Old people and technology

[PrestigeWorldwide]

A few years ago KQRS in the twin cities played a bunch of calls received by a tech help desk. While most were people irate over the most simple things not working, the funniest one was a very nice polite man, who simply stated (paraphrasing) "My mouse pointer is in the middle of the screen, but my mouse is all the way to the bottom of my mouse pad and it can't go any lower. If you could let me know how to get the pointer to the bottom of the screen I would appreciate it."

[Brewtacular]

I used to have this highly technologically advanced car. Naturally, this piece of junk broke down when I was a long way from home putting me in a rather large fix. Well the only person I could find to help was this old man that "claimed" he knew a lot about technology. So I go on to explain that since this is highly advanced it needs about 1.21 gigawatt's to run properly. This old man goes on to freak out. Acting like I AM the crazy one for suggesting this much power.

 

Man, he was sooo stupid.

[yoshii8]

My Grandma calls her cellular phone a calculator phone, I corrected her the first time I heard her say it, but I don't think she cared and continues to call it that.

 

This past weekend my parents came to visit, and my mom called myspace, myface, which was pretty funny.

 

I used to work help disk for printer and copier support, and it is amazing some of the calls I got. I think 1 out of every 20 calls actually deserved a call to the help desk. Half of the calls were that they needed to load paper, or press the energy saver button, I'm glad I'm not doing that anymore.

[bjkrautk]

I'd love to contribute, and make fun of old people, but I'm too afraid of that critical step when someone loses touch with the cutting edge.

 

Personally, I've never really "got" the point of social networking sites, but I do have a facebook page I'm neglecting.

Twitter just seems like a bridge too far for yours truly. Instinctively, I know and understand what it is, but I don't see the 'there' there, either from a business model or from a 'why the heck would I want to read person A's comments @PersonB' -standpoint.

 

 

There's just No CES for Old Men.

[Patrick425]

I use to consider myself pretty up on current technology, but I am comming to realize that it is rapidly passing me by.

 

I'll never understand how texting became so popular. Once in a while someone will text me something. Then I spend the next 15 minutes typing out an 8 word response. I agree with what I heard some comedian say once in regards to the irony of texting..something like "Hello! It's a phone!"

[sbrylski]

I use to consider myself pretty up on current technology, but I am comming to realize that it is rapidly passing me by.

 

I'll never understand how texting became so popular. Once in a while someone will text me something. Then I spend the next 15 minutes typing out an 8 word response. I agree with what I heard some comedian say once in regards to the irony of texting..something like "Hello! It's a phone!"

I was right there with you until I got a phone with a full keyboard. Texting is nice sometimes. Previous to that, I only texted things like directions or a website so they didn't have to write it down.

[nate82]

I hate texting and the only time when I do text someone is when I can't explain something to them over the phone or if I can't reach them and I don't feel like leaving a voicemail message.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Texting sucks. There are uses. My wife will occasionally text me something, knowing that I can read a text but may not be able to listen to a voicemail while I'm at work.

 

My teenage daughter on the other hand, I'm not sure if she's aware you can TALK on a cell phone.

 

I hate text speak, I hate AOL speak, and I hate people who text while they drive.

[Diskono]

A few weeks ago, I overheard an employee in his early 20s telling customers that a Mac computer is difficult to use. It crossed my mind to jump in with a diatribe (centered on dealing with malware) that would have made him look pretty dumb, but I refrained. He was already looking pretty dumb on his own, and I think the potential buyers could see that.

Isn't that just a matter of opinion though? Personally, I've always felt that MacOS is barely a step above Solaris in terms of ease of use. Its all about familiarity, I suppose.

I'll never understand how texting became so popular. Once in a while someone will text me something. Then I spend the next 15 minutes typing out an 8 word response. I agree with what I heard some comedian say once in regards to the irony of texting..something like "Hello! It's a phone!"

I don't get it either. You have a phone, they have a phone...why not just make a phone call? Texting might be the most inefficient form of communication I've ever used. If your phone has a normal keyboard, I could see it being handy though, particularly if you don't need an immediate response.

