View Full Version : On remaining relevant
Continuing on the thread about boomers, their children and stuff...it was brought up that one must remain current to be relevant and interesting. How does one balance that with the fact that it costs money (sometimes quite a bit) to remain so? Or if one just isn't all that interested in technology? I have made the decision not to invest in a smart phone because I really can't justify the expense at this point. I don't have gobs of relatives and friends that a simple email or phone call won't work for. I have a fb account but rarely use it. Other than the internet, all of these exploding technology-based activities and services don't really interest me. After a while, it is like clutter in the brain just trying to keep current. I would rather be outside gardening, looking at birds or plants than spending time on a device. Am I now irrelevant because I don't want to participate in that? I know it's a personal choice but the prevailing attitude is that one is somehow deficient - the same pariah effect one experiences when espousing simple living.
Well, since it seems like you picked up my words, pinkytoe, ;) I'll chime in. As bUU said, it's not just about technology. It's more about attitude.
I guess the "relevant" part for me stems partly from the fact that I have to make a lot of money before I retire, and I'm working with clients who are almost all younger than I am. In fact, I was just traveling on a project with one of my favorite clients--it was her last project before retirement. While I was on the road with her, I got an email from my other favorite client with whom I've worked since 2002. He just had his last day at work and now he's retired!
People tend to buy from people they connect with. That connection doesn't have to be based on age, but it does often tends to be. So I pay attention to the younger folk; I listen to them, I try to understand their worlds.
And beyond doing that from just a business perspective, if you feel you belong to some other world gone by, that's depressing! But by maintaining an attitude of enthusiasm and interest in the world around you, you stay young at heart. That's all that it's about. It's not about how many tweets you tweet.
I would rather be outside gardening, looking at birds or plants than spending time on a device.
You can do both. I've had smartphones since their inception, all employer provided, and use their features daily, although that doesn't stop me from doing other things.
We have a motorhome and a motorcycle and spend as much of our time as possible each year out exploring the wonders of this country. I like having the ability to snap a few quick photos at Arches National Park or Mesa Verde or Yellowstone and post them on Facebook while still there. I've also been known to do a quick Skype session with my grandsons while sitting in a campground with no amenities.
To me, it's not so much about keeping current as it is about enjoying technological marvels that didn't exist when I was younger (outside of Dick Tracy's wristphone).
HappyHiker
1-22-13, 4:03pm
Interesting discussion...I guess we pick and choose our relevancy. As my DH & I haven't any children, we're perhaps not as pressured to remain relevant as we might be if we had kids moaning, rolling their eyes and saying "Oh, Mom..." if we committed a out-of-touch moment of disconnection.
As it is, my interests in some ways have expanded--with more time to search out information on the 'net, yet shrunk in some ways, too, as keeping current in music, entertainment and TV shows does not interest me nearly as much as it used to.
Books, yes, pretty current, Netflix, yes, pretty current on what interests me, not necessarily the general population as I eschew movies with much violence. I want to feel elevated after viewing, not depressed. So I guess I'm fairly current on cultural things, nutrition, fitness, cycling, and social trends as these are my major interests.
Volunteer work helps me feel plugged in and relevant in the community. Strong social connections and community are important to my well-being.
One of my joys in becoming an older woman is the realization that I know myself pretty well, feel beholden to few, and free to develop the parts of my mind and personality that fill me with passion. No longer keeping up with the Joneses in material or thought police ways...if that makes sense?
Technology, I've observed, if one has to always have the next new-new thing seems to be enslaving the psyches of many. It can be addictive. I know, I suspect I have a minor internet addiction. It's such a wonderful Pandora's Box filled with wonder for me.
Relevant? Maybe not..irreverant? Decidedly so. I'm having a heck of a fun ride right about now.
As someone else (maybe more than one someone else) said, it's more about attitude than knowledge. If the idea of using new and changing technology just defeats someone, they will find themselves missing out on more and more.
My stepdaughter (mid-20s) texts hundreds of times a month. I don't care much for texting myself (keyboard issues, mostly). DW doesn't like the whole process. But when we need to get hold of DSD, DW can call her two or three times and leave voicemails or I can text once and DSD will respond. Maybe texting is not your thing, but it doesn't hurt to know how to do it, to try it on someone else's phone, to get a text on your own phone. Grandkids don't send letters much anymore; you may not like email, but if you choose to live without an email address, you may find yourself hearing from the grandkids less and less. It's where more and more people are.
