In reading various communications so far, I come across comments like “I am not using my iPad to the fullest extent possible” or “I am not a trained computer user.” In a sense, neither am I, so we are together in that way. After reading such statements, I looked for a way to try to explain how freeing it is to admit that everyone is a limited user of a computer, a tablet, a smartphone. Just as we are all limited to some number of years of life, so many hours of wakefulness a day, we are all limited users of our microwaves and stoves, our televisions, our cars and even our bodies. We are all limited readers, writers, cooks, partners, parents. Your limits might encompass a much larger area than mine but we are all limited.
About 45 years ago, a very smart man said to me as we gazed at our new campus academic computer (about the size of an executive double pedestal desk, rented for $16,000 a year), “there is more architecture in this machine than in the Empire State Building.” I have no idea to what extent that is true but it sounds right. It also sounds right to recognize that your local information technology guy or computer repair person knows more than you do about computers and that such a person would probably be quicker than you are to admit to limited knowledge and to shy away from stating that he knows all of computing.
Every now and then, it makes sense to explore what additional aspects of your electronic life might be developed or expanded. It makes sense to note that what ails or irritates you in using your devices and try to find a way to stop the ailment or lessen the irritation. It makes sense to realize that what you would like to accomplish or master is very probably something that many other people also want. The reason that matters is that a way to get to your goal may already be waiting at the touch of a button or a click of a mouse.
I am writing here for senior citizens, roughly those fully capable adults over the age of 55 or so. At that age, you may not be seeking to double your emails per day or advance your business or reputation. Some of the things teens are doing may be a waste of time, as far as you are concerned. At that age, many people have developed greater suspicions of wonderful “free offers” or outlandish deals or prices. It is quite likely that you already have a full schedule and will not accept new activities that encroach on your time. Taking everything slow and only trying what seems promising is a great way to proceed.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
