“Every
day, computers make people easier to use.”
Paulina
Borsook
(In
her book “Cyberselfish”)
‘Tis a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that if one
hadn’t acquired certain skills before mid-life, one has missed the possibility of
excelling in said skills.
Another way to put it is that if you didn’t learn to swim
before the age of forty-five, you may learn later but never be an excellent
swimmer. Same for driving, typing, reading, and of course, using digital tools.
There are individuals who transcend this truth, but they are very much the
exception.
I’m of the last generation who didn’t grow up with
computers. (Okay, Boomer!)
Perhaps that is why I resonate to the quotation at the top
of this post.
“Ah,” you sigh and roll your eyes. “Another oldie who grumbles
about computers.”
The thing is, I use computers every day and depend on
digital technology for almost everything. You see, I learned.
But watching others, I’m constantly reminded that while I’m
doing just fine, I’ll never be truly great at it.
Now I’m the one sighing back at you.
5 comments:
Well, I'll admit that I feel like every day I'm becoming more and more computer/technology ignorant. Using technology, I've created traditionally-published and self-published books that included puzzle graphics and illustrations, but the computer companies changed their programs and I would be hard pressed to do similar projects today. sigh
Ev, same here. My computer guru is constantly taking courses to upgrade his knowledge. But we taught M's 85-year-old uncle to use a computer and email and he loved it.
I feel the same way, Ev, and it might be that in my dotage I'll revert to making one-off picture books with crayons and markers for my grandkids, the way I did for my kiddos.
Ah, computers: can’t live without them anymore and sometimes can’t live with them. Like any relationship, we just keep learning and or give it up.
When I was working with much younger people, I really noticed the gap on how fast they picked up new technology. But I did learn quite a bit from them. It's a blessing and a curse in many ways. But I would not want to go back entirely to the days when you had to send your manuscript in a box and things like that.
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