Nor do I have any patience with or use for those who make a point of pride in saying they have never read anything by John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Mary Higgins Clark or any other popular writer. What do you think? You get social academic brownie points for deliberately staying out of touch with your own culture?
(September 10, 2004)
I don't read a lot of fiction. But I recognize those names. I know what kinds of books they write. I've even read some of their work. One does not have to like King/Grisham/Clancy et al. or own their collected works to be considered relevant -- but having a blank look when someone else mentions their names will brand one as out of touch and (becoming) irrelevant.
And it doesn't cost a nickel to be somewhat conversant about technology. You don't need to have an account on Facebook if you don't want to, but it's so pervasive today that you really should know what Facebook is about, and how Likes and Shares work and how Facebook privacy works (or doesn't). Joining Facebook is free. twitter is free. Reddit is free. You could read newspaper and magazine articles about how people are using smartphones or how Sony's PlayStation has been one of the few bright spots in the company's business lately or Apple became the most highly-capitalized company in the world. You can ask your son/daughter/niece if you can try to do something on their iPad. They'd be delighted to share, I'm sure. But you have to have the attitude that technology -- as rapidly changing as it is -- is more than a trend or fad that's going to drop out of favor someday. Technology is here and is becoming more pervasive. You can opt out -- but not without a cost.
Exactly Steve. Having an understanding of where the world is heading and how it will get there is free. You don't need to own any techie gizmo at all to be relevant. It truly is about attitude. If you find an allure with what the upcoming technology can do for you then great. If the knowledge does nothing more than allow you to converse with people who use it (that would be most people) then that's fine too.
It pays to remind ourselves that technology is only one aspect of who we are. Our culture involves all kinds of things that are constantly updated. New books, music, movies, comedy, Broadway shows, art, dance, etc. are created every day. Breakthroughs in math, physics, medicine, astronomy and all other branches of science are made every day. Language evolves to include references to all those in addition to technology. For me it's more a case of why would anyone NOT want to be a part of such a dynamic world???
It might also pay to remember that picking up something new doesn't mean you have to get rid of something old. Our brains aren't like our living rooms, they won't get overcrowded (even though it can feel that way sometimes). Just because you listen to Lana Del Rey or dubstep doesn't mean you can't still love Frank Sinatra.
If the idea of using new and changing technology just defeats someone
Hmmm...I DO appreciate all of these innovations but I pick and choose. And sometimes I force myself to learn something new but it is not a strong inclination for me. How in the world did we ever exist before all this stuff? What did we do with our time? I don't even remember.
Pinkytoe, you are making me think with the OP.
I find that I love the old and the new. Sometimes the new is coming faster and faster though.
What I find helpful is to be open to asking questions about the new. People love talking about the latest new item or service. So maybe I agree that it is an attitude that keeps one relevant.
Hmmm...I DO appreciate all of these innovations but I pick and choose. And sometimes I force myself to learn something new but it is not a strong inclination for me. How in the world did we ever exist before all this stuff? What did we do with our time? I don't even remember.
Speaking only for myself, I read more books then than I do now. Today, still reading, I get much of my information on line. Instead of emailing, I called or sent the occasional letter. For artistic inspiration, I photocopied pictures from library books, or bought the books themselves, rather than browsing Etsy or biology pages. Except for enjoying instant video (I just finished watching a bunch of protozoa clips on YouTube), MP3 downloads, and Beeline TV (talking heads in Italian!), and having much lower (by a factor of hundreds) phone bills, I don't see much difference.
Gardenarian
1-22-13, 7:30pm
hi pinkytoe -
I also decided not to get a smartphone. I do feel a little behind the times, and it's getting to be an expectation that you have GPS and whatnot, but what I would get from a smartphone does not justify the cost. (And once I had one, it might become a 'need'.) They are cool, but that's not enough.
When I'm hiking or gardening I don't want to be disturbed by a phone anyway. Like you said, "I would rather be outside gardening, looking at birds or plants than spending time on a device." I would rather know more about the natural world than what is the latest internet meme. That is what is relevant to me.
I read a lot and keep up with current events and I think tht is as current as I want to be.
You can do both. I've had smartphones since their inception, all employer provided, and use their features daily, although that doesn't stop me from doing other things.
