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3% computer literacy

deckofficer

Banned
As I mentioned on another thread, I wonder why only 3% of the folks I have met at the last 2 "T only" events ever show up here on the forum. Well, now I'm somewhat active on the other forum and not to my surprise, the same folks are active there too. It appears to me that it just might be a computer literacy issue. For future events that I plan to attend, 101 Fun Run and Fred's Fun Run, I think I will offer to give free classes on how to join in on the forum. Does anyone else believe the lack of participation of 97% of T owners is due to them just not knowing how?

Bob
 
As I mentioned on another thread, I wonder why only 3% of the folks I have met at the last 2 "T only" events ever show up here on the forum. Well, now I'm somewhat active on the other forum and not to my surprise, the same folks are active there too. It appears to me that it just might be a computer literacy issue. For future events that I plan to attend, 101 Fun Run and Fred's Fun Run, I think I will offer to give free classes on how to join in on the forum. Does anyone else believe the lack of participation of 97% of T owners is due to them just not knowing how?

Bob

That maybe due to the generation they're from. How old is the majority of T-bucket owners?
 
I also have spent a little time on the other Forum (piggy) and the people I have PM all said their email addresses would not be accepted on this forum.
I tell everyone that PMs me to come here to see the real stuff. Mike; this is just their reply. In no way am I commenting about the tight ship you run. I feel safe on this forum which is more that I do on t'other one.
gerry
 
GT63,

I think you hit the nail on the head. Had I not gone back to college in my 40's, I would not be doing anything on a computer.

Bob
 
I also have spent a little time on the other Forum (piggy) and the people I have PM all said their email addresses would not be accepted on this forum.
I tell everyone that PMs me to come here to see the real stuff. Mike; this is just their reply. In no way am I commenting about the tight ship you run. I feel safe on this forum which is more that I do on t'other one.
gerry
Gerry, I've no problem with them staying away because they don't want to use the e-mail address provided by their ISP. I always have to laugh when I get their e-mails, complaining that I will not accept Yahoo or Hotmail registrations. "This is the only e-mail address I have," is a common complaint. I have 22 active e-mail addresses, only 3 of which are freebie accounts and only 1 of them is on Yahoo. I have a couple of other freebie addresses that I do not use for anything other than anchors for some analytic scripts.

Here's how it works. They try to register and ignore all the warnings and notices about Yahoo and Hotmail addys not being accepted. Then they e-mail me at this domain to ask why. I reply to their e-mails and never hear another word for a week or two. Then I get another e-mail asking me why I haven't responded to their earlier complaints. See why I don't accept Yahoo and Hotmail? Both of those services aggressively filter incoming messages, without any user input. And when it is pointed out that most people struggle with computers, they think the only messages in a Junk folder are the messages they have placed there. Wrong, again.

I tried working with those two e-mail providers and here's how that worked. People would register, the software would send them the confirmation e-mail to complete their registration and their provider would filter it as junk mail. After 2-3 minutes (you think I'm joking, don't you), I would get an e-mail, griping they had never received their confirmation message. I try to help people as much as possible, but when someone has no basic understanding of how something as simple as e-mail works, I just do not have time to hold their hands. I used to spend a couple hours a day, trying to walk people through the freebie e-mail services, helping them find filtered messages.

I've jumped through all the back room hoops I am going to jump through. I've set up DomainKeys, I've set up SPF records and it will work in some instances and not in others. Bottom line? Ees not my problem.

If someone is so frightened about their primary e-mail address might be discovered, they need to disconnect every cable from their computer, throw it out the window into the driveway, drive over it repeatedly and then bury the broken remains in a concrete and lead-lined vault, at least 20 feet deep.

If someone is too blinkin' lazy to register a GMail account to use for registration here, that's fine with me. I figure they're too blinkin' lazy to participate on the forum and I'm not out a damn thing. And just to be quite clear, if GMail ever gets as stupid as Yahoo mail, I'll block that service too.

