Good Morning. Technologically Challenged

How in the world do we keep up with the new gadgets and technology? I see the commercials of how everything is linked together to the point that someone can lock their car doors and beep the horn with their cell phone while boarding an airplane. And, what is "the cloud"? How in the world does everything link together like that? I can't even get my printer to print 1/2 the time and it's plugged in and sitting right beside my desk top -- and forget about getting one of the lap tops on my home network to print remotely.

I need remedial training. That might be a good small business to start, you know? Those of us over 50 or so really need help with all the new gadgets and technology. We tend to keep machines longer and they become out of date and incompatible with new gadgets in what seems like the blink of an eye. I can definitely see where some of us old farts would be willing to pay someone to get our gadgets linked and teach us ```slowly``` how to use things, the logic behind how things works and what the dang instructions are trying to tell us. I think I'm at the point where I would pay someone to get my gadgets and systems linked and synchronized, and teach me and my hubby how to work all this techno-junk. I mean, I can't even get our DVD player to play a movie, the remote controls are so convoluted. Yeah, feeling old enough to be put out to pasture today. {sigh}

--gina
   

I am totally with you.  I do have a great computer guy that got my DHs laptop connected wirelessly to the printer and my laptop connected to our home network but even DH couldn't figure all that out.  And what really is 4G?

My blackberry roller ball keeps falling out and in 3 months I can get a new phone.  Looking at them makes me crazy.  I hate the idea of having to learn a new phone but will admit I love being able to check my email when I am away from the house.  And I couldn't live without bluetooth in the car. 

I have figured out how to record a movie and play it back but still have to dig into my brain to get the Wii set up to use. 

Ah, getting old isn't for the faint hearted.

I'm barely 40 and I have trouble with some of this stuff too. Thank God for nephews is all I have to say! When the one was 9, he was entering my phone contacts for me and showing me how to do speeddial.

Good idea though about the small business idea. A tech-savvy youngster could do well with that idea.

Have a great day gals!

43 here and I cannot keep up half the time! My job requires me to keep up and I'm struggling there, too! It's too hard to keep up with the "desk work" and the research... so every 5 years or so we tear everything down and start again.

We had to have iPhones at the office.. only certain staff...so we had to figure out email configurations, calendars, etc. and it's difficult to trouble shoot when YOU don't use the phone daily. So I went out and bought one personally....a 4G and I do love it.

Mother's Day I could not get the thing to turn on so my 5 year old said "Mom --- let me try" --- they are so not afraid of breaking anything!!! Remember Google is your friend -- you can find resolutions to pretty much any question. You get postings from tech boards, etc.

There are people out there who will help you -- I have a friend whose husband does just that with support for home pc's. It's a great business!

Happy Thursday!

Meg

35 here and I still have issues trying to figure things out but I do not turn to my 17 yr old DD...Heck NO.. you would truly think she was a BLOND! OMG is she stupid sometimes LOL...
My 14 yr old DS, likes to "try" to figure things out and normally has fairly good luck. It is my 8 yr old DS that I trust! Imagine that, kid is going somewhere in his life.

I just got the new blackberry torch, at the insistence of DH. I am still trying to figure the darned thing out... Anyway, I believe that there would be a market for this Gina... Heck I HAVE the cloud on my laptop, do I know how or what it is HECK NO! I am still trying to figure the web cam out...UGH

Send me back to the 50's I would be so happy there.

I love this topic Gina!  I don't think there is anything like technology that can make us feel old and out of touch with the "real world".

My times been up for over a year (or more) to get a new phone but I just the thought of learning a new phone and being forced to get a more expensive plan with e-mail makes me furious!  As long as it works, I'm sticking with it.  Verizon keeps calling and sending me pleas to get a new "free" phone but they can keep their "free" offers.

You should see my almost 3 yr. old grandson use his Mom's phone.  It is amazing how he can get around to all of the games and pictures she has downloaded but then again he can read too (where did he come from???) 

They just switched some of our computers at the office and I told the boss to give it to the new (young) girl.  Everyone's complaining because they can't find their stuff but I have my old faithful...at least for now....LOL.

Don't pay anyone!  That's what grandkids are for! 


By the age of 6 they usually have this under control. You can eek out your technology until one of your grandchildren is 6.

Easy for me to say ... I have more grandkids than I can shake a stick at and DH is an uber-gadget guy.  We love this stuff. 

Kay

And this is exactly why such a business would never make money. People don't want to pay what enough for your time to do it. At least that was my experience when I was a computer consultant.

I'm 46 and definitely preceded the techno revolution.  I was completely lost in the computer world until 6 or 7 years ago when I got my first Mac.  Yes, they're pricey, but the old thing is still holding up and it has always been very easy to use.  When I get stuck, I can usually figure it out on my own with help from the web, and in those rare times I really get stuck, I hit the Apple store. (And I really have to be stuck as the nearest one is 1 1/2 hours away!)  At work we use PCs, and I'm constantly asking coworkers to get me where I need to be.  Maybe we should hire us some grandkids? 

I'll admit smartphones and dvr's/ps3 baffle me but the computer, nope not that one. I think it helped that we built them for a few years, pc's and now I run a macbook pro with windows installed on half of it. Best of both worlds.

Mac's truly are the way to go as they will TEACH you how to use it, the Genius crowd at the Apple stores around. Plus the have tutorials on the apple web site for learning how to use your mac.

I know many schools have extra credit classes to learn how to use a computer.

Networking CAN be interesting esp wirelessly but if all parts are compatible and the drivers are kept updated, things should work. If something isn't working, see if there is a driver update for the product being difficult (printer/scanner/etc)

Liz