We have a motorhome and a motorcycle and spend as much of our time as possible each year out exploring the wonders of this country. I like having the ability to snap a few quick photos at Arches National Park or Mesa Verde or Yellowstone and post them on Facebook while still there. I've also been known to do a quick Skype session with my grandsons while sitting in a campground with no amenities.
To me, it's not so much about keeping current as it is about enjoying technological marvels that didn't exist when I was younger (outside of Dick Tracy's wristphone).
I agree Alan, but I think it's funny that when I travel I never take any tech with me other then a cell phone - an old fashion flip phone of all things! I like being totally disconnected while I'm on a trip. I don't really know why but I find it peaceful and relaxing. But I definetly like to see what other's are doing, read their blogs and look at their pictures while they are travelling - even though I don't really like to do that myself.
As far as needing to be fluent and own all the available tech that is out there to be relevant and interesting, I don't agree with that at all. I thik the most relevant and interesting people I know are those who do interesting ad relevant things - whether they talk about it electronicly or not. It's what they do that makes them interesting, not the venue in which they talk about it.
ApatheticNoMore
1-22-13, 9:02pm
I would rather be outside gardening, looking at birds or plants than spending time on a device. Am I now irrelevant because I don't want to participate in that?
Pinky I'm irrelevant too. 30 something and already irrelevant. It's ok, I'm not all that in to pretending I'm 16 or 21 or something and super hip. And I think it's years of working in tech that burned me out of tech to this degree, plus my money is hard earned it seems, and thus not so easily spent (unlike the 16 year old buying all that new technology, my money does not come from the infinite funds in the bank of mom!). Since I must be locked away in darkness 40 hours a week, I like to get outside on the weekends when I can finally get some sun also!!!
Besides none of the nerds from my generation (I don't know about younger) actually respect social media and the like. No way, no how. It's something to look down on (especially the FB). That's being a proper nerd angling for some nerd cred. And any critique you hear of it is accurate. You don't have privacy. You are the product. It's the enclosure of the commons of the internet or whatever (which yes actually did exist for awhile). Cell phones can be used for constant tracking or your location. Etc., etc.. Everyone has given up privacy, let's their marketing data be collecting and I'm doubtful it's a conscious choice, it doesn't look much like a choice at all.
I agree that it's not hard to experiment with some of the technology, but if it's free you are the product :) - and you should probably try it first with a pseudonym. Really that's how I'd advise anyone to try it so stuff isn't out there right under their name even.
I don't have nor do I wish for a Smartphone either. I don't feel it makes us irrelevant, just "not out there". FB and tweeting and all that stuff just put you out there, constantly popping up here and there, saying "Look at me!" I have a cellphone for phone calls, and a laptop for internet. GPS? No one knows how to read maps anymore (and they're usually my passenger and totally useless to me if we're lost).
My life is my own and I have no need to share on FB or blog about it to anyone who will read it. It may be boring to some, but I like it that way. Hopefully people I meet and talk to will have more interesting things to discuss than their phones, apps, blogs, etc.
I'm relevant to those who are important to me, and that's all that matters.
I must say I looove my new phone. I am doing so much with my diet and even my budget because I have instant access to recording my eating and my exercise. It has been an issue the last 5 years that my weight crept up and I am happy to have this tool. I got the phone however when i could afford it and the bill, not when my friends all got theirs.
Can i say one other thing I really like, I can get about anything on you tube, hook up a projector and speakers to my laptop and we have an interesting lesson. We watched the march on Washington with the I Have a Dream speech last week. Even kindergartners stayed in full attention, then they read books with the teachers and made so many more connections. I didn't have to go on a wait list at the library for ages to show the kids real and relevant history. Over summer we watched the moon landing as well.
