[Ipg-smz] Why I love Apple?

[Richard Santalesa]

+1 excellent stories…

 

From: Ipg-smz [mailto:ipg-smz-bounces at netpress.org] On Behalf Of Mitch Wagner
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2019 3:02 PM
To: ipg-smz at netpress.org
Subject: Re: [Ipg-smz] Why I love Apple?

 

My introduction to the peculiarities of digital immigrants (our generation) vs. digital natives (the young people) was 10+ years ago, in two incidents. 

 

Our neighbors across the street had their granddaughter, then aged 14, living with them for a few months while Mom dried out, and they asked for my help setting up WiFi. Sure, I said, and configured their laptop and WiFi router. A simple operation, took me about 15 minutes, and yet the 14-year-old digital native was completely bamboozled by it. 

 

I also advised the grandddaughter that it was not a good idea to have Facebook as her home page. Not if she wanted privacy from Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

Second incident: At about the same time I joined Facebook myself, and one night, troubled by insomnia, I was in my home office doing random browsing through Facebook's "Suggested Friends" list. This was about 3 am. My niece, then a college freshman and 17 years old, came up on the list. I gave it a microsecond of thought, said "sure, why not?" and sent a friend request. 

 

This set off a MAJOR FAMILY CONTROVERSY. My niece went to her mother who went to my wife. My niece was concerned I'd be spying on her and reporting everything to her Mom. 

 

I said to my wife. "Weeeeeeeelllll if it's just college bullshit, of course I wouldn't report it. If she said she got drunk last night and was puking and was sooooo hung over, well, kids do that in college and I wouldn't report that either. But if she says she met a 46-year-old man and they're soooooo in love and getting married tomorrow, yeah, I'd be on the phone to her mother so fast that it'd break the lightspeed barrier."

 

P.S. I lost track of the neighbor after both grandparents passed away. That family has had hard times and struggled with addiction; I hope the mother and little girl are doing well. As for my niece, she's a doctor now and runs a medical clinic in Baltimore!

 

-- 

Mitch Wagner <http://MitchWagner.com>   • Twitter <http://www.Twitter.com/mitchwagner>  •  <http://www.facebook.com/mitch.wagner> Facebook 

 

 

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