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A couple days ago I met a very successful businessman and entrepreneur. We got to talking about business and technology and how fast technology was advancing. He was telling me about his grandchildren and how fast they have adapted to new technology. His three-year-old grandson is very competent using a computer and iPad. Then told me that the younger generations may be very savy operating computers, but sometimes they are not trained to perform simple tasks like doing the laundry and cooking.

He is down visiting his daughter and one morning his grandson wanted a piece of toast, but didn't know how to use the toaster so he decided to teach him how to use a standard kitchen applicance to toast a slice of bread. After he carefully explained the process and showed him how to use the toaster, he told his grandson to try doing it himself. The youngster gave him a puzzled look and asked: "Do I put the bread in portrait or landscape?"

WildBill wrote:The youngster gave him a puzzled look and asked: "Do I put the bread in portrait or landscape?"

I just watched a "live-blog" of Amazon's press conference today. Their new Kindle Fire will have basically profiles for different children and the ability to restrict how much time can be spent on movies, games, and reading. Amazon is the first company to do something like this on their platform. People have been wanting something like this for the iPad. I imagine Apple will not be that far behind with it (who knows though, it took them a long time to get "copy and paste"). Tomorrow's technology will be more child-friendly. This won't be the first time you'll hear something as ridiculous as "Do I put the bread in portrait or landscape?"

portrait or landscape


Speaking of Newfangled Technology

I got this catalog in the mail
it has this ENERGY SAVING alarm clock

no electricity needed, but I didn't see the Energy Star Rating

no batteries are needed; NOT EVEN the rechargeable ones

It doesn't even use up the sun's solar power; I'm glad, I was worried we might run out if everyone uses it

it has a crank knob on the back; you just wind it up
it even has an alarm you can wind up
I checked the schematics, it uses a "Mainspring"

what will they think of next?

I bet Obama might invest billions of tax dollars in this innovative company with this "new" "Green" technology.

Thomas wrote:I just watched a "live-blog" of Amazon's press conference today. Their new Kindle Fire will have basically profiles for different children and the ability to restrict how much time can be spent on movies, games, and reading. Amazon is the first company to do something like this on their platform. People have been wanting something like this for the iPad. I imagine Apple will not be that far behind with it (who knows though, it took them a long time to get "copy and paste").

It may be the first to do so out of the box, but there are several parental control apps for android devices.

apostate wrote:

Thomas wrote:I just watched a "live-blog" of Amazon's press conference today. Their new Kindle Fire will have basically profiles for different children and the ability to restrict how much time can be spent on movies, games, and reading. Amazon is the first company to do something like this on their platform. People have been wanting something like this for the iPad. I imagine Apple will not be that far behind with it (who knows though, it took them a long time to get "copy and paste").

It may be the first to do so out of the box, but there are several parental control apps for android devices.

There are also "Restrictions" (parental control) on the iPhone, but I believe it's at the same level other devices have been at. This steps up the game. And maybe these people aren't the best parents, but I've read comments where people have said it will make it it easier to negotiate with their children (ie. only 15 minutes of games, then you have to read). And sharing one device between children will be easier because with the time limits, the device is useless once they meet it and they have to give it to their sibling.

Thomas wrote:There are also "Restrictions" (parental control) on the iPhone, but I believe it's at the same level other devices have been at. This steps up the game. And maybe these people aren't the best parents, but I've read comments where people have said it will make it it easier to negotiate with their children (ie. only 15 minutes of games, then you have to read). And sharing one device between children will be easier because with the time limits, the device is useless once they meet it and they have to give it to their sibling.

iOS 6 for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch will be introducing Guided Access which will (among other things) be giving parents more control over what functions their kids can access.

RPB wrote:portrait or landscape

We can expect to see many other such incursions into our daily language. The ironic part is that the child would understand that much better than "long side down."

RPB wrote:Speaking of Newfangled Technology

I got this catalog in the mail
it has this ENERGY SAVING alarm clock

no electricity needed, but I didn't see the Energy Star Rating

no batteries are needed; NOT EVEN the rechargeable ones

It doesn't even use up the sun's solar power; I'm glad, I was worried we might run out if everyone uses it

it has a crank knob on the back; you just wind it up
it even has an alarm you can wind up
I checked the schematics, it uses a "Mainspring"

what will they think of next?

I bet Obama might invest billions of tax dollars in this innovative company with this "new" "Green" technology.
[ Image ]

It has a major shortcoming in that you cannot set the alarm for more than 12 hours away.

I have attended many seminars over the years where the presenter warms up the crowd with a ten question test with answers that are "unanticipated" to encourage people to think outside the box or to demonstrate paradigm shifts. A lot of the answers feel like "gotchas" as you go through the test.

One of the questions that pops up over and over is also one that I use to gotcha the presenter back: "The year is 1955, it is about 8pm and you are very tired but you must be up at 9am the next day. You go to bed, setting your alarm for 9, how long will you be able to sleep before the alarm goes off?"

Of course most people used to today's technology will answer 13 hours, but the answer he is looking for is 1 hour because, according to him, the clock is a 12 hour clock and can only be set within the nearest 12 hours. The presenter is usually of the impression that there were only 12 hour clocks available in 1955.

The funny thing to me is that in 1955, for real, I actually had a 24 hour clock. I had had ham radio forced on my by my father, and I already thought in 24 hour time, and always have since. My alarm clock was a radio station "digital" clock that if you set it for 0900 at 2000 gave you a chance to rest 13 hours.

The presenter usually gets all puffed up at this point and tells me I am missing the whole point of the exercise, etc, etc, etc, at which point I tell him that if the exercise is poorly designed, then it's not getting the point across anyway.

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Anyway, I always wear my watch set for 24 hour time, and these days kids understand it when they look at it.

This summer I saw two different teenagers that couldn't read a 12 hour clock. That's bloody sad.

Thomas wrote:This summer I saw two different teenagers that couldn't read a 12 hour clock. That's bloody sad.

Was it analog or digital?

MeMelYup wrote:

Thomas wrote:This summer I saw two different teenagers that couldn't read a 12 hour clock. That's bloody sad.

Was it analog or digital?

Analog. I was able to tell one how to read it, don't know if it stuck with him or not, didn't get a chance to tell the other one.

Thomas wrote:

MeMelYup wrote:

Thomas wrote:This summer I saw two different teenagers that couldn't read a 12 hour clock. That's bloody sad.

Was it analog or digital?

Analog. I was able to tell one how to read it, don't know if it stuck with him or not, didn't get a chance to tell the other one.

I learned to tell time by the old-fashioned tried and true method: "When the big hand is on ... and the little hand is on ..."

Thomas wrote:And maybe these people aren't the best parents, but I've read comments where people have said it will make it it easier to negotiate with their children (ie. only 15 minutes of games, then you have to read). And sharing one device between children will be easier because with the time limits, the device is useless once they meet it and they have to give it to their sibling.

Or bully their sibling into giving up their time.