Most of it I pick and choose, but I reasonably know that it exists and that is okay
awakenedsoul
1-22-13, 9:51pm
I'm not into FB or any of that stuff, either. I have a page on Facebook from when I had my business, but it just has the general information, nothing else. I haven't gone on it. I enjoy using my computer and the Internet for reading, research, etc. I'm a private person, so I have no desire to blog about my personal life or post photos of myself online. I have a Jitterbug cell phone, and I plan to learn how to use the camera, email photos, etc. But, I find I am more interested in working on the sweater that I'm knitting. I've just learned several new techniques, and so I've been spending several hours a day following this brilliant pattern and seeing my sweater take shape. I'm much happier and more balanced when I'm off of technology. I feel agitated and irritable if I spend more than an hour or two a day on the computer. I prefer to be around people in person who stimulate me artistically, mentally, and creatively. I get depressed if my relationships are just on line. I do think it's great to be able to use the tools. My mom is in her seventies and has an ipad. My dad is in his eighties and uses the Internet regularly. One thing I remind myself is, it's not that hard. For me, it's just taking the time to learn it, and practice. For current events, I just read the headlines on the Internet and follow the top stories once. Much healthier for me than seeing violence on t.v. over and over. I also love to read library books. It stimulates me and inspires me. Everyone's different. I'm happiest doing my art...(used to be dancing, now it's knitting.)
Yes, but we're all more or less connected here, aren't we? We're talking about people who refuse to accept new-fangled technology at all and get left farther and farther behind. There are all kinds of ways of staying current, engaged, open to new ideas, and alive. Technology--at least on a basic level--is a major factor in doing that in the here and now.
iris lily
1-22-13, 10:11pm
Technology works for me or else it's not part of my life.
I hate my cell phone (not a smart phone) it's a carbuncle on me. I don't have a use for it. Each week I have to remember to charge it "in case" I need it yet I never do need it. Today I went into work and found the note on Outlook "Charge Your phone" and when I went to look for my phone--surprise!--I hadn't picked it up from last Tuesday's charging session, it was still hooked up. If someone had tried to call me I didn't have a phone for one week.
I would like mobile access to the web but don't want to do that via phone. I want a keyboard. I am stuck on the web, but am not interested in social media.
I will say that in order to participate in hobby groups you need to use email. I'm tired of the generation older than me who will not "do" email.
I was thinking about this topic on the way in and noticing how impatient drivers are - speeding, racing to red lights, changing lanes, etc. I think one of the downfalls of technology for our culture is that we now expect instantaneous results and that makes many of us very impatient in our daily lives. Waiting for anything is not tolerable anymore and efforts that require patience are diminishing. Just some thoughts...
Blackdog Lin
1-23-13, 1:51pm
(1) I am very irrelevant, mostly out of all current loops; and (2) I don't care.
Gardenarian
1-23-13, 6:03pm
(1) I am very irrelevant, mostly out of all current loops; and (2) I don't care.
+1
Yes, but we're all more or less connected here, aren't we? We're talking about people who refuse to accept new-fangled technology at all and get left farther and farther behind. There are all kinds of ways of staying current, engaged, open to new ideas, and alive. Technology--at least on a basic level--is a major factor in doing that in the here and now.Gosh darn young whippersnappers and their new fangled whatchmacallits!!
I agree and disagree with you. I agree that by refusing to even use new technology that people may left out of certain aspects of life. However, I don't think that means that they are necessarily more current - it all depends on how you use tech. If I spend all my time at this site for instance, and never utilize the internet for more then that, then I am probably way more clueless as to what is going on in the world then someone who reads a daily paper or listens to the A.M. radio. And I may be even less involved with other aspects of life if say I was spending a large percentage of my time online talking with "friends" rather then getting together with them IRL. So like any tool, technology can make your life better - or worse - depending on exactly how it's used. As far as relavency - well I don't know what that means. I'm relevent although I use very little technology, and never have and probably never will - at least not like those young-uns of today what with their fancy new do-dads :-)!
Did anyone see that 60 Minutes (?) show where they took away all conncetivity tech (smart phones, laptops, etc...) for a week from 4 early 20's female roommates? All they had for that week was an old fashioned cell phone for calls (no e-mail or internet connectivity). It was really interesting to see both the pitfalls (they didn't know how to read a map because always had GPS so got lost) and the benefits (when waiting for friends in a bar, instead of spending that time texting or twitting, they talked to bar patrons - one even met a cute guy - something they never did before). They said it was really great to be less connected and really enhanced other aspects (RL connections) in their lives. But of course the moment they got their smart phone back they went right back to their online world and could barely hold a conversation with the news person.
By having access to the internet, I have so much information at my fingertips, at home, anytime I want. I think anyone who refuses to use it is missing out on so much. Texting, tweeting, etc. are things that you can live without.
The ability to speak and spell correctly doesn't seem to be important anymore now that everything is abbreviated while texting. What will our future reading material look like?
The ability to read a map is something everyone should be able to do, whether they use it or not.
