People not "in tune" with technology

[Owyn_Merrilin]

i bet an electrician also thinks its crazy that not everyone can rewire a plug...

It kind of is. Everyone should know the really basic maintenance things -- minor plumbing like how to change the flush valve and wax ring on a toilet, minor electrical stuff like how to wire up a light fixture, basic car maintenance like checking your fluids and keeping them topped off, basic computer stuff like how to frickin' use them (you don't have to know how to do hardware level repairs, but you should at least understand the software you use daily.) If you have to call a specialist, it should be because either something major has gone wrong -- like a broken water main -- or you're adding something major, like running an entirely new electrical outlet from the breaker box to a new part of the house. And before you go "well, do you know all that stuff?" Yes, I do. All that and more. It's basic care and maintenance of your own property, and it saves you oodles of cash in the long run.

 

[Dimitriov]

The thing is computers are merely an accessory to most peoples lives that make them easier. They are not needed and are not really very important

How you can even say that with a straight face is beyond me, computers are (not my opinion, fact) one of the most important things ever created. Not needed or important? There's really not much else I can say if you truly think that.

You are operating under an embarrassing misconception which I must point out. Computers are not important to humanity. At all. Zero.

They ARE important to the civilization and culture that we belong to. There is an important difference.

And yeah, it is just your opinion (though it is hardly one that is unique to you).

 

[elvor0]

Sewing a shirt isn't important? Last I checked you wore clothes too. Clothes that someone else made, whether it be a machine someone designed or a little starving boy in a third world country.

From one computer geek to another, stop trying to inflate your sense of self worth. Just help the person fix their shit and move on.

In the grand scheme of things, no, it's not worth much compared to computing. If I have an inflated sense of self worth, you have a severe lack of understanding of where things lie in order of importance. Computers are what humanity is and will use to advance themselves, shirts do no such thing. They advance nothing, they are nice to have sure, and they certainly have their place, but that place is not in this argument.

Scientists are the thing that will make humanity advance. Computers are their tool.
Some guy who sells bananas or signs files does not need to know things on the computer beyond the basics.
Did you learn how your entire house is built because you wanted to nail something to a wall? Did you study language so you could clearly understand why everything is where it is?
Because both of those are pretty important. Sure as hell more than computers, And neither is necessary to learn for simple, daily use.

You're blowing things out of proportion, being able to basically use a computer is not equal to being able to build a house.

Hammer a Nail in = Drag and drop a folder

Building a house = high level coding

This isn't about people saying you should know how to code and be a computer genius, it's about people who routinely use computers yet still manage to break them all the time because they throw reasoning and logic out the window any time they attempt to use one.

 

[AnnaIME]

People have a limited amount of time and energy.

When I was younger, I learned all the computer stuff I needed, built my own computers and so on - and in those days, there was no such thing as "plug and play". If you youngsters even know what that means (see also: "Asking fish about water"). Then came work, and a family, and laundry, and a garden, and a household budget, and there were some interests other than computers and gaming. Of course I can still learn what I need as I go along, but it takes time and energy. Unless I get results reasonably fast, I hand it over to my husband who does those sorts of things professionally. He does this too, for things where I am more proficient: sewing, cooking, important writing, and so on. Sure, my husband is perfectly capable of fixing the length of new trousers himself. It's just so much quicker to let me do it, and the results are more consistent.

Specializing saves time.



(But gaaaaaah for all the times my father-in-law calls for computer help. He has many, many admirable skills, but reading all the words in an error message isn't one of them.)

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Reminds me of people utilizing the easy-as-hell self explanatory touch screen kiosk at work. A lot of the time, they'd just flip out and grab some random salesperson to help them. "I don't know how to operate that stuff." Really? Then how did you manage to drive here? Did someone start your car for you? Buckle you in?

 

[TIMESWORDSMAN]

People still can't "type", I see tons of people pecking the keys. 20, 30, 40 words per minute.

Is this not embarrassing as hell? Apparently not to most people, I get the impression none of them understand the importance.

Okay, I see where you're coming from on this, but a lot of people can't "type" and still use computers very well. I'm one of them, actually.

