Tech from My Father: The Memory-making Mind

My father was an early adopter of the VCR. He got one the year before I was born, and in my tech-savvy childhood I had the option to re-watch ad infinitum. By the time I was 6, my parents had amassed a hefty collection of tapes, even if with the naïveté of the over-enthusiastic beginners who can't tell between treasure and trash. At least, that's how I explain the decision to record a dozen episodes of the worst soap operas...

Growing up with this tool in the home instilled in me a mindset that I still greatly cherish: if you like it, create a tangible memory of it. Rely not on your mind, which is fickle, but let physical things help.

I live by that idea. I take hundreds of pictures a year; thousands on important trips. I have dozens of boxes stocked with papers, fabrics, tools, toys that take me back to a thought, an evening, a feeling that at some point meant something. Likewise, I record hundreds of hours' worth of TV broadcasts each year. There is the occasional show, concert, or current event, but most of it is sports, as my father also passed on to me his undying passion for competition fair and fierce (how ironic, then, that he identified himself as a socialist... but that's another story).

As the age of VHS waned, we took care to digitize our old tapes. So yesterday, browsing through now-old DVDs, with great delight I unearthed footage from the first Olympics that I remember watching on live TV: Seoul 1988. I was seven years old back then, but I have some very clear memories of it.

I pushed the disc into the player. Within minutes I was watching Griffith and Johnson fly to their (astounding, probably doped) 100m world records; Bordin win his first marathon for Italy; and news coverage of the diplomatic controversy surrounding the role of North Korea in hosting the Games.

I hadn't seen this stuff in 24 years. That, as they say, is priceless.

I don't mean that literally. If the proverbial mugger asked for a $10k ransom not to destroy my DVDs, I may not give in. But I always make sure that I can produce and preserve the best possible memories with the technology that's available to me. This means that I frequently upgrade my recording equipment to the best that the consumer market has to offer, even if it means a hefty short-term financial burden.

This is because I understand that AV technology keeps pace with our quality expectations. A grainy analog tape might have seemed like divine handiwork in 1980, but it is hardly acceptable now. We want crisp and colorful, and I personally won't settle for less. Relatedly, "crisp and colorful" is much more in line with the zeitgeist. It is okay for a recording of Rome 1960 to look like crap; perhaps it is even well. But the 2012 Olympics must, at the very least, be broadcast, enjoyed, and recorded in high definition. Let's not forget, after all, that in another 24 years high definition will look as ugly as VHS tapes look now! I will post more about this in a few days, as my all-new HD setup takes shape.

People usually experience this sort of attachment to family heirlooms. We do too, but sports has always been a key family event in my home, especially the Olympics, and so it easily pours over into that venue. To be fair, my obsession is not uncommon 'round these parts. Many Italian networks regularly broadcast reruns of old football matches, and channels like ESPN Classic are a manna. Last winter I almost freaked out as I rushed to the DVR to grab the Euro 1968 final that was starting in thirty seconds. My mother gave me a funny look.

This year is no exception. As London 2012 draws near, I look fondly at the 27 hours of footage from Beijing 2008, recorded onto 12 DVDs, each carefully labeled and inventoried. It is tedious, sometimes, to record live broadcasts all day long and edit them at night to keep the good bits. But I know that in another 24 years I will look back and thank my past self for doing it.

Just as today I still cherish the memory-making mindset. Thanks, dad.
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