[Patrick425]

I'm waiting for them to develop a phone that can create a text message from speaking into the phone (for all I know this might already exist). Then, maybe, I might start texting slightly more. But just slightly.

[And That]

I'm a big texter (though never while driving). I find that it is easier to communicate little random thoughts or ideas via texting than by calling. Can have a number of conversations at once, and don't have to concentrate on listening so you can do other things, too.

[PrestigeWorldwide]

My mother-in-law and the cell phone.

 

1) Never turns it off because she's afraid that she will forget how to turn it back on.

2) Uses the minutes concept to refer to the battery life. Example: "I have to charge my phone, it's almost out of minutes." Drives me crazy for some irrational reason.

[Glennron]

I'm a big texter (though never while driving). I find that it is easier to communicate little random thoughts or ideas via texting than by calling. Can have a number of conversations at once, and don't have to concentrate on listening so you can do other things, too.

I agree, the multiple texts is a big key. Ie, if you want to tell 6 people "Come over at 8:00", it saves you several phone calls. Obviously if you plan on having an actual conversation it's kind of pointless, but otherwise it can be very practical. Plus I really don't like talking on the phone unless you have to, conversations can drag on and it's easier to end a conversation via text.

[RightFieldCoder]

I am proud to have never sent a text in my life, and I don't ever planning. They have a cell phone. The phone comes with free voicemail. If either party isn't in a position to be talking on their phone (ie my coworkers on the clock) then it is something that can wait for later. But I'm just a 29 year old Old Fart.

 

My grandparents embrace technology right away.

 

My grandfather bought an NES is 86. He loved it so much, he bought us grandkids an NES for Christmas. And upset my mom since video games "rot the brain".

 

My grandmother was on the internet in 96. I recently found out that she uses the internet to meet guys, starting back in 96 when she got the computer. And she was aware back then that people lie on the internet. To protect herself she would lie about her appearance and clothes when she agreed to meet guys at local bars. That way she could pre-screen the guys when she saw them.

 

Last year I was showing a co-worker how to clock in at the computer so he could stop asking other people to do it for him. He was already retired and was only working part time so he had bar money on the weekends. I instructed him to double click the image. He asked how to do that. I told him to move the pointer over the image. He stared at the keyboard for 30 seconds and then asked me how one moves the pointer on the screen. I told him he should stick to asking others to clock him in. (The clock in process also involves entereing usernames and passwords and several menus.)

[pitchleague]

3. Once they figured things out with the internet, I would invariable get phone calls and email that they couldn't get on the internet because the computer would freeze and the screen would go completely white. Even when they upgraded to DSL, they sometimes still would not get on. After a few weeks/months of this intermittent internet trouble, I went to check it out. Sure enough, just as they said, it did in fact go to a white screen every now and then. Then I found out why. For some reason, Internet Explorer had a bug in it that made it go to one of those "About:Blank" webpages that is completely white except it also took off the taskbar on the bottom of the screen and the bar on top of the screen with the minimize, restore, and close buttons in the corner. So I could see why she had a problem. But everytime it happened, instead of opening the task manager (ctrl-alt-del) like I showed them, they just pushed the power button and rebooted. Which is very improper and hard on the computer. I have since shown them Firefox and the problem is no more.

[pitchleague]

Since this thread is dying, I better just post the rest of the stories or I'll forget to do it. (by the way, apparently I can't count, because there's only 11 stories. I could have sworn there were twelve.) Here they are:

 

4. They got a laptop as a gift a few summers ago (2007 I believe) that had to be replaced this past November (that's a shelf life of less than a year and half, folks) because my mom fried it. "How?" you say? It wasn't the cats and their static electricity (although I am completely shocked that it was not the cause.) No, no. It was because despite my father's pleas to just put the laptop directly on the surface of the kitchen table (they eat in a different location so the table has become the "home office") like it should be, my mother would-everyday, mind you-put a cloth placemat under the laptop during the day while he was at work and then take it out when he returned home. The reason? So it would look nicer. The result? Yeah, fried laptop.