I can't speed around the keyboard, snapping in a hundred words a minute. But I know how to maintain my computer, how to keep it healthy and quick. What programs to install, what to uninstall. What MSConfig is, and how to use it.
Every time start up my computer, the first thing I open is Task Manager, and I know what most processes and services do, and which ones have their process trees ended.

My point is, typing is a pretty narrow field for technological adeptness.

 

[Rayne870]

Growing up, at least 2/3rds of the people I "knew" in school, and or anywhere, could not operate a computer at a self-reliant state. This includes, parents, siblings, friends.

I've noticed that the same thing is still going on, people in late middle school, high school, and certainly even college cannot functionally run a computer.

No, I don't consider turning it on and using the web browser and using Microsoft Word to be functional.

People still can't "type", I see tons of people pecking the keys. 20, 30, 40 words per minute.

Is this not embarrassing as hell? Apparently not to most people, I get the impression none of them understand the importance.

This is just computers. People still spell blu-ray with E. People still use passwords like "happy".

There is something to be said if you of a certain older age and find it difficult, but beside that, where is everyone else's excuse?

I just find it all so absurd and nothing is being done and no one seems to care that no one can operate one of the most important tools humanity has at even a basic level.

You hit the nail on the head right there, I can understand older people not working well with computers, but when I see a 23 year old nursing student that doesn't know how to install Itunes but has her own laptop that daddy bought her, I cringe...

EDIT: Also had a college professor that had a panic attack when she accidentally cut text from a word document she was showing on the projector. She also had no understanding of the URL bar and how to navigate from the college homepage to youtube.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

i bet an electrician also thinks its crazy that not everyone can rewire a plug...

It kind of is. Everyone should know the really basic maintenance things -- minor plumbing like how to change the flush valve and wax ring on a toilet, minor electrical stuff like how to wire up a light fixture, basic car maintenance like checking your fluids and keeping them topped off, basic computer stuff like how to frickin' use them (you don't have to know how to do hardware level repairs, but you should at least understand the software you use daily.) If you have to call a specialist, it should be because either something major has gone wrong -- like a broken water main -- or you're adding something major, like running an entirely new electrical outlet from the breaker box to a new part of the house. And before you go "well, do you know all that stuff?" Yes, I do. All that and more. It's basic care and maintenance of your own property, and it saves you oodles of cash in the long run.

You know what? Its people like you that give the nerdy/geeky people a bad name. You swan around acting superior to others because you went out your way to learn something that most people don't need to know about... I learnt to wire a plug at school, a few years later my sister didn't... the syllabus had changed, and it was deemed that plugs are so trustworthy nowadays that it is no longer needed..

Similar to that, I can also do the stuff you mentioned, but my other half who has an english masters (I don't have a degree) can't... this is an aptitude thing, not an inteligence thing! Some people are better at people skills and forming well constructed arguements, where as some people are good at maths and science... the world needs both... live with it!!

So what if my Doctor/nurse can't touch type.
. as long as they can cure me I don't give a flying fuck!!!

 

[soitgoes19]

You don't necessarily need to be "computer smart" to know how to use computers, really. All you really need is to know how to problem solve and use google.

Google is in itself, a bit of a skill. One that many, of course, don't know how to do but should know. Need proof? Look at Yahoo Answers. *cringe*

I agree with that sentiment. When I was in college I had a friend that would type entire sentences into Google and then wondered how I managed to find helpful articles/research so much faster. I had to explain that Google doesn't 'answer' actual questions, it just gives you the most relevant results based on whatever keywords you enter. I've also taught many of my peers how to filter out certain keywords from their search results, and that Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V are the command keys for copying & pasting (which isn't a google skill at all, but I still felt like mentioning it).

 

[Vicarious Reality]

My dad could not comprehend the amount of stuff that was on his hard drive
I told him it was some amount like 20% and he still asked if he should delete it
It was so confusing i am having trouble just describing it

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

i bet an electrician also thinks its crazy that not everyone can rewire a plug...

