Computers Now and Then

It was Ralph’s first experience attending a funeral. It was held to honour his grandfather Griff, for whom Ralph had a lot of love and respect. There were a good number of people there. Ralph’s father had whisper suggested to him what he thought the reason for that was. Grandfather Griff was quite rich, and there was going to be a reading of the will immediately after the funeral. Raw greed led to significant attendance of family members, friends and the staff that worked for him in his business.

Ralph had planned to leave right after the funeral. He had not expected anything, but his father had told him just before he had a chance to leave that there was a possibility that he might receive some something special from Grandfather Griff.

The reading of the will took only a relatively short period of time. Various charities were given several thousand dollars each, but no one person there was going to benefit financially. The mood in the room was not a particularly happy one. Insulting names for Griff were murmured when people vacated the room. 

The lawyer reading the will took Ralph aside as the others were vacating the premises.

He told Ralph that there had been a special addition to the will that was to be read by him only.  It was a strange message. His grandfather had left him something in his will, but Ralph had to seek it out in Grandfather Griff’s house. If he did not do so, he would receive nothing. 

The message informed Ralph that the specific information that would enable him to benefit from this potential gift was held in the old man’s computer, which had been purchased in 1992, when Grandfather Griff was only twenty years old, 30 years before his grandson was even born, and forty years before Ralph’s computer with the AI Advisor had been invented, and had begun its climb to popularity..

Ralph ran from the room, and got into his car. He sped down the road with thoughts of sudden wealth dancing in his eager mind.  He, of course, wondered why he had to access Grandfather Griff’s computer to benefit.

While he did not have a key to his grandfather’s house, he knew that Grandfather Griff always left the back door unlocked, just in case he did not have the key on him. He had whispered this to Ralph a few weeks ago when there was no one else in the room. Ralph had wondered why at the time.

When he got to his grandfather’s old and somewhat in need of a paint job house, he went straight to the back entrance. As anticipated, the door there was unlocked. His grandfather was nothing if not true to his word. 

Ralph took out his AI Advisor, and asked it with the voice that the advisor recognized as his where a computer could be found in the house. The AI Advisor informed him that there was no such device that it could detect as being in the house, finishing its communication with “You have drawn a blank.” The AI Advisor had been programmed with a number of such English slang expressions, sometimes yelling out ‘Bingo’, when it came up with a good answer to something for which Ralph had asked it.  

With no AI Advisor advice, Ralph was forced to search from room to room without any computerized help. He was somewhat shocked when he finally found the right room, and got a good look at the ancient device that was his Grandfather Griff’s computer. 

“It even has a keyboard.” he shouted out to no one in particular, certainly it wasn’t for the AI Advsor’s benefit. To himself he whispered. “I did not think that anyone still had one of these ancient relics.” Not willing at this point to give up completely on his AI Advisor, he drew it again out of his pocket again, and asked it to locate the file that his grandfather said was in the computer. The device again informed him that there was no computer in the building, so there would be no computer files. The thought then struck him that he would have to use the keyboard that was glaring up at him as a definite challenge for him to resolve. He had never used such a device before, had never been taught to use one in school.  He hoped that he would not have to write out any words. Having never typed before.  He might have resorted to using one finger, rather than all the fingers on both hands.

Fortunately for Ralph, there was only one desktop folder on the computer screen. Unfortunately, there were a large number of websites on it. He knew that he could not call upon his AI Advisor to identify the correct one, as he would have receive the same annoying message as before. He sometimes felt that his AI Advisor has something of a sarcastic tone to its mechanical voice when he asked it a question that it could not answer.

Fortunately, he knew the name of the computer file, “Unexpected”. He didn’t see it on the screen among the files visible to him. After staring at the screen for a while, he noticed that the files were alphabetical in order, but he did not know right away how to move the screen down to files whose first word began with a ‘u’. He reckoned that no question spoken to his AI Advisor would be able to help him in this matter, but he gave it a try anyway. The Advisor’s reply was the same as it had been to his first two requests: “There is no computer in this building.”

He eventually worked it out on his own, and was able to move the images down the alphabet until he got to the one file with name beginning with a -u-. 

He read the words on the site carefully, and did so twice over to be sure that he read it right. His Grandfather Griff had written the following words:

“Congratulations, Grandson Ralph. If you are reading this, you have figured out how to use the computer that I have owned and used since I was roughly your age. I am offering you an executive job with my company, because in getting to this file you have shown initiative, and the capacity to think creatively, something few of the people working there show. You will receive money as well. Both the job offer and a cheque are in the drawer on the table with the computer on it. Look for the envelope with the word “Unexpected” written on it. You can also use my computer as well, as few if any of your fellow employees will be able to use it behind your back”.

Ralph could see his future, and it included the executive job, and use of the old-fashioned computer.