How digitally civilized am I?

I'm sitting in the cockpit of a spaceship, tipped back in my chair, surveying the rows of computer screens before me and preparing for takeoff.

Actually, not really. I'm sitting at the computer desk at home.

Still, many friends have commented at the tech-y appearance of my family's computer counter, which runs along the entire length of the wall of our basement. The contents of the counter are always changing. Currently, there are four wide-screen computers stretched along it in an orderly line (three of which are actually TVs acting as laptop stations), surrounded by a printer and an electronic jumble of power cords and Mac and Windows products intertwined. Across the room, our big widescreen TV doubles as a fifth computer. It also acts as a piano sometimes, when we hook up the electronic keyboard. My dad toys with the brand-new sound system on the TV, and sorts through the remotes that control the TV, DVD, VCR and TVG to find the one that controls the big sub-woofers. I slouch lower in my chair and pull out my iPhone to check Facebook. Each member of my family has a smartphone. I feel up-to-date and techno-savvy.

Until I switch on my laptop, that is.

The TV-turned-monitor in front of me displays the unfamiliar layout of a Windows computer. Although I've used a Mac since I could chew on a computer mouse, when I try to do anything on my new HP Pavilion, I'm back to square one.

Where do I start? Oh yes, Windows menu thingy. Lessee... where's Microsoft Word? Whereditgo? Everything's sorted differently! I'll have to ask Dad. Well... in the meantime, I have to touch up that picture I took. Wait, there's no iPhoto. Is there another program that does the same thing on Windows? Maybe I can Google it. Where's my web browser? Wait... what happened to my normal web browser?? I can't even Google anything, because this funky one has a different search engine! EVEN THE CURSOR IS A DIFFERENT COLOR! HELP!!!

Head + desk = bonkbonkbonk!!

As I leave the spaceship cockpit in frustration to go find some chocolate and Dad, I am reminded that the one constant thing about technology is change, and the one constant thing about being digitally civilized is the ability to adapt. While I may think I am digitally civilized one moment, the next I learn about some new thing, and I'm back to the caveman days in that respect. Everything changes as time goes by. The stone wheel, the Apple II, and the iPhone - each have their day, only to someday be replaced by something else.

And who knows - spaceships will probably be obsolete one day, too.