I went to tech school in I believe '87 or '88 and there was a class on PCs and they were new to me and Greek to me. I recall seeing something about a computer in an accounting class in a book in high school and it showed like four things, input, ________, processing (I think and then output lol on a chart. Sounded again Greek and like huh, how can some machine thnk? The class in tech we actually used them some but the teacher although very nice and knew the PC inside and out, was not someone that could teach imo and convey very well, still Greek to me but learned them somewhat and in that day it was all DOS, they weren't these easy to use click a mouse or use a touch pad interactive with pictures experience lol. Of COURSE anyone today can hope on one and use with ease just as a childl can with one or a phone, tablet, etc. We had to know commands and type them correctly and so on and there was no internet.
I had none at home.
I then took a job in '89 at a law firm and took a step backwards. Even though I knew how to use an IBM PC they had ancient (imo at that time lol) machines called Wang computers or word processor or somewhat. Dinosaurs imo but they were probably more up to date than almost any business in my small city as they HAD computers. They were used for word processing almost solely and for long legal documents or any legal document. The front or reception area of the office was still correcting typewriters and those employees mainly did short letters and such. Both were older than I well all in the office were and comfortable with typewriters only. A woman closer to my age (I was in my mid 20s, she may be 30) taught me the WANG and we worked together and were the only two that used them. I FELT I had stepped backwards. I had learned the PC and was up to date and here I am on behemoths called Wangs.
The attorneys in the office consisted of five and two were the founding partners and older, one was a woman maybe 40 if that, another a man maybe 40s and the last one fhe son of one of the founding partners and the youngest. HE was bent on keeping the office up to date and on getting PCs but had to fight the aged ones both on cost and being set in their ways, seeing no need and probably a fear of such. The older office employees wanted no part of such either.
I was there two years and he won out not too long in and not only did us two with the Wangs get PCs but every employee in the front office did as well. And the bookkeeper, etc.
Oh MY. Who they bought them from was to come with someone who trained us all in. What a joke. He came in and all us women were sitting in a room with him while he tried to show us what to do and how to work them and he was worthless. Someone would ask him a question and he had no idea. Since I learned them in school/tech, I knew and I found myself telling him how to do things and then showing the others how. They did not have him back and from then out I got all in the office adjusted and going front and back to troubles and questions until all new how to use them. I was the youngest and had no seniority and the older ones were threatened at first but I'm not a competitive type and this won me out with all of them eventually and I was solid and good friend with them all. I also taught the one who taught me the Wang. I then went on to create every legal form known to mankind for the office where one could automatically fill them for each case. I self taught with every knew program, etc. I'd say we were ahead of many as to being computerized.
I loved the job, loved the people, job was high stress with legal deadlines but I loved it. Absolutely a great first office job to start at because I learned what absolutely top notch ethical attorneys were like and I also learned and saw bad attorneys our firm dealt with.
The problem is one could hardly live on the wages. Very unfair and very out of touch. The same young attorney fought for 401s, higher wages, etc. but got nowhere with this stuff with the aged partners.
I had two kids and was divorced. I was young and wanted out of our small area and still to find a life and career. I took a job in a bigger city an hour away that offered me a LOT more money and bonuses with the intent of moving there. The place I was at was sad to see me go but coudln't match the wages and gave me a glowing letter of recommendation. Long story short, I never did move and the commute to that job for two years especially in the winter and with two kids I was an hour away from who were in day care was impossible, I couldn't do it and quit. THAT job had IBM PCs when I went in but did not have the legal forms and I also there started making them all for their office as well as doing case files and word processing. Two years there. Computerized already. BUT also still had typewriters. And none were greater on the PCs except knowing how to "type" on them basically. This was '91 to '93.
