of doing some autocross in the future. Or maybe some track time.

I guess the largest tech interactions I have are with my camera now. That is until my grandchildren start getting into in and I’ll have to learn again to keep up with them.

Spotlight on Technology. Photo by Mike Hartley


by Leave a comment

Tech and Change

How has technology changed your job? – The daily writing prompt asks a question I could write a book about. I might just do that if I have time in the future.

I started off in the Engraving department of a large chain of weekly and monthly newspapers. I did photo reproduction (the conversion of a continuous tone photograph into a halftone – a series of dots) so it can be printed on a press alongside the stories.

Presses only put down one shade of ink (SOLID). So, it’s the size of those dots you see on the printed paper that give the illusion of a grey or color tone. That changed to a digital process after a few years into the business and change after change came at a blazing pace from then till retirement almost 50 years later.

I moved into the world of computers in the 70s and officially moved into the systems/networking area in the 80s. If you missed working with computers before the internet, you missed a special time. Anyway, the pace of change in the publishing business was and continues to be staggering.

  • Technology change how we communicated.
  • Technology helped eliminate some very toxic chemicals used in the printing process. I’m sure breathing a lot of that stuff in as a youth wasn’t helpful.
  • Technology helped me access many things we had to figure out on our own before the internet.
  • Technology gave me opportunities I never dreamed of.
  • Technology allowed me to do my job from home for the last few years of my career.
Spotlight on Technology. Photo by Mike Hartley

I’ll get to work on that book. The details are starting to flood my memories.

View other replies to the days question here


by 1 Comment

Caught the Waves

The Daily Writing prompt asks – How has technology changed your job?

I was blessed working in an age of sweeping and constant technological change and I caught many waves and didn’t wipe out in the journey.

Technology waves are upon us. Photo by Mike Hartley

I’ve thought about writing a book answering this question with about 5 decades in the Newspaper Publishing business. And I still might. This industry was nothing but a technology change for the entire time.

It provided me with incredible opportunities and I believe I made the best of most of them.

Just off the top of my head:

  • Probably the biggest change was the internet and higher-speed connections became available it allowed me to manage things remotely.
  • I believe it has changed the way communications happen. Not always for the better but for the most part it’s great if you use it correctly.
  • Early in my career automation changed a lot of jobs in the production areas like the pressroom, mailroom paper rooms, and engraving areas. And then later in composing rooms and front-end systems.
  • Access to information and other experts/opinions/solutions where at one time you struggled till you hit upon the right thing. I always liked it when the vendor would come back and say “You did what, can you show our engineers?”
  • Technology allowed insights and analytics that are so helpful in tuning, avoiding disasters, and scaling systems that before were guesstimate and experienced judgments.
  • One downside is that it made me accessible 24/7/365. And boy was that abused.