I have two older people in my life. For the purposes of this column, IB次元官网网址檒l refer to them as M and D.
This is not so much to protect their identities, but more so I can maintain my regular supply chain of freshly baked muffins, scones and chocolate-chip cookies from M, and the occasional car wash and yard work from D.
Being a bit older, the pair came late to the technology party. M could never be bothered with having a computer (B次元官网网址渢akes up too much roomB次元官网网址�), and years of watching Oprah frightened her into thinking just turning one on could bring hundreds of child molesters to her door.
When my kids were little, I was forever receiving warnings about letting them use the computer, lest they be snatched away in the night. Or, heaven forbid, I would have my identity stolen by some computer hacker. Why anyone would want to break into my bank account is a mystery in itself.
Why M, being well over 60, worried about child molesters affecting her is a good question too.
D was a different story. He would use the computer, but is a tidy sort and would be forever getting himself into trouble by deleting programs, or portions thereof, because B次元官网网址渢hereB次元官网网址檚 too many folders.B次元官网网址� Trying to explain that if you just put them all into one and try to forget about them unfortunately didnB次元官网网址檛 stop the flow of phone calls complaining, B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 open PDFs,B次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址淲hy doesnB次元官网网址檛 my Word program work anymore?B次元官网网址� A quick look usually revealed that the programs had been deleted in an effort to B次元官网网址済et rid of some junk.B次元官网网址�
Now, I am no computer genius, but years of working in small newspaper offices without the advantage of on-the-spot tech help has led me to the school of hard knocks as far as computer troubleshooting goes. I have developed pretty good skills for figuring out how to fix relatively simple problems, and as such, I have become the family techie.
Last year, M decided to get an iPad (B次元官网网址渟o small, it takes up no roomB次元官网网址�). Setting it up and getting it running wasnB次元官网网址檛 too much trouble. And she was eager to learn how to use email to keep in touch with friends who apparently werenB次元官网网址檛 avid Oprah viewers. She now enjoys the simple pleasures of tracking ships at sea and planes in the sky from the comfort of the living room couch B次元官网网址� without one assault from a molester.
She completely took me by surprise when she purchased an e-reader just a few months later. Her most frequent complaint is, B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 have enough bars. It wonB次元官网网址檛 work.B次元官网网址� This, in relation to the WiFi connection. Getting her to understand that once the book is downloaded, the B次元官网网址渂arsB次元官网网址� make no difference seems to fall on deaf ears. It often looks as though she is re-enacting a scene from the Lion King as she wanders through the house and holds aloft her iPad or e-reader, in an attempt to B次元官网网址済et more bars.B次元官网网址�
D also went from a computer to an iPad and an iPhone at the same time. Instead of making his life easier, it just seems to have doubled his frustration factor. It must be a male thing to want to understand how something works.
Guys enjoy getting under the hood of a car and learning the mechanics of how it works. But with a computer, I feel the less you know, the better. The why and how a program works is much less important than whether it works at all. I understand that a plane can fly B次元官网网址� I donB次元官网网址檛 need to know why.
D, on the other hand, is always trying to understand how a program works, and trying to determine if thereB次元官网网址檚 one that is better, faster or easier to use.
One thing that works to my advantage is that M can use her gadgets to look up new and interesting recipes. And D, when he gets frustrated with technology, usually slaps the offending item down on the coffee table and announces, B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to go wash the car.B次元官网网址�
Laura Lavin is the editor of the Oak Bay B次元官网网址.
editor@oakbaynews.com
