PS3's, GB's, And The Generation Gap

These are surreal times my friends. The quick advance of technology has changed our landscape for good or ill, and even things like the generation gap aren't readily as apparent as they used to be. My mother texts, and does it well enough to know the appropriate slang. Most people I know "Google" with wild abandon and have a working knowledge of certain Apple products. And interesting thing when you consider that these same people couldn't tell the difference between He-Man and Thundercats not so many years ago.

I've watched these changes with only bemused interest, since I know that this is just how time works. These people still need to function in the world, and have to adapt to these new ways as a result. Life cannot be done successfully if you don't have a working knowledge of web browsing, GPS, and the more interesting functions of cell phones any more. It's hard to expect people to stay old fashioned when knowing that doing so means getting torn to shreds by the tides.

And I'm okay with it, since I know full well that those who do not have to function in the world will continue to remain as antiquated as ever. The grandmas and grandpas of the world, who spend the twilight of their lives in simple pursuits, have no need to understand this crap. Life is all about the basics at their age. And it's comforting to know that the fogeys and geriatrics of the world will continue to be mystified by all this newfangled gadgetry. Those old fashioned home fires will continue to burn for yet another season.

Or so I thought.

I found myself wandering the aisles of a local Wal-Mart, glancing at flatscreen TV's, when a young lad noticed the new PS3 slim display behind me. He was your usual adolescent, dirty blond hair, pimply in all the right places, and armed with a pair of thick rimmed glasses that could make ants shudder. To his right, was his grandmother, who I was able to recognize by her stature, personality, and the fact that he kept calling her "Grandma."

The conversation went as all these conversations tend to go when a young person wants the latest and greatest thing, and tries to appeal his case to the elder with all the cash. "Wow, look Grandma! It's the new PS3 slim! That's so cool!"

What threw me for a loop wasn't his enthusiasm, but by Grandma's response:

"Wow 120 Gigabytes. That isn't too bad."

Holy shit, grandma knows about gigabytes? How is this even possible? I mean, If I told my Grandma that I was packing 120 GB, she's have probably tried to offer me some crab shampoo and a fine toothed comb.

It's like I don't even know the world anymore.