I then took a job with back in my home town/city and a cut in pay yet again. Our town was notoriously low pay in M-F office jobs, factory workers made more. I would stay at this job 20 years and much of it was because they didn't pay great but worked with me as to if I had to run pick up a sick kid, they forget a backpack, etc. This job was insurance related, an independent small firm. Again typewriters but they'd been kind of going through the same boat. The sole owner, older, was an Apple/Mac fan and wanted all computerized but understood none of it. He had bought one no one knew how to run including himself. Then there was an IBM just sitting there as well. No one ran any of them, so again I computerized the office and the Mac eventually went even though he wanted it all Mac, no way. I started working that job doing documents and reports on a typewriter and felt I'd stepped backwards yet again since schooling.
No internet but it was at this job internet came about. I had never had a computer at home either up til some time in this job when I bought a used one from one of the insurance guys in the office.
I could sidetrack further on all of these jobs and about computers and such too but point is yes every job from 89 I believe it was to 93, started at the last one in '93 and was there to 2013 had computers or got them, but NO internet.
I bought my home in 1994 and no computer. My oldest daughter graduated in 2000 and we'd had a computer for awhile by then and internet, not sure exactly when, so somewhere between '94 and 2000 we'd already had a computer for some years and I got her a cell phone at 16 and had had one myself for a bit and the computer came before cell phones for me.
And I'd say I lived in a very old non progressive kind of area for the most part, lol.
So consider that CB is in NYC, Manhattan no less and NYC is a world city basically and is going to be ahead of my area by far on services, tech and more and he was an architect. Yeah he'd have had computers during the '90s killings most likely, remember he was using Craig's List, I assume you know what that is or is it not know in the UK? People still use it but it's not AS much of a thing as it was then. And of course it wasn't just for escorts and such but selling of cars or services or anything. I've used it to buy and sell, most have.
If I thought harder, I could pinpoint the years, but I had a cell phone, a computer and internet (after the computer) sometime between '94 and 2000 and definitely did not get any of them in '94 or 2000 so it can be narrowed down to '95 to '99 when all of them came.... For ME. My jobs had them before that but this is when it all started coming about for most in the US, in my area and in school. I think my class in school was the first year they had a PC class, in tech school. But we'd be behind I'm sure somewhere like NYC. And internet was dial up and archaic and terrible and slow for years.
CB is my and emu's approximate age.
@Cousin Dupree could weigh in on this, because even though not from NYC he is from NY as to when all came about in his jobs and when he got one, etc.
I'd say CB latched right on to computers and cell phones probably in the '90s, look at him with all the hard drives and burner phones. NYC would be ahead on tech imo and infrastructure even for it. Cell towers, internet faster than dial up, etc. I mean think about this, it houses the stock exchange, they may have been actually number one almost with all...
And we know computers were around even before I had the class in '88 or '89, but they were huge machines like Stephen Cray came up with a huge super computer and went on to, well that's another sidetrack of a story. I knew of computers in my last year or two of high school but only as an odd concept and that was at the start of the '80s. PCs came after that by late '80s when I had it in tech school and they had them.
I'd hazard a guess that CB and Asa had a computer or more than one since the time they met and he definitely had them at the office. He used Craig's list to find most women. Shannon Gilbert advertised on Craig's List did she not? That's internet and that's computer.
I forget the actual question or point but CB could have had a document or two or plan even prior to 2000, this could even be retyped. Back then when you changed computers or updated even if you had backed up and such programs changed so fast it was not easy to transfer everything and you SURE are not going to have some techie transfer a murder document for you in my opinion. He saved every hard drive he ever had imo because things that matter to them are on them. They're going to find and probably have, a wealth of sh*t. We know of much already. They don't detail every torture pic or video but they refer to such and more.
Anyhow, if that helps narrow when sh*t came about in the US, there ya go and I'd say we'd be behind metropolitan or big cities. I had a computer at home albeit a beast, and I had internet, some years before 2000. If I really thought about it I could narrow down the year to exact and the year I put on internet, etc... I'm going to say pre '98 with both and so I've now narrowed to between '95 and '98 with computer and internet. I perhaps put internet on the moment I bought the used computer...
www.crimewatchers.net
while I worked with him.
Compared to us dinosaurs. No offense intended and including self in that remark.