By Elaine Carlson

Yesterday I looked online to see if some of my recent book orders had been shipped. I was surprised when I clicked on the Product Information icon to not get a list of the titles for that order but to be given the information that the shipment consisted of Bound Printed Material.

I had never thought of it before but I realize that books are indeed Bound Printed Material. And that expression is broad enough to include manuscripts being held together by two pieces of cardboard and a rubber band. Maybe the drivers for the shipping companies aren't always careful about inspecting the items they pick up so handwritten manuscripts held together by two pieces of cardboard and a rubber band are sometimes referred to as Bound Printed Material.

When I was online I found out that one of the orders had already been delivered. And that the day before one was in Glendale Heights Illinois at 7:56 PM and another one had made it to Reno Nevada at 4:49 PM. I was happy to know that soon I can expect to get the chance to read something from my recent purchase of Bound Printed Material.

I am older – I won't be more specific but I will say that the other day I checked the Over 50s box when I filled out the questionnaire when I went to get my Covid 19 Booster Shot. I am always amazed at the changes that have happened since I was young. When I was a kid you could order things from a Sears Catalog but most of the time you had to go to a store to shop. I should admit there was a milk man (that was the days before a milk person) so our parents did not have to go to the store to buy milk.

Now it is nice you can buy almost anything from inside your house. And after placing your order you can check the shipping status to know when you should get it.

Who among us older folks ever thought the time would come when we could get books, newspapes and magazines sent directly to our computers? NASA used computers to run their space flights and the schools used computers to manage their grades and all their equipment. But everyone having a computer isn't something we ever thought would happen.

I guess I should admit that not everything about our new life is so wonderful. Just think of all the online places that require their customers to have a password. I always forget the ones I set so I am always resetting them. I know things might be easier if I always set the same password but I know doing that is supposed to present its own problems. But realistically how important could passwords be if it is always so easy to change them?

And then there are so many places that want us to pay for a subscription. I guess a lot of people don't have enough money to pay for subscriptions for all the publications they like. I know I can't. So of course this Computer Age can lead to stress.

What I wished is that computers would be able to do the housework. I often do the next best thing --- I go on my computer and watch You Tube Presentations about How To Manage Your Housework. Now someday I might even get around to implement some of the suggestions I learned from all those videos I have seen.