Wasted four minutes, take a seat

Cindy’s daughter was over last night for dinner.  While she was there she hopped on Cindy’s computer to look at some stuff.  At the time I was on my computer mowing down an army of demons in WoW.  Cindy suggested to Katie that she takes a look at some YouTube videos that might have the info she was looking for.  Katie said she didn’t like YouTube because half the time she has invested four minutes into the video and it turns out it didn’t have what she was looking for.

For me it was a snapshot into the mind of today’s youth where four minutes is looked upon as an eternity.  In the Vine, SnapChat, Instagram, and Persicope world where people are trained to pay attention in 6-15 second bursts, asking a young person to focus on something that doesn’t involve their smart phone for more than a commercial break is a big deal.

In some ways I consider myself lucky to have grown up in a much less connected, tech infused society where I was forced to use my mind, body and imagination to pull entertainment and stimulation into my sphere of life.   Because of that experience I am able to still enjoy and appreciate the simpler things without drowning in the sea of technology that surrounds us all.  When I am at home my smart phone 90% of the time sits on a table with the speaker silenced.

I’m not sure why the four minute comment stuck with me so much. I feel bad for the younger generation that have become so hopelessly addicted to tech that they literally don’t know how to function without it.

Yesterday I was part of the interview process for a position we are looking to fill.  It was the first time I was on the other side of the table.  It gave me some anxiety as I never had been put in the position to make judgements on people that could potentially have a large impact on their lives.  The two candidates we interviewed yesterday were vastly different.  I was surprised to hear that the IT job field in our area evidently is very tight.  Both people had been looking for work for months, despite both having sizeable job experience. In all honesty they were over qualified for the position that is available.

We received around 20 applicants so far.  Out of those 20, only a half dozen or so were worth talking to from what we determined.  Like anything, I am confident the more people we talk to, the less stressful the interview process will become from my end.  One unexpected side effect has been reaffirming my good fortune to be secure in a job with benefits that are evaporating in today’s typical workforce.

I’m still sleeping like shit, something that started with the prednisone and has persisted despite being off it for a few weeks.