Commentary by Wayne Lee
It’s a new year and hope springs eternal. So far, no flat tires on Da Beast which just hit 2,900 miles on the odometer to celebrate our first anniversary together. It has not been without the occasional minor spill but unlike the Death Machine 2000, no broken bones thus far.
The majority of my mishaps were the result of wrestling with a bike that weighs nearly as much as I do. The front wheel likes to turn 90 degrees on its own when I try to move it and I end up wrestling with it as it pulls me to the ground. Each time the bike was fine and I was the one who caught the brunt of the fall. Now, if it starts to fall, I let it go. It’s so much easier to pick it back up when one is not bleeding and injured.
However, I’m still reeling from the loss of my cell phone. I never realized just how much my life was wrapped up in that little piece of modern technology. I’m not just talking about losing contact numbers that back in the day I had memorized. I can’t call anybody, access my bank accounts remotely, I can’t even do my laundry. That’s how much we have become dependent on tech.
My laundry room used to be driven by quarters, lots of quarters. Then it went digital. I had to scan a QR code to download an app which required me to upload $25 to my newly-created account. In order to do laundry I have to scan the QR code on the machine. The app deducts the required amount from my $25 and starts the machine. The same process applies to the driers.
The fun part is every time I try to access any of my accounts, it says it doesn’t recognize the device and is sending an access code to a phone I don’t have anymore. It’s a vicious circle of frustration.
Without my phone, I have no access to the account, no access to friends, family, all my doctors, messages, games. My life is an empty shell. Woe is me. Enough melodrama? Fortunately I still have the business phone for this esteemed publication which is (541) 821 9646. Call me anytime (except overnight, I need my beauty sleep).
In the meantime, I also am making the move to the online version of the 50th year of your local news, sports and features. As someone who is technologically challenged, tech whiz Christy had to walk me through the process but I managed to get in and establish access to all things URI. One hint: the access code sent to me went into my spam folder. It took me three tries before it dawned on me to look there.
But the digital version is great. I scrolled through the various stories, columns and photos and I am already getting ideas on how to build on this new beginning. We can include more photos, all full color, and the stories will be much easier to read.
I already have ideas for the new format. As an example, the high school sports wrap contains everything that happened over the previous week. I envision online as a new week begins, older articles can be broken down into separate stories by sport, making it much easier for the reader to go directly to the team they want to read about. My exceptional colleague has even threatened to throw in a picture of me with this column. You have now received fair warning. Take whatever precautions necessary.
Next week is our final printed issue. For those of you who don’t do digital, we’ll miss you but in order to survive, we have to change with the times and adapt or perish. As the Grateful Dead once said, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” And the new journey now begins.