It kind of is. Everyone should know the really basic maintenance things -- minor plumbing like how to change the flush valve and wax ring on a toilet, minor electrical stuff like how to wire up a light fixture, basic car maintenance like checking your fluids and keeping them topped off, basic computer stuff like how to frickin' use them (you don't have to know how to do hardware level repairs, but you should at least understand the software you use daily.) If you have to call a specialist, it should be because either something major has gone wrong -- like a broken water main -- or you're adding something major, like running an entirely new electrical outlet from the breaker box to a new part of the house. And before you go "well, do you know all that stuff?" Yes, I do. All that and more. It's basic care and maintenance of your own property, and it saves you oodles of cash in the long run.

You know what? Its people like you that give the nerdy/geeky people a bad name. You swan around acting superior to others because you went out your way to learn something that most people don't need to know about... I learnt to wire a plug at school, a few years later my sister didn't... the syllabus had changed, and it was deemed that plugs are so trustworthy nowadays that it is no longer needed..

Similar to that, I can also do the stuff you mentioned, but my other half who has an english masters (I don't have a degree) can't... this is an aptitude thing, not an inteligence thing! Some people are better at people skills and forming well constructed arguements, where as some people are good at maths and science... the world needs both... live with it!!

So what if my Doctor/nurse can't touch type.
. as long as they can cure me I don't give a flying fuck!!!

I find it funny that you say that. The stuff I listed is mostly stuff that geeks usually don't deign to bother with, they tend to see it as beneath their notice. This isn't an aptitude thing, it's not an intelligence thing, it's not even a time thing. It's a basic life skills thing.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

My school made us type with orange covers on so we'd have to touchtype. We were in second grade.
Catholic school dicks.

Par for the course at Catholic school.

I don't touchtype and I'd quarter my speed if I tried, but years of typing (over 25 now) allows me to type about as fast as most touch-typists, and I use most of my fingers. Nothing beats my uncle, though. A journalist for years, he only typed with two fingers. But damn, did those two fingers MOVE!

I'm now picturing your uncle as Scotty in Star Trek IV.

 

[floppylobster]

I just find it all so absurd and nothing is being done and no one seems to care that no one can operate one of the most important tools humanity has at even a basic level.

I would think social interaction and the ability to understand each others' strengths and weaknesses as a society is a more important skill for humanity to master than the computer. I have no doubt there are many things that you are not skilled in that are vital for our survival as a race. Everybody has a part to play and each persons part is different.

That being said I can build a computer from scratch, do some programming and fix them when there are problems, (but I can't write an operating system). But none of that has made me a better person.

 

[Eri]

But none of that has made me a better person.

I would argue that it has. Sure, your personality might not be any better, but you, as a person, have become a greater human by having learned that knowledge.

 

[TWRule]

But none of that has made me a better person.

I would argue that it has. Sure, your personality might not be any better, but you, as a person, have become a greater human by having learned that knowledge.

...a person is not merely a collection of functions, nor a receptacle for information. I don't see your reasoning here.

 

[Eri]

But none of that has made me a better person.

I would argue that it has. Sure, your personality might not be any better, but you, as a person, have become a greater human by having learned that knowledge.

...a person is not merely a collection of functions, nor a receptacle for information. I don't see your reasoning here.

Which is why I mentioned personality? People have their personality and then there's the rest of them. Which is pretty much whatever knowledge they have.

 

[floppylobster]

But none of that has made me a better person.

I would argue that it has. Sure, your personality might not be any better, but you, as a person, have become a greater human by having learned that knowledge.

Well you'd be wrong. Because I have become a worse person and possibly done more harm to others with what I've done with that knowledge.

 

[DugMachine]

I wasn't all that good at typing until I started WoW tbh. Back when I had no knowledge of Ventrilo or other team speak services I had to type everything. And i'm glad for it... but typing fast is not a necessary skill so I don't understand your gripe.

Password thing I agree on. My mother uses my name LIKE WTF... and some numbers and stuff. Please don't hack my mum's accounts nice escapist people :3

Oh and hopefully you don't honestly think you're better than the average person for your computer knowledge. A car mechanic might know jack shit about computers but he can work an engine inside and out, more than you can say. I play multiple instruments and when friends try to play them their ineptitude can be annoying but I don't think of them any less because they can't play my guitar, piano, harmonica, or cello (even though I suck at cello lulz)