Hi all,

Just a random thought ...

Having grown up in the 1950s and early 1960s, either in a small 
northern Michigan town or visiting my grandparents in the country, I 
have been exposed to material culture and lifeways that certainly 
extend well back into the latter half the 19th century ...  The poor 
kids had outhouses, still trapped for spending money, and horses were 
still seen in at least limited use on local farms.

There was certain continuity between the past and the present that 
was predictable and understandable.

On the other hand, some of the younger members of our fraternity, who 
were born roughly coincident with the arrival of the personal 
computer, are at a total disconnect with much of the material culture 
that many of us take for granted ...  Although at 56, I really don't 
feel like an "old timer," the increasingly rapid disconnect between 
the past and the present is, at best, disconcerting.

So, when one of our younger number presents what to them is a 
"perplexing artifact," I promise to check my initial reaction (shock, 
smugness) and do my best to responsibly reply with the "vast" store 
of knowledge that I apparently retain in my short-term memory :-) , 
when appropriate.

Geezerly yours,

Mark

-- 

Mark C. Branstner, RPA
Historic Archaeologist

Illinois Transportation
Archaeological Research Program
209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
23 East Stadium Drive
Champaign, IL 61820

Phone: 217.244.0892
Fax: 217.244.7458
Cell: 517.927.4556
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"I hope there's pudding" - Luna Lovegood (HP5)