My old sewing machine ‘miraculously’ recovered after a few hard pokes from an experienced hand (my husband’s) and I am back in business. One of the reasons I love these old machines is that they respond to old-fashioned tampering, like a hard knock or a tweak with a fork. Newer models are like hothouse orchids… they must be ‘sent away’, sometimes for weeks on end – devastating for someone who makes a living from them.
This situation reminds me of my current challenges with public speaking technology. In the past, I would bring along a carrousel of slides. We would put the carrousel at the top of a projector, and it would crank down one slide at at time, sometimes two for an ‘interesting’ effect. If there was a problem you could always feed the slides in by hand, or change the bulb. Now, with Powerpoint and digital presentations, you need to make sure the host laptop has the same program. All the components must match. All the equipment must be in top form. And God help you if there’s a problem – your toolbox is useless in the face of this technology. Instead of a ‘possible save’, it becomes a ‘total loss’. Hey, not that I’m complaining… I love new technology! I love being able to label my images and add inserts. I love those high-rez projectors and being able to add sound and video! But it’s always a balance, isn’t it?
Rosy Dawn #2 12×24″
Tags: art making, art textiles, public speaking
Ah, how I remember those days of the carousel slide projector. I was the techie for the CEG and most of the time it was a piece of cake. I don’t know if I’d be so willing to help now with tech!