RE: Aptardation in Washington D.C.

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Aptardation in Washington D.C.

in government •  8 years ago  (edited)

You are discounting the many years it takes young people to learn technology. Millenials are born into Internet, computers and smartphones. We are talking 15 years of daily learning experience here. On the other hand, Boomers can live out their final years without embracing modern technology; it's a piece of cake.

Here is the story of mid 20th century tech...

Back then, technology was handling a tv; antenna, volume, vertical hold, horizontal hold, contrast, brightness and channel changer. As for vehicles, I did my own tune ups and light repairs; replace an alternator, clean the carburetor etc. Heavy jobs that pissed off the old lady because it made a mess, like transmission repair, radiator repair and engine overhauls, you took it to a mechanic.

There was not much you could do about a phone. All you did was call the phone company if something went wrong. For heavy appliances like washers, dryers, heating and cooling etc., you called a repair man. One did not need to adapt much. Things progressed slowly, and if you made the effort to read Popular Science and Popular Mechanix, you were very much on top of things.

The Internet changed things drastically. Millennials know nothing else.

I'm 68, but I crossed the digital divide because of my interest in computers and the Internet. I have been adapting since the days of the microprocessor when we programmed in assembly language. The Commodore 64 and others open the doors of home computing. I was probably the first online financial planner on Q-Link selling IRAs and other financial products "on line". That was correct grammar then before "on-line" and now the streamlined "online".

I majored in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in college. Pre-1995, it was all Windows and Mac. At home, you could play CDs, go on bulletin boards, play some games; Flight Simulator was cool, or you could keep a spreadsheet and print up a resume if you had a printer.

Despite all my background, I find smart phones tedious. They are the future as more and more people use smartphones than computers and their numbers increase rapidly.

In our brave new world, their are no manuals, you just gotta know which way to activate. Swipe left? Up? Down? Right? Push once? Twice? Where the hell is the scrolling? Why is it camouflaged? What is the secret trick to get it to work? Why does it say I'm connected to Wi Fi when obviously I am not? The frustration turns into agony as you hunt and peck, but your pained arthritic finger is the size of 2 or 3 keys at once. The cut and paste are not cooperating today. Or is some hacker in his parent's basement just having fun with me? Back in the computer world, Microsoft couldn't troubleshoot a problem if the answer was handed to them on a silver platter. It's easier for them to claim there is no problem than own up to reality and admit they haven't a clue.

Back in the day when your dad and I were dodging dinosaurs, you could go to an expert. Books were written by professionals who gave expert answers. Nowadays, when you have a computer problem you wade through scores of pages crowded with nitwits who don't know their @$$ from their elbow, and those are the Microsoft experts! So you finally, settle on a site that claims to have the answer to your problems and for $29.95 you can download some malware that makes Windows run screwy and clogs up your memory without even telling you, and your first hint that something is wrong is the "Blue Screen of Death".

There is a new way of learning technology...

I was programming Fortran on an IBM 360 using Hollerith punch cards in the 1960s. I learned from books. Computers for the common man did not exist. When I went to college Engineers were still using slide rules, if you can fathom that. The modern computerized world exposes the average person to one less than infinite options to chose from and there is no manual or directions save those written by non-native speakers and don't tell you anything useful anyway.

I pity the millennials because at the rate tech is expanding exponentially, nobody will be able to handle anything. Perhaps, it will all come tumbling down in a tidal wave of complexity that only a super-intelligent AI has an inkling of what the hell is going on.

If you have come this far in my rant, I wish you all the best and a comprehensible future that serves you rather than befuddles you.

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Oh, yeah I'm not trying to say older people can't learn it. I'm just saying it is statically harder. For sure if you have a will there is a way.