I recently had a fellow e-mail me from one of the two blocked providers, but his IP address resolved to a Verizon Broadband address. I suggested he just use his Verizon e-mail address. His response? He had never set up a Verizon e-mail account. And you know, he was right, because Verizon sets the accounts up when an account is created. Until Verizon sold my account to Frontier, I was a Verizon Broadband customer for a bit over eight years, so I know how their system works. I don't know much, but I do know this - you can't fix stupid.

A week ago, I had a member contact me via the tracker, saying, "why have I been blocked from this ,,iv [sic] asked many times " One minute later, he sent me an e-mail. His message said, "i'v [sic] asked in many contact areas, why im [sic] locked out from posting ???" Exactly two minutes later, he e-mailed me a second time. This message said, "im [sic] locked out from posting an no one will tell me why ?"

Three messages in the span of three minutes. :rolleyes: And please note, he offers exactly zero details. But I'm expected to give him a fix. I checked his account and there is no reason this individual cannot post to the forum. I explained in the Tracker that I was going to need to know where he was unable to post, how his posts were being rejected and the content of any error messages he might be getting. That was a week ago, mind you. It was such a catastrophic issue it required three messages in three minutes. And I've never heard back from this person. :smashpc: Can you imagine how quickly I'm going to jump into fixing his problem, if he ever comes back?

Someone tell me what's wrong, my car won't start. I need an answer, right now! Fix it for me. Why won't it start?!?

How do you diagnose this problem? Particularly when I haven't told you anything?

I can't make everyone happy, all of the time. I accept that. I don't even bother trying to accomplish that impossible goal, as it's nothing more than a setup for certain failure. I do the best I can do, for the greatest number of people. I know, that leaves some people with their knickers in a knot, but such is life. I'm not perfect and I don't care to be perfect. The last guy that was perfect got nailed to a tree, mind.
 
Mike
I know. We get emails on our web site, where I even set up a radio button diagnostic form (for auto transmission) and still they say things like..
My trans does nt work. How much to fix it or
THE favorite... I have the trans warning light on and it stuck in 3rd. Whats wrong.

Try diagnostics and DTC first..
It drives me mad. I have hundreds of these.

Ouhhh and another favorite. Ive just checked my fluid level and its too high. I emptied it out to the bottom mark and now I have no reverse...

OK did you do this with the engine running?
NO Why; does that make a difference!!!!

Still. I sorta knew you would explain that there are people out there that need help buying a beer. Just thought I would pass on the messages that I got back from the unitoxicated!!!.
Gerry
 
Hi to everybody out there. I believe Bob that there will always be the case of people looking, reading, having an opinion but not bothering or too lazy to take part in this form of conmunication. Heck it is only since my first operations on my legs and the long term recovery time that I purchased a laptop and taught myself how to use it 5 years ago that got me into the enjoyment of been able to conmunicate with new friends around the world. There is always going to be the few you are prepared to put the time into any club to make it successful. And ain't I the one that had to be teased back to be more involve with this club thanks to NothstarT.
 
Yes these computers can be very, very confusing, to me at least... as I forget what pass words are and how to use some sites that I have not been on for a while, plus the sites change and now I need to learn it all over again, and I am a real dummy when it comes to these magic boxes... Most all the older guys I know, are computer scared and won't try one, or won't buy one... The younger folks are wiz's on computers but know nothing about old cars, and most could not care less it seems... It is a different World for them... JMHO :)
 
Well Ted, you have made a very valid point about the young folk not knowing about old cars. I recently got caught out a beauty when talking to a young fella in his early twenties, he was telling me all about his old car that he had restored and put a V8 into and was so excited and enthusiastic about the rodding scene. When I asked him what type of car he had rebuild,my jaw dropped open when he told me it was a 1972 XA Ford Falcon (Aussie made)as to me that is what I class as a modern vehicle. Sorry but for me an old car has to be pre'49.
 
