When I first started writing for The Daily Star’s (DS) youth supplement, the Rising Stars (RS), back in the late ‘90s, it was business as usual. I mean, those were the days when a writer still used to pen an article using a real pen, so did I. I hand-wrote my articles, placed them in envelopes, and dropped them in the mailbox outside DS’ then office in Dhanmondi.
After I joined the RS team of writers/contributors, I began to type my write-ups on our desktop computer, save them in a floppy disk, and take them to the DS office. A floppy disk? Yes, those were the days of floppy disk. Looking at a floppy disk would probably leave a kid of today wondering if it is some kind of a 3D model of the ‘save’ icon!
In the 2000s when email became a popular mode of communication, I no longer needed to carry floppy disks to the DS office. I would just write an article on my computer and email it. It saved time, money, and also the occasional trouble of a floppy disk not responding in a computer other than its owner’s!
Desktop computers were gradually replaced by laptop computers. During the mid 2000s when I penned articles for Star Lifestyle, I no longer needed to sit at a desk to write them. I could write sitting or lying on my stomach. I could write in my bed or sofa, on the floor, or in our balcony, I mean, pretty much anywhere I wanted to.
Fast forward to the 2010s. It was during this time when I started to write from my smart phone. I no longer needed a computer to put my thoughts into words. This meant that whenever I had thoughts and ideas on my mind, I would just unlock my cell phone, and voila! I could now write on the move, and even email them from my handheld phone. During this time, I began to use computer less and less to prepare my write-ups.
On January 1, 2020, we stepped into a new decade. I do not know what technological breakthrough will define 2020s, but I can tell you one thing: I ‘voice type’ my write-ups these days. It’s true that my phone does not always recognize my pronunciation of certain words, but most of the time, it does. My fingers, especially my thumbs, are appreciating my effort, too, as I now also voice type when I text or chat with friends and family.
When it comes to putting my thoughts into words and getting them published, pen, paper, floppy disk, pen drive, and even laptop computer now seem to belong to the dim and distant past.
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