The title says it all. I had been talking with a friend about something and trying to help her do some maintenance on her system, and I was suddenly (and very embarassingly) hit with the realization that I don’t remember what Windows Vista looks like.
… I’m also not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
To help refresh my memory, I dug up an old screenshot of my desktop back from my Vista days (this one was actually taken 2.5 months ago) and stared at the GUI for a few seconds before it all came back to me - the Aero look, the oversized icons (that I promptly reduced in size after getting my laptop), the Calibri font, the Last.fm icon that was eternally present in my systray… it’s weird how only a few months ago this was the interface I had stared at daily and been completely accustomed to, yet nowadays it seems completely foreign and awkward. (And how did I ever live without multiple desktops?)
As I result, I started questioning my own personality - am I really that easily swayed and adaptable? I’ve known for years that I have a photographic memory and have been able to learn things easily. However, be it in regards to operating systems, methods of getting homework done, or anything else, I feel that repetition and imitation are but my mere replacements for true adaptability. For example, when I used to work at the library I was given the job of preparing materials for the summer reading club. What I had to do was stamp bookmarks and put together plastic-bag packages with various items.
Although I started out awkwardly, I eventually became accustomed to the repetition of my actions - stick stamp in inkpad, stamp bookmark, shove aside to dry, fill plastic bags with one each of 5 sheets, repeat until bookmarks are dry, return to bookmarks, collect stacks of 20, rubber-band, wash, rinse, repeat entire process. The same thing happened when I was helping with the new cataloguing, in which I had to scan the barcode (with a very insensitive laser pen connected to an extremely slow laptop running extremely ancient cataloguing software), program the magnetic tab, stick it on an inconspicuous last page, and repeat for each library item. I eventually started feeling like a robotic machine and managed to finish all of the children’s audiobooks, adult audiobooks, and magazines in a mere three hours time (no small feat, FYI - the magazine section is freaking huge). My boss and the other workers exclaimed that I was the fastest worker they had ever seen (and shamefully I believe it too - their speed of work makes it appear as if they were moving through invisible molasses).
Despite being praised for my speed and precision, however, I didn’t feel very proud of myself. As with most things in life, I had once again simply managed to get by using a combination of imitation and repetition. Writing essays? I just use the same flashy techniques that I always do, refined over time. Math problems? Well, it’s just the same principle over and over. Running SnM? Haha, you’d be surprised at the elaborate but repetitive system I have to organize everything. Learning a new OS? Pfft. If I stare at it long enough every day I’ll eventually get accustomed to it, right?
And from the looks of it, I seem to have accomplished that quite well. However, being accustomed to something and actually having a working knowledge of it are two entirely different things, and in my case I feel as if I have too easily used the former to get out of doing the latter.
… er, if anyone’s interested, this is my desktop presently:
Hello! I recently found your website and have been reading your entries. I really enjoy your tone of voice and the thoughts you present. I could say I am your junior as I am applying for M.I.T (amongst other schools) this fall and I find your works (especially the writings you have posted) very inspiring to read. Keep it up. I admire you =)