 

5. My folks got a Tivo/DVD combo (one of those Humax ones) a few Christmases ago since they were going through VCRs like bubble gum. Of course, they couldn't get it to record anything. Or they got a DVD stuck inside the machine. Or the few times that they got humongous phone bills because the Tivo was trying to call for hours at a time, several times a day. Granted, this wasn't their fault (faulty hard drive) but, needless to say, I got theirs onto their network now so the phone calls are in the past. Still, this whole product, which should have improved their life, has been a nightmare. Just a week ago, they called to complain that the end of some movies they had recorded had been cutoff. They thought the Tivo was broken again. Turns out that the programming didn't start on-time and so their recording time was off-nobody's fault but the network's. Of course, I showed them how to manually add time to their recordings and my dad says, "Oh, I knew about that. I do it with my NASCAR races when I record them. I thought you could only do that with live sporting events."

 

6. My mom received an inexpensive digital camera as a door prize at a Christmas party a few years ago. She would always complain that she has no pictures. I asked what kind of memory card it takes and she would respond, "what's a memory card?" After we bought her one, the photos still weren't appearing. Turns out that she kept selecting "Format card" whenever she was done using the camera.

 

7. They bought a fairly nice LCD television about 2 years ago. Nothing super fancy-only a 32 inch screen. However, I would invariably get phone calls that the TV wasn't working (i.e. there was no picture.) I asked them to change channels. Nothing would happen. I went over to check it out and 5 seconds later, the problem was discovered. They had pushed the input button on the remote, changing it off the cable and onto one of the others (HDMI, SVID, etc.) and, thus, didn't know what to do. I think this one happened about four or five times before I wrote a note and taped it to the back of the remote for the "next time."

 

8. Speaking of remotes, despite only needing the Tivo remote for everything, they continue to use the remote that came with the television and the digital cable box. It's a little thing but it drives me bonkers.

 

9. Recently, mom has become addicted to You Tube. But instead of sending links or the address of the specific page, she'll send an email that states, "GO TO YOU TUBE AND CHECK OUT ENYA'S NEW CHRISTMAS SONG!!! JUST GO TO YOU TUBE AND CLICK ENYA!" Uh, yeah. Real helpful, mom. She sends these to other people, too. I wonder if they roll their eyes like I do. Or do they actually try to figure out what she wants them to see?

 

10. My mom has made it a point of forwarding emails that she received from people because she thought that I would enjoy reading them. Of course, some are the stupid things people forward around to each other (i.e. jokes, photos, etc.) However, we usually do extended family correspondence via email and despite my email address prominently displayed on the list of senders, she still forwards her copy to me, as if I didn't get the email.

 

11. Finally, this one is too good, even though it's not part of my family. Many of you know that my cousin worked in Media/Public Relations for the D-Backs for the first 10 years of the ballclub. Invariably, he would get to do stats for the visiting team's television team. He would work with all the greats (I'm still kicking myself for declining an invitation to earn some side money during a homestand with the Dodgers and doing stats with Vin Scully.) Well, in 1999 or so (not sure of the exact year), he got to work with Matt Vasgersian when the Brewers were in Phoenix. He worked the whole series with him and Schroeder. During the series finale, Matt asked him if he would like to give a shout-out to his folks back in Milwaukee. My cousin stated that he need not bother since his folks wouldn't be watching. Matt asked why not? My cousin answered that they didn't have cable. Vasgersian went into a diatribe--on the air, mind you-about how on earth his folks couldn't have cable television in 1999. My cousin added that they don't have a microwave, VCR, or any of that stuff. Vasgersian was incredulous at this point. I believe my cousin told me that every time the Brewers/Padres were in town, Matt would make a comment about it-occasionally on the air. (My apologies to my cousin, if I butchered this story, but this is how I remember you telling to me.) Okay, so this story isn't really much "on topic" but I thought it was mildly appropriate.

 

[valpocrewsader]

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[pitchleague]

nice video! I love the green slacks!

[Oldcity]

I'm very tempted to make this my new signature:

 

"GO TO YOU TUBE AND CHECK OUT ENYA'S NEW CHRISTMAS SONG!!! JUST GO TO YOU TUBE AND CLICK ENYA!"

-Pitchleague's mom