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Technology – how things have changed 20 mumble years ago to present.

If I had been asked 20 years ago where I would see myself now, I would not have guessed or imagined what has happened to me and to technology. Both have experienced considerable growth and had to run fast to keep up with the times.

Anyone who has heard me present probably knows that my first job was a Telex Operator – now days when I say that to a Gen Y or Millennial group they look blank until I tell them that the internet was not even invented then.

I explain we used this kind of “morse code” ticker tape machine in a sound proof room that sent messages around the country. I further explain any remaining telex machines are now in technology museums and at the time we thought this technology was magic!

Photo: Telex Operator

Back to the future … technology and things are going well. Lets say this was 20 mumble years ago, roll on the “interweb” we started with huge computers and I trundled along to Polytechnic to learn about Word Star word reprocessing and lotus 123 spreadsheets – it was fun as we only had one computer at high school to share.

It might be the right time to comment that I am writing this blog poolside on my iPad with Evernote.

Then came the World Wide Web – true magic. I rushed out to buy a compaq PC and thought dial up connection was amazing. I ditched the answer machine and used the computer (quite advanced when reflecting now).

Life would never be the same again, by 1995 we were doing it!

At the time I was tutoring night school classes at the business school at Christchurch Polytechnic (using a mainframe computer system within the IT department) as well as working as a Practice Manager during the day at a large tertiary medial centre working in a 100% Mac environment.

Additionally I continued to nurture and build my first entrepreneurial worm-farming venture using the mighty compaq OCD at home.

The cell phone was huge and I remember that first number 021622111.

Full steam ahead to 2006 – circumstances left me at home alone with 2 young kids under 5 and no income…. fortune had it that I had a IMAC, 1 dot matrix printer and a facsimile machine. After a few day’s of panic I started Bookkeeping and Beyond. It had to be a virtual operation as I did not want people around to the house.

Further fortune had it that I heard of a new online accounting software called Xero – it looked like it would satisfy my need to be virtual and undertake accounts for clients remotely. Off I went as an early adopter of Xero and we have never looked back.

2013 stumbles around and we are home to a beautiful established Bookkeeping Practice. We daily use the Ipad, Macbook Pro, Iphone 5, warp speed cable internet at home, fibre at the office to deliver training and virtual office services globally.

We use these tools to help;

MS Office 365, Suite Files, Go To Webinar, Learning Source, Evernote (on which I am writing this and syncing with all devices).

I also personally use iCloud, Apple TV, music via blue tooth and wifi….

What next?