Welcome to the second half of the 20th century

The transition from broadcast to digital television and our invasion of their home has forced some hard decisions on the parental units. While most of you have been enjoying having more than 5 television channels for the past 30 years, there are some who find it a new and confusing world and don't even bring up this new fangled internet thing. Mostly, Jason and I have been trying to serve as the buffer with those technology pushers, otherwise known as our phone service providers (and I agree that dealing with them has not been a relaxing or fun process and I will be happy if I do not have to call them tomorrow for the 5th day in a row) but still the changes are apparent. The toaster oven and lunch boxes were bad enough, but this satellite television may be the end. We are shocked, shocked and dismayed at the size of this receiver box, but it is the price one has to pay if one wants to watch the news while cooking. I can only hope that the kitchen will not be irrevocably harmed. Please think of us in this difficult time and hope that we can all get through this period of decreased counter space.

Techfrustration

Okay, I know that the world has changed dramatically since I was daisychaining Macs together with telephone cord back at the ACORN office in the 90's, but how did it happen that I now have NO IDEA about how anything works with my computer.

Backstory: Our music & audio files are getting to big and at the same time our stereo has about bit the dust (it's only 5-6 years old - my last one was still working when we downsized and I got it in '89, but that's another rant). I'm thinking it's time to get a big i-pod (we've somehow managed to figure out this Nano thing) and digitize all of our CD's. Great, but then I need an external hard drive and the reality is that I have no idea what to look for.

Upshot: Every time I try to figure out what's what I realize I don't even have the proper vocabulary anymore. And then there are the mind-numbing details that lead into wormholes of paranoia ( Don't get me started on net-neutrality and privacy concerns with internet access not to mention the googlization of our lives). Can someone point me in the direction of a resource that is a step above: "this is a mouse, here's how to use it" but will not lead me into a spiral of technospeak that results in me: 1. screaming 2. curling up into a ball and wondering how old have I really gotten and where did all this grey hair come from 3. ready to move to the hills and live off the grid?