I bumped into my 19-year-old self the other day. It was horrifying, in the same way that looking in the mirror every morning is horrifying, but with added horror on top.
I stopped him mid-stride, he wasnβt even looking at me. His attention was elsewhere. Daydreaming. I remember, I used to do a lot of that. I tapped his shoulder.
βHey. Hi. Hello. Itβs me! I mean: you.β
...
I wanted to pick two parts of this piece to quote, but I couldn't. The whole thing is great. And it's concise - only about 1,700 words - so you should just go read it.
I wonder what conversations I'd have with my 19-year-old self. Certainly technology would come up, as it was already a huge part of my life (and, indeed, I was already publishing on the Web and even blogging), but younger-me would still certainly have been surprised by and interested in some of the changes that have happened since. High-speed, always-on cellular Internet access... cheap capacitive touchscreens... universal media streaming... the complete disappearance of CRT screens... high-speed wireless networking...
Giles tells his younger self to hold onto his vinyl collection: to retain a collection of physical media for when times get strange and ephemeral, like now. What would I say to 19-year-old me? It's easy to fantasise about the advice you'd give your younger self, but would I even listen to myself? Possibly not! I was a stubborn young know-it-all!
Anyway, go read Giles' post because it's excellent.
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