Did anyone see that 60 Minutes (?) show where they took away all conncetivity tech (smart phones, laptops, etc...) for a week from 4 early 20's female roommates? All they had for that week was an old fashioned cell phone for calls (no e-mail or internet connectivity). It was really interesting to see both the pitfalls (they didn't know how to read a map because always had GPS so got lost) and the benefits (when waiting for friends in a bar, instead of spending that time texting or twitting, they talked to bar patrons - one even met a cute guy - something they never did before). They said it was really great to be less connected and really enhanced other aspects (RL connections) in their lives. But of course the moment they got their smart phone back they went right back to their online world and could barely hold a conversation with the news person.
Reminds me of that PBS series from several years ago when they "transplanted" ordinary families back to living in the 19th century. In their cases, it meant giving up running water, cooking on a wood stove, washing clothes with a tub and a washboard, and being limited to wherever you could go with a horse and carriage. Those families went back to their indoor plumbing, modern kitchens, and cars as soon as they could too, though I'm sure with at least a short change of perspective and appreciation for modern life.
New technology does not have to have transistors in it. The past is littered with people who saw no need for automatic washing machines and televisions.
ApatheticNoMore
1-24-13, 2:12pm
Much of that technology is really just marketing anyway. The point of FB is to collect your personal data to market to you. Should be called "Marketing Data Collector Book". And it's really a step backward from blogging and newsgroups, seems to me, because it inserts a useless middle man. While more and more advanced cell phones are mostly just marketing themselves, constant connectivity to the internet, you really need that? I'm a lot more sympathetic to someone who keeps up on the latest scientific discoveries and so on, that's the exploration of the universe afterall, not just this quarters plan to increase profits.
Reminds me of that PBS series from several years ago when they "transplanted" ordinary families back to living in the 19th century. In their cases, it meant giving up running water, cooking on a wood stove, washing clothes with a tub and a washboard, and being limited to wherever you could go with a horse and carriage. Those families went back to their indoor plumbing, modern kitchens, and cars as soon as they could too, though I'm sure with at least a short change of perspective and appreciation for modern life.
New technology does not have to have transistors in it. The past is littered with people who saw no need for automatic washing machines and televisions.I saw that show too. One thing I remember is how each of the various family members became much closer to each other. How, when they went back to their big houses and regular lives, they were all very saddened to see that the closeness they had was going away. So my point is that what you do with technolgy, rather then the technology itself, is going to determine exactly how relevant your life is - to yourself as well as the people you want to share your life with. I'm not trashing technology per se - trust me I'm a lover of all tech that makes my life easier and my life a lot less work - but don't think a person, or their life on this planet, is any less relevant or important or useful or needed, then someone with a smartphone or I-Pad. And in some cases, depending on the amount of time they are engaged in tech-voyerism, they may be less relevent.
early 20's females
I just returned from a faculty lecture at the university where I work. I couldn't help but notice (because I thought it was rude) how many of this demographic were texting away under their desks while he spoke.
I think there is a very addictive quality to remaining technologically relevant.
I just returned from a faculty lecture at the university where I work. I couldn't help but notice (because I thought it was rude) how many of this demographic were texting away under their desks while he spoke.
I think there is a very addictive quality to remaining technologically relevant. And texting while driving - a big problem with younger people. The only thing that makes me happy about people texting so much is that it is silent. I HATE it when I am somewhere in public and people are endless yapping on their cell phones. Now with texting and other online things that can be done with phones, people sit silently typing and reading rather then talking non stop. Again, I think technology in all it's forms are wonderful but I just don't think that a person who chooses not to use a smartphone for all their communication needs (or to really communitcate electronicly all the time either) is an irrelevant person. Or that they will be left behind in the dust. I once learned DOS and Fortran et al a million years ago because it was the only way to operate a computer. Now it just keeps getting easier and more user friendly that by the time I'm an official old foggie, it'll be so easy even a non-tech savy person like me will be able to keep up without much effort or learning involved. I probably won't be anymore connected to the world electronicly then I am now though.
My friend's son, an electrician, is relocating and checking out the job market. Home Depot, for one, no longer accepts hard-copy applications; everything is done on-line. I suspect that's true of many employers now. Basic computer skills are not negotiable.
