Poison

"I think computers have poisoned people."
Quoted from: my grandma.

The woman who can call her friends and talk to them for hours about how lovely the weather has been last summer. The woman who does not like leaving the house since she had the stroke one year ago, even though the doctors consider it to be safe. The woman whose late husband has been rather fond of computers himself and joyfully started making it break down whenever possible. ("Now what is that? Ss...system... ah, whatever. Looks as though it's only taking up unnecessary space. Delete!") The woman who has never been to any other country safe for Austria and Denmark because the war interfered with her student exchange to Essex.

That statement was rather unusual - normally, she and her friends have fun comparing their various ailments ("Alright, you may have some trouble with your heart, but my kidneys are not what they used to be, either!") and discuss the weather and last week's TV program. I wondered why she had been so up against computers today and then I noticed.

My father is here over Easter, so every little computer problem has to be fixed now - and there are rather many computer problems to be fixed with my computer. All those little sudden spasms, for example. Therefore, at lunch, every word uttered was more or less concerned with computers.
I don't really know why that statements worries me somewhat, but I think from her perspective, it must be true. It  probably seems a strange invasion which happened over the last ten years, a virus infection of the technical sort. It has taken decades until nearly every household had a TV set - and only a decade until virtually everyone had a computer, even less until virtually everyone had internet access.

A lot of old people seem to be rather frightened because of this development. Due to granddad's hobby, she is not that easily impressed by modern technology, but a lot of her friends seem to be a bit frightened.