Well Ted, you have made a very valid point about the young folk not knowing about old cars. I recently got caught out a beauty when talking to a young fella in his early twenties, he was telling me all about his old car that he had restored and put a V8 into and was so excited and enthusiastic about the rodding scene. When I asked him what type of car he had rebuild,my jaw dropped open when he told me it was a 1972 XA Ford Falcon (Aussie made)as to me that is what I class as a modern vehicle. Sorry but for me an old car has to be pre'49.

I will totally agree with you there, even 48 and earlier is a better number to me, as a 49 Ford is a modern looking body to me.. hehe :)
 
We just have to be careful we don't turn into close-minded dinosaurs. And that is really easy to do.

If I use the 1948 model year as a cut-off to determine an "old car", I'm talking about a car that was made 6 years before I was born. If my son uses that same formula, a 1979 model is an old car.

At the shop where I used to work, the rule in the machine shop was if it took metric tools to disassemble it, it needed to be taken elsewhere. We didn't use laptops to tune cars, we used hand tools. And that mindset left us working in the past. I hate to admit it and you'll hate me for pointing it out, but we worked hard on the cars of our era, whereas today's car enthusiasts work smarter.

We can sit back and say we're just not smart enough to work with today's technology. Or, we can explore that new technology, the very same way we explored the first carb we ever tore apart, or the first transmission we ever broke.

How many of you refuse to own a cell phone and gripe about not being able to find a pay phone when you're on the road? How many of you refuse to use a debit card and hold the rest of the line up by writing a check? For that matter, how many of you still write checks, rather than paying your bills online? How many of you refuse to learn how programmable thermostats work and then complain about your heating/cooling expenses every year? Never mind, I know how many of you are that way, I've visited your houses and watched your VCR clocks and microwave clocks flashing 12:00 for ever and ever.

Something like learning how to use a computer isn't difficult. People just go out of their way to make it harder than it has to be. It's not like computers still require you to enter cryptic commands on a Command Line Interface. (Although I still use a CLI in some rare instances, just because it is quicker and faster to accomplish some tasks.)

How many of you knew how to drive a car when you found your way out of the womb? How many of you knew how to assemble an engine, the day you were born? How many of you knew how to weld when the doctor clipped that umbilical cord? Answer - none of you. You learned how to do those things as part of your life experience. How many of you can play the piano, or fly an aircraft? I wish I had time to learn to do both, actually, but both would require a learning experience that is (sadly) not very high on my priority list. How is any of that different from learning to operate a computer? You can learn how to set up a rear end, but then turn around and proudly proclaim your complete computer ignorance?

It's not a case of you not being able to learn how to use a computer, it's case of your refusal to learn. You don't have me fooled, not even for an instant. You wanted to learn how to tear cars apart and reassemble them, so you can learn how to operate a home computer in a lot less time. You just don't want to learn how, that's all.
 
So well put Mike and heck, you are a man of wisdom.I think you are the same age as me also and it is always frightening to have to learn new skills,but to honest,my step father used to drum into us young kids was,"the day one dies,is the day one stops learning" An example I use is I have another hobby that I enjoy and that is photography.When my wife and I separated,she got custody of all our camera gear (SLR) so I purchased a new digital camera which I'm still learning how to get the best results out of it. Funny you should mention the piano also as as a young fella my grand parents had a piano in the lounge that they would encourage us kids to use and learn to play and it is one of my biggest regrets that I didn't follow through with it. Oh dear I could of been as big as Elton John. :rolleyes:
As for any cut of date I would like to think that I appreciate all types of cars that a person has put blood sweat and tears into building but I also don't like being reminded about how old I'm getting too and a 1972 car is like to new for me. :nod:
 
heres my little story about computers

I did a 4 year apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. Then at the age of about 22 moved in to an office based tech sales role. All the contacts etc were on a rolladeck paper system. Took ