OK! Some of you gals are scaring me because I don't even understand what you are talking about. Some of it I recognize from looking through the Sunday Best Buy insert. And what the heck does a "candy bar" have to do with technology anyway?

Five years ago my wife got me a TracFone for emergencies when I drive within my five mile radius of home. In that time I've made four calls and received six not counting three from telemarketers. Forget about texting. I don't even know how to raise and lower the volume. One time I "butt switched" the phone and my screen went blank. I had to call the company to step-by-step get walked through to get me screen back.

I am highly proficient with a PC and many applications but only because I have screwed up so massively and worked my way out of it. I didn't even know what a blog was until April of 2008 so I started on using Google Blogspot and it actually looks alright.

My wife does all of the recording, VHS to DVD, TV shows and movies and electronics set up. I can work the microwave on a basic level and turn the dishwasher on if the buttons have not been changed. That's it.

Craig, don't feel bad. Your household sounds alot like mine! I have to call my son at work some days just to get the TV remote to work for me! I guess it would help if I could see the buttons I'm pressing!

I have a Safelink tracphone, too. They say I can text on it but it would take me all day just to type out a short message. I've received a text on it but had no idea how to reply. So, I called the person so they wouldn't think I was being rude and ignoring them! I keep my phone with me all the time but hardly ever use it. I think I have about 950 minutes accumulated now!

I have no desire to be any more "advanced" than I am now. I get by just fine and it's less I have to remember.

I remember those! I played the daylights out of my Steve Miller Band 8-track tape. It was stuck on "Fly Like an Eagle" for the longest time!

I do not have nor do I know how to use a Kindle thing, ipod, ipad, any other i thing, mp things, etc.

I have an "Electrophonic solid state 8 track cartridge player." I just read that off the front of it. I got a phone. Don't know how to text. I'm simply an on/off kinda guy with the tv/stereo/dvd. My wife handles everything else.

I can't live without my digital camera, but the videocam thing is above me and goes unused.

I can use a computer and do use Facebook - for the Castle Age game.

I also know alot of things about how to launch, fly, and land the space shuttle but let's face it - this stuff is 30 year old technology. I still use dos occasionally. And I can still design most of the mechanical systems in a nuke plant.

Tom

A "candy bar phone" is one with everything on the front. It does not flip open, doesn't take pics, etc. Nokia's were mostly this type for a long time.

This is the one we have,
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Nok...i--3586i_id554

Called a "candy bar type" because of its size and shape.

I see it says no more supported, but ours is working fine with Sprint still with no contract! We have 2 of them for $59./month.

I guess I enjoy my candy bar!

Ah Tom, nice to hear from our rocket scientist on all of our tech questions of the day..

The only reason I have my Kindles and am about to get an iPad in a week or two is because I have a dad who LOVES gadgets. He's the one who got me interested in computers. (bought our first one in 1981 for my b-day, it was his, but my sister and I used it more)

My dad attempted to get me a Sony ereader for Xmas several years back just before the Kindle came out. The demand for the Sony ereader was so huge, that it was backordered for 5 months. I ended up getting frustrated and canceled the order. Good thing I did because my dad got me my first Kindle that next Xmas. I'm just glad it was my first ereader. My dad just loves new gadgets, and apparently he's passed that down to me. Probably because he has to get me whatever gadget it is and have me learn how to work it, so that I can teach my dad how to work it. I think the only reason I got a new ipod touch for Xmas this year was because he wanted one and had plans to take my old one after he gave me the new one. I've had to teach him how to use it.

Today I downloaded an application to my ipod that I can use to set recordings on my cable box, as long as I have an internet connection. I was able to tell my ipod to tell my cable box to record Jeopardy! while I was sitting in the backyard. That was really cool. Finally an ipod app that's not a game that's useful for something.

My mom is not technical at all. She can check her email on her computer, and do google searches. That's about it. She has a cellphone that we bought for her in 2002 that still works. I hope she can still make calls on it, because last month, they now require us to dial the area code before dialing the phone numbers. I have to always remind my mom she has to do the area code first to make a phone call now.

I'm glad that I live now when we have all these cool toys to play with. I can still remember watching tv on a black & white back in the 70's, and we only had 3 channels. My dad bought a color tv, and then got a VCR, and then got cable...and that's probably what started my obsession with gadgets.

My oldest son is the "gadget king" in our family. He's got every new gadget that comes out. It's never hard to know what to get him for a gift......it's just expensive!

Thank goodness I have 19 year olds. As they move to better stuff, I get their old cell phones and computer stuff. Mom just e-mails, visits NT and uses phone to talk. They know to help Mom if anything is needed. I think my Kindle does more, but I just read. I can read an Analog clock, can anyone under 30? I used to wind a watch. Shoot, I have clothes older than my kids.