Hey, kids! Let me take you on a stroll (or whatever you kids call a stroll) down Memory Lane, Wayback Avenue, Jeepers I’m Old Boulevard . To set the context for those of you that don’t know what its like not to have a phone in your pocket or to have to get up from the couch to turn the TV channel, there was a time not all that long ago when there were primarily two types of chargers: Dodge and San Diego. As of this writing, the Dodge Charger is a four door sedan and the San Diego Chargers are in L.A., playing in a soccer (futbal, for my ones of international readers) stadium. The thought of having a computer in your home town, much less your home, was stuff of science fiction, or at least an episode of the Jetsons. In 1943, Thomas Watson, president of IBM said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Another non-Nostradamic tech genius remarked, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, made this less than prescient statement in 1977.
Now I’m not the guy to mutter under my breath and shake my fist at the horseless carriage; far be it. The microwave oven still fascinates and delights me. Like most of you, I’m quite smitten with technology and own a myriad of iDevices and electronic gadgets, all requiring a power supply. There was a time when portable electronics were powered primarily by dry cell, non-rechargeable batteries. And the lifespan of these things was inversely proportionate to how bad you wanted or needed the device to work. You could use an AC adapter and plug them in to a wall socket, but this was of little help when you wanted to listen to your REO Speedwagon 8-track in the Serengeti on your Panasonic Dynamite TNT Plunger (pictured below).
At some point in the not so distant past, somebody figured out how to make a reliable, affordable rechargeable battery. This was a game changer. In fact, if the Pilgrims had rechargeable batteries, I’m pretty sure they never would’ve left the Turks and the Caicos. Look it up. Fast forward to today, we are only as far away from a fully recharged device or battery as we are from the nearest power outlet. So while we are diligent to make sure our electronics are fully charged, do we consider our own need to be fully charged as well?
(Click “Stand On Firmer Ground” for deeper look into Are You Charged Up?)