Blackdog Lin
1-26-13, 9:07pm
Texting-while-driving - what in the world is in these young people's minds, to think they can divert that much attention from being safe on the road, to communicating their totally unimportant thoughts/plans/actions to their friends? This part of the new technology, I just don't get.
(I'm biased, as my brother was killed last year by a teenage texter-while-behind-the-wheel. You hear of this stuff, and think "well, that's terrible", but when it hits home, it has some power to really piss you off.....)
Texting-while-driving - what in the world is in these young people's minds, to think they can divert that much attention from being safe on the road, to communicating their totally unimportant thoughts/plans/actions to their friends? This part of the new technology, I just don't get.
(I'm biased, as my brother was killed last year by a teenage texter-while-behind-the-wheel. You hear of this stuff, and think "well, that's terrible", but when it hits home, it has some power to really piss you off.....)
I don't get that either, and I avoid texters assiduously on the road. I pull over if I encounter one; they drive just like drunks. I'm so sorry about your brother.
awakenedsoul
1-27-13, 1:14pm
It's true that they drive like drunks. It's an addiction. They are preoccupied. I have to be very cautious when riding my bike. Now I've been seeing people that age wearing headphones and texting while riding a bike! (They don't even watch the traffic.)
My friend's son, an electrician, is relocating and checking out the job market. Home Depot, for one, no longer accepts hard-copy applications; everything is done on-line. I suspect that's true of many employers now. Basic computer skills are not negotiable.
That's true. It's actually getting harder and harder to go without a computer (or access to one even if you don't own one or have internet access at home) as now so many things are done online. I have been trying to find tax booklets but will have to order them by phone or will probably just look at them online (reducing paper and mail needs are always a good thing). I'll still do my taxes by hand as always (usually don't even have to file as my "taxable" income is usual low enough to be in the zero tax brackett) but sold a house last year so have those pesky capital gains taxes to pay. Schedule D here I come...if I can find the forms and booklet somewhere that is :-)! But yeah, getting harder and hard to be a Ludditte in this world.
Schedule D here I come...if I can find the forms and booklet somewhere that is :-)
Spartana, around here libraries have the forms and booklets. Well, they used to as of a few years ago; I'm thinking they still do. Not every one is doing their taxes electronically or on-line.
Continuing on the thread about boomers, their children and stuff...it was brought up that one must remain current to be relevant and interesting. How does one balance that with the fact that it costs money (sometimes quite a bit) to remain so? Or if one just isn't all that interested in technology? I have made the decision not to invest in a smart phone because I really can't justify the expense at this point....
I don't have a FB account, a smart phone, and don't IM, twitter, or tweet. I don't think this makes me less "relevant". However, I do see technology fitting into simple living if it is used well. I do online shopping which saves me time and often money. I love google earth which not only helps me with directions, but is fun and interesting. I had letters from ancestors in Wales dated in the early 1900's and was able to actually see the towns and tops of the row houses where they may have lived and have also used it to find hiking trails that didn't show on maps. I use Excel spread sheets and data bases to track information collected from one of my volunteer programs and manage some money accounts online. These sorts of things have kept me current with some basic technology without a huge expense and have probably saved time so I can do other things.
I don't think not having face book, IM, or a smart phone makes me any less relevant than, say, not knowing what computer game is most popular. There is such a choice of ways to communicate these days that it seems to me like anything beyond emails, a land line and an inexpensive pay as you go phone have diminishing returns. And there is always free Skype for those who want more. There are people who want or need more expensive options for their careers or to fit in with peers and family, but I don't think they are a requirement to be current.
ToomuchStuff
1-31-13, 11:48pm
Spartana, around here libraries have the forms and booklets. Well, they used to as of a few years ago; I'm thinking they still do. Not every one is doing their taxes electronically or on-line.
I haven't looked in a few years, but my local libraries had started going to printing the forms from downloads or discs, while others had forms on hand.
As someone who is not a Windows or Mac user, I fall out of the specs for the free electronic filing, and the forms are not standardized for all generic pdf programs (acrobat is further behind, for Linux, and isn't even available for my distro (think too out of date)). So I have to print off the one form, while the other, works with non adobe products.
As for pop (started to type puke) culture relevance, I don't have any. My sister may go on about what some person did, and I will hear more from a friend who works for that person, but I listen because it is a friend of mine that was there, not because of "x". I find more relevance in keeping the two separate, so I don't get harrased "can you get me an autograph".
