Meet Jane Jetson
©2003 Suzy
Wurtz
“Meet George Jetson…his boy, Elroy…daughter Judy… Jane, his wife (jazzy version
of Chopsticks on piano)…”
Forty years ago, we watched the debut of the Hanna-Barbera prime-time cartoon,
The Jetsons, about life in the 21st century. Though it only lasted one year in
its Sunday night slot, the show continued on Saturday mornings for many years
and was revived in the mid-1980’s for another 41 episodes. In 1962, the 21st
century Earth of the bumbling George Jetson seemed light years away. The crazy
conveniences of the cartoon show were hilarious. But now that we’re living in
the 21st century, some of the Jetsonian machines don’t seem so outrageous.
The very fact that I searched
numerous Internet sites on the Jetsons is a good example.
George Jetson’s computer, RUDI (Referential Universal Digital Indexer) worked
while George got to go home after his grueling 2-hour day of the 3-day workweek.
My computer (still unnamed except for occasional expletives) saved me hours of
work by searching for the Jetson sites. Hmm. Maybe I should give it a name.
One prediction from the Jetsons that we now take for granted was called a micro
book. It was an encyclopedia contained in a palm-sized box. We have an
encyclopedia on a cd-rom. Its sounds and pictures might amaze even the brainy
Elroy Jetson.
When they weren’t eating food pills, the Jetsons sometimes ate a normal,
sit-down meal. Jane Jetson “dialed” the meal on a kitchen device. It occurred to
me yesterday as I pressed the “popcorn” button on my microwave, that I was
feeling more like Jane Jetson every minute. However, since Jane hadn’t
apparently heard of equal rights for women, it was unlikely that I would begin
to act like her.
The Jetsons had a phone that looked like a television. My most Jetson-like
experience happened recently when we learned to use our computer as a phone,
complete with sound and picture.
Our 12 year old has a couple of foreign email pals, one in New Zealand and one
in Japan. A few months ago, she ran downstairs breathlessly to announce that not
only had she been chatting (typing) in real time with her New Zealand pal, she
had SEEN him at home in real time, quite an accomplishment considering the time
zone difference. I was impressed, but it wasn’t until her local classmate
appeared onscreen while chatting on the instant messenger that I declared, “We,
too, will enter Jetson-land!”
The next time we were near an electronics store, we purchased a small PC camera
and microphone. Since we’d recently upgraded to the Windows XP operating system,
everything was compatible. My daughter began having a fabulous time on the MSN
instant messenger network. She could use the microphone and video to be seen and
heard even if the recipient didn’t have the same equipment.
But there was one problem: I didn’t have anybody to play
with. So I sent out
emails to friends urging them to download the free instant message system and
get a PC-cam. A few did just that. We had a small “party” in cyberspace with our
friends in Wisconsin one evening after they hooked up their camera and
microphone. A Twin Cities relative installed his microphone and camera and
commented, “Every time I talk to you guys, I end up spending money….”
One early morning before work, I received a live instant message from my friend
in Japan, who had recently downloaded the instant message software. We started
to type back and forth.
“Turn on the camera,” said my husband excitedly.
“I can’t!” I exclaimed. “ I’m in my pajamas and my hair isn’t combed! These
people haven’t seen me since 1989; maybe I should lose some weight first.”
“I’ll get a brush,” he said.
Luckily for me, their PC’s operating system didn’t support my video or sound, so
we happily typed back and forth across the world unseen. It was amazing to me
nonetheless.
It’s great being on the Earth of Jane Jetson. If I can find the show on the
Cartoon Network, though, I’m going to check and see if there’s a hairbrush near
the computer screen.
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