Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, June 25, 2020, 1:14 p.m.

Technology. Can’t live with it. Can’t live without it.

It is supposed to be our friend. In many cases, it isn’t.

In the newspaper business, nearly 30 years ago I worked for a large metropolitan newspaper. When I was there, toiling on the desk, that paper had four editions with deadlines ranging from 10:15 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Nowadays, nothing gets in it that ends after 10.

Technology.

When I started out as a journalist, writers typed their stories and sent them in via telecopiers, which sent copies back to the home office at a rate of four to six minutes per page, then had to be typed in back at the office. Then the writers advanced to large, bulky machines that had to be lugged to the press box. Then the means became little Tandy TRS80s with memory so small that we’d have to clear out the memory at the end of night, then laptops with more and more memory. This one now has every story I’ve written and every photo I’ve taken and video I’ve shot dating back through several ever-advancing versions of the devices.

As technology advanced, the customers suffered. All the advances benefited distribution in one form or another.

It’s not just journalism.

Technology. The word used is “advance.” How so?

Life is now an unremitting hassle. Every move that requires billing, every glitch that requires a remedy, involves recordings, choices that don’t much help, and long periods of being on hold, often interspersed by being disconnected and starting over. One suspects the chief goal is to make the consumer just give up.

This week is an extreme example, but I may have spent more time on hold than any other activity or lack thereof.

This blog requires a book, but I don’t have time for that. I’m too “busy” on hold.

Excuse me, but I’ve got to drop by the office of a new “provider” and get what was messed up yesterday fixed. I can only imagine what the promised arrival of new equipment requires.

Take a look at my new website, Laurens County Sports. It’s undoubtedly going to be better when Laurens County has actual sports again.

If you enjoy my insights about racing and other subjects, make a small pledge of support. Rewards are in place for pledges of $5 or more. If 1/10 of my followers and Facebook friends pledge $1 a month, I’ll be set. Read all about it here.

If you yearn for my writing in larger doses, I’ve written quite a few books. Most are available here.

Lightning in a Bottle, the first of my two motorsports novels, is now available in audio (Audible, Amazon, iTunes) with the extraordinary narration of Jay Harper.

My eighth novel, a political crime thriller, is called Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It’s right up to date with the current political landscape in the country.

My writing on other topics that strike my fancy is posted here.