There are people who want or need more expensive options for their careers or to fit in with peers and family, but I don't think they are a requirement to be current.
In almost all workplaces now, especially as younger emplyees move in, it is imperative to "keep up" with changing tech trends. What brought all this up in my mind is a quote taped to my younger co-worker's desk that says "those who refuse to change become irrelevant."
In almost all workplaces now, especially as younger emplyees move in, it is imperative to "keep up" with changing tech trends. What brought all this up in my mind is a quote taped to my younger co-worker's desk that says "those who refuse to change become irrelevant."
Absolutely. You don't have to master it. You just have to be open to it, at least outwardly. I was really lucky, because when I graduated from college I went right into a Katharine Gibbs office skills program. A lot of my career-minded female friends thought I was crazy. I spent many years as a secretary, and in 1985, it was my job to teach the executive secretaries at my company the Wang Word Processor. The ones who were about 50 year old and older were absolutely hopeless. Not sure what happened to those women actually, because those IBM Selectric typewriters were on their way out--fast.
The second group of people who had a hard time staying relevant were the ones who had depended on secretaries all those years. There are still a lot of them out there--my peers. Many of them--those who stay closed to change--are also pretty clueless. I pride myself on the fact that although my younger colleagues expect me to be just as clueless, they wind up surprised at my proficiency in all the office software. In fact, in many cases, I'm more proficient than they are, having been a Document Production Supervisor for a few years.
When I was trying to decide whether I should get a newer version of a Blackberry or get my first iPhone, I asked my daughter what she thought, and she told me the iPhone JUST BECAUSE it would be new technology that would require new brain cells. Kind of a backhanded way of saying "you better start worrying about your brain getting soft." But I did get the iPhone.
So being relevant in general--it's up to each of us to decide how much we want to stay in the game, but in the workplace, it is essential to at LEAST be open to it, and if you have to, fake it.
Spartana, around here libraries have the forms and booklets. Well, they used to as of a few years ago; I'm thinking they still do. Not every one is doing their taxes electronically or on-line.My library amd post offices use to carry them but no longer do. Only way to get hard copies of forms and instructions is to order them (online or via phone). So I just printed out the forms and will check the instructions online as needed. I actually DO have internet access at home now so can do them online if I want. Gee look at me - turning geekish with all that new fangled technology in my life :-)!
. The ones who were about 50 year old and older were absolutely hopeless. Not sure what happened to those women actually, because those IBM Selectric typewriters were on their way out--fast.
This reminds me of my Mom. Before marriage and kids she worked as a data processor on those old key punch machines (those cards with the holes). Once my Dad left us and she had to back to work after 15 years as a SAHP (she was around 45 then with 3 kids age 15 and younger) she was completely behind the times and couldn't find a job in her field. So she got a couple of factory jobs and went to night school to learn the new tech,and eventually got a decent job with decent pay. However, she absolutely hated it amd didn't want to spend all that time learning new tech - and constantly having to learn more - just to have a decent job. She was already over worked and over stressed from being a single parent, but having to keep current was overwhelming for her. So maybe those older women you worked with were in similair positions - divorced SAHM's who were forced back into the work force so that they can take care of their familiies and provide a life for themselves. They are a lot more encumbered and have a lot more baggage (so to speak) and things to take care of then someone younger. So maybe they aren't hopeless - just tired and unmotivated and would rather do other things in their lives then spend all their free time learning ever changing technology.
So maybe they aren't hopeless - just tired and unmotivated and would rather do other things in their lives then spend all their free time learning ever changing technology.
Yes, what you say is true.. I also think they were stubbornly in the camp of "what's wrong with the way we do things now?" mainly because of the threat that technology had on their own self-image and status in the corporate culture. I remember one woman in particular who was a stellar executive secretary to the president, and she kept saying "This is ridiculous! I could have typed this letter 5 times by now!"
She was reacting to the fact that she couldn't understand the concept of putting a cursor just after the word and then backspacing to delete. I think it was terrifying to her that she wanted to understand, but just couldn't. I do think that the brain wiring of our children and grandchildren is different from ours because of the early introduction of technology. It's just like learning a language--after a certain age, those dendrites are just not there.
My 76 year old mother now has a smart phone and a facebook account and is getting fairly comfortable with new tech. Her only real motivation was to keep up with all her grandkids. She doesn't particularly care whether she's hip or not, but for her the technology allows her to easily do something that means a great deal to her. In my mind she has always been relevant because she is engaged in the modern world. The technology is only a method by which she facilitates that.
