Technophobia

[Vincent]

I've just spent about half an hour on the phone to my Dad trying to help him play a DVD that he got for Christmas Having poor sight and the tiny writing on the remotes certainly doesn't help but he is a complete technophobe and always has been. When I was little, if ever there was any work that needed doing in the house or with the car, my Mum did it as my Dad was quite incapable. In fact, my Mum once cut three fingers off on a small circular saw while fitting new splash boards in the kitchen I'm not sure how much of this was down to my Mum being an impatient control freak who wore the trousers in our house or if my Dad just was genuinely unable to learn.
So, why is it that some people just can't seem to perform the simplest technical task? As someone that gets by doing most practical things myself, I just can't fathom it I once worked with someone who couldn't screw a nut and bolt together - literally but most technophobes must have a real problem now with the amount of electronics used on a day-to-day basis.
Any technophobes here? Any interesting technophobic tales to tell?

BTW: After 30, hair pulling mins on the phone, we never did get round to being able to play the DVD
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Space Is Deep

[U_W v2.0]

Does he drive?

If so its not an inablity to learn, its unwillingness.

Some people take forever to learn how to do something, but patients and perseverance helps.
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BCF's biggest cunt list: Cansa, Pits, Rob

[fatpies]

Its not so simple.

In education we call them digital immigrants vs digital natives.

Kiddies of the 80s and 90s grew up with these things therefore it is native and normalised to them, they amass their 10,000 hours of practice and use quickly. Dispatch riders get 10,000 riding hours quickly. Add in the 10,000 hour rule, where you need at least 1000 to become competent.

It is an almost identical situation as if you were to fly to Peking and live there. Being unable to read signs and do the daily things people take for granted. Because you're an immigrant.


While tech of today we might be able to use well and be natives. The next big thing we'll probably be completely clueless about.
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"It's easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It's a lot more difficult to perform one"

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

My Mum has just got an ipad. The sports watch I got her for xmas still hasn't been setup.

I reckon it'll take 3-4hrs of tuition...for the watch.

My 92yr old Nan(RIP x) had no problems when she upgraded her telly to digital nor her mobile phone. She had beautiful handwriting and used her calligraphy on our Birthday cards, letters etc, so it came as a bit of a surprise when she went all 'text speak' in her phone messages.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[U_W v2.0]

[Vincent]

It makes sense that our ability/inability to do practical things is affected by what we pick up in our childhood. My Dad was brought up in quite a rough area of Leeds and his parents had decided at a young age that he was going to work in an office and not slog his guts out in a factory or a mine so this could explain why he never picked up any practical skills.

Good luck with the ipad lessons HT I got my Dad the simplest touch screen phone I could find but, after about 3 years, he's still none the wiser As for the TV, he's spent most of his time since retired in front of it, but still can't use any controls on the remotes other than on/off and volume. He won't even use the "up/down" button to browse channels, he'll put each number in individually

UW - He does drive, at least he did, but didn't pass his test until he was about 40 and wouldn't drive much.
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Space Is Deep

[Vincent]

[Rigga]

This is my mate, he doesn't change light bulbs or hang pictures on his wall. He just gets his dadto do it all.

[Rigga]

This is my mate, he doesn't change light bulbs or hang pictures on his wall. He just gets his dadto do it all.

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

She was the secretary at the local girlschool before she retired aged 60.
She was a superb human being.

[edit] Rigga, you are displaying signs of a techno-mong.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Rigga]

This is my mate, he doesn't change light bulbs or hang pictures on his wall. He just gets his dadto do it all.

[bazza]

IME, there's no particular age restriction on being a technobiff. Some even seem to take pride in the fact - "Oh, I don't know anything about computers, it's all far too complicated and I'm far too busy to learn."

ORLY? Would you brag about the fact that you were illiterate and refuse to do anything about it?
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"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[daemonoid]

[The Artist]

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NqX9_yLNOqE/UMOYhVUW0xI/AAAAAAAAahk/Pb1HNk2XrTs/s1600/simpsons.png

[Vincent]

It definitely gets harder to learn new stuff as you get older. IIRC, brain cells stop reproducing when you're 35 so it's all downhill after that

I didn't get my first PC 'till I was about 40ish - it was a bit daunting at first and I can understand why some people just give up. It gets easier as you go though.
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Space Is Deep

[Bendy]

People do it about all sorts of things - can't cook, can't check the oil, can't change a bulb, can't work the washing machine... They seem to take some twisted pride in being useless.

[Vincent]

[U_W v2.0]

[Vincent]

Ja...toddlers pick stuff up really easy, I wish I'd have taught my son French as well as English when he was learning to speak.
A tip there for any future parents
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Space Is Deep

[bazza]

[Vincent]

[stinkwheel]

You get refuesnicks too.

There are some aspects of technology I have decided I can happily do without. If someone hands me an iphone to make a phone call on, I have no idea how to do so. They have to dial the number and hand it to me when it's ringing, I hand it back when I'm finished.

I don't have a smart phone for example. I don't watch broadcast TV. I have never had satellite TV.

I do not participate in online social networking.

I really do not like touch screens of any sort or the interfaces assosciated with them.

I don't use windows-based operating systems except where I have to for work.

I'm sure I could handle any of the above tech if I wanted to learn how to. I just don't want to.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[daemonoid]

[Derivative]

[MarJay]

My nephew is 18 months old. He can't speak properly yet, he just has one or two words. He waddles rather than walks, and yet he can strip down and rebuild a train that his grandparents bought him with a little screwdriver that is designed for it. Its only an early learning centre widget, but he's 18 months old FFS!

His mum is an artist by nature and made money as a professional Nanny before having him. His father is a kind of accounts consultant and writes business cases for industry and banks. Neither of them are particularly practical, and yet my nephew is going to end up being a mechanical Engineer.

If an 18 month old can strip down and rebuild the ELC train with nuts and bolts on it, and yet some people can't put a nut onto a bolt... what does that say about them?
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.