I have just spent 5 days in Waunakee (near Madison), Wisconsin with my Son and his family, celebrating US Thanksgiving. The actual Thanksgiving Day was pretty well the same as what we have in Canada: turkey dinner with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables and apple pie. Besides my son Mike and daughter-in-law Penny I shared the feast with 23-year-old grandson Nate and 20-year-old granddaughter Tassia. Because of the long distance between our cities, we see each other only a couple of times a year so getting together in person was really special. At the same time we noticed that we were not out of touch with what was happening in our lives. We are all very active on Facebook which allows us to share stories daily and keep us up-to-date with family activities. Mike is an expert in computer based technology and the whole family has the latest of devices such as iPhones, iPads and eBook readers. Hence, this holiday was an eye-opener for me about how the world has changed. When my parents were hosting family members on special occasions, it was the time to catch up since the last visit. That is not the case in today’s world for most of the families. We can be connected on daily basis with social networking; hence, our conversations focused on the future rather than the past.
My son and I made our “usual” visit to the Barnes and Noble book store. In previous years we would browse over the printed books to pick a few for purchase. Mike said he doesn’t do much of that any more since he is now into eBooks. So we spent most of the time checking out e-Book readers and I ended up buying a NOOKcolor reader that has just been released for sale by Barnes and Noble. It is a hybrid of e-reader and tablet device, and its software is beefed up with a full-on tablet-style UI, along with Facebook and Twitter integration. There's built-in WiFi (802.11b/g/n) and 8GB of storage. NOOKcolor provides access to over two million digital titles at half the cost of the printed ones..
So my first US Thanksgiving experience was a unique one. Besides the wonderfully warm feeling of spending time with my son and his family, it gave me an insight into how future generations will interact in the electronic age. As we sat around the table after dinner, we talked about what opportunities the future will bring. My grandson Nate, who is a graduate in Photojournalism, is now passionate about his Wartime Blues music. He composes all the songs played by his 8-member band in which he is the lead singer and guitarist. His new album will be released next year and he is excited about the challenges that will bring into his life. My granddaughter Tassia will graduate in 2012 with a Bachelor’s and in 2013 with a Master’s degree in education. I will be following all these developments on social media and e-mails. Also, as an important part of my bucket list, I will attend both of her graduation ceremonies as I attended Nate’s.
On the way home, several passengers on the plane were College students returning to school after the Thanksgiving holiday. Interestingly, they were all equipped with the latest selection of electronic gadgets. Those of us approaching the golden age need to take a note of this. I see the future where social media such as Facebook and Twitter will keep us connected with family and a new circle of friends around the world. Desktop and laptop computers will be used mainly for professional applications. With the social networking group, the lower priced Netbook computers and eBook Readers will become the popular choices. As far as my preferences are concerned, in future I will buy mostly eBooks and connect with my friends on Facebook through my newly acquired NOOKcolor (and its successors).