Olt.com
They worked well for us the last 2 years. Cost less than $30 a year for both federal and state returns, and that included my payment for them to mail me a paper copy, cause we didn't have easy access to a printer.
She was reacting to the fact that she couldn't understand the concept of putting a cursor just after the word and then backspacing to delete. I think it was terrifying to her that she wanted to understand, but just couldn't. Ha Ha! yeah I can see that. Back before Windows, when I was a young-un, I took a DOS class at a community college. There were almost all senior citizen there (65 plus I'd say) and they really struggled with learning it where as I just breezed thru it. I don't know if that was a younger person vs. older person thing (brain wirering or ease of grasping things) or just such a new concept that that it was hard for them to grasp even the basic idea of computers (and DOS is confusing anyways). I died of boredom with the class and thankfully Window came along and I never had to actually use a backslash c semi colon backslsh backslash again to boot up the Commadore 64 to play Pong on it :-)! OK it wasn't THAT far back.
Olt.com
They worked well for us the last 2 years. Cost less than $30 a year for both federal and state returns, and that included my payment for them to mail me a paper copy, cause we didn't have easy access to a printer.That's a great deal. I don't itemize so can generally do the 1040 A and throw few numbers in it and take that standard deduction and am done. Maybe 10 minutes of work. I really do keep my financial life very simple. And because most of my "taxable" income is under $10K/year, I am in the zero tax bracket so usually don't even bother filing.
Ha Ha! yeah I can see that. Back before Windows, when I was a young-un, I took a DOS class at a community college. There were almost all senior citizen there (65 plus I'd say) and they really struggled with learning it where as I just breezed thru it. I don't know if that was a younger person vs. older person thing (brain wirering or ease of grasping things) or just such a new concept that that it was hard for them to grasp even the basic idea of computers (and DOS is confusing anyways). I died of boredom with the class and thankfully Window came along and I never had to actually use a backslash c semi colon backslsh backslash again to boot up the Commadore 64 to play Pong on it :-)! OK it wasn't THAT far back.
In an article about the aging brain and sleeplessness, a New York Times reporter looked at research that suggests that age related shrinkage in the pre-frontal cortex makes it increasingly hard to consolidate new memories. We can still learn, but it is more difficult to remember new learning.
I think older people experience themselves struggling to retain, say, the fact that back spacing erases the error in typing.
Then, perhaps, they get anxious or angry. Emotion further interferes with retention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/health/brain-aging-linked-to-sleep-related-memory-decline.html
ToomuchStuff
2-2-13, 3:55pm
My 76 year old mother now has a smart phone and a facebook account and is getting fairly comfortable with new tech. Her only real motivation was to keep up with all her grandkids. She doesn't particularly care whether she's hip or not, but for her the technology allows her to easily do something that means a great deal to her. In my mind she has always been relevant because she is engaged in the modern world. The technology is only a method by which she facilitates that.
For some, tech is toys, for others, it is a tool. While there is a fairly common age correlation, it isn't the only factor. I know older people who game, whether computer, or Wii, while others such as myself, have other things we would rather be doing.
Ha Ha! yeah I can see that. Back before Windows, when I was a young-un, I took a DOS class at a community college. There were almost all senior citizen there (65 plus I'd say) and they really struggled with learning it where as I just breezed thru it. I don't know if that was a younger person vs. older person thing (brain wirering or ease of grasping things) or just such a new concept that that it was hard for them to grasp even the basic idea of computers (and DOS is confusing anyways). I died of boredom with the class and thankfully Window came along and I never had to actually use a backslash c semi colon backslsh backslash again to boot up the Commadore 64 to play Pong on it :-)! OK it wasn't THAT far back.
I think it's age; a co-worker of mine reported the exact same phenomenon in a keyboard class. Everything slows down, it seems. Annoying.
If you really want to confuse people, be someone who is technically literate, but yet likes the old-fashioned way of doing some things. I still do handwritten letters. My kitchen is very low tech (I don't have a microwave, which a large number of people just can't get their brains around). I do both paper and eBooks. I read the news online, but also still read the newspaper. No TV (although I do watch some things online), and love radio.
Yet, I'm very computer literate (both Windows and Mac), can train people on both Android and iPhone, etc.
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