You often hear people say, 'I couldn't live without my.....'. You can insert whatever piece of handy technology you like into the gap, but it principally revolves around smart phones, the internet and the digital life.

I am here to disagree. If I cast my mind back to 1977, my first year at university, what did I lack then that I have(or could have) today. There was no internet, so no World Wide Web, no Google, no social media, nor any web based service of any kind. You can make a very long list, but it includes emailing, video chats, music and entertainment providers etc.

The Sony Walkman (cassette) has yet to appear, so most of us are anchored to household stereo units or car based systems. Phone calls are made from land lines at home or public telephones when out and about. Because there are no streamed news or information services, we are stuck with news bulletins on TV (4 stations in NSW), radio broadcasts or actual newspapers.

It is a different life, but not so different to my generation that it doesn't sound awfully familiar. Would I mind walking up to buy a paper every day? How about going to the local library to borrow a book or research a topic? Would it be a problem for me to hunt down a working payphone to call home? How hard is it to play and album on a record player and flip it over half way? 

I could go on. There would be an adjustment, of course. There would be some inconvenience, yes. But the upside would be kids not glued to their phones, news that was far more localised, shopping that meant going somewhere where people are employed, walking into a well-stocked newsagent, time spent mulling over all manner of things. Lots more thinking.

I don't have a hankering for it, but I would have no problem getting used to it again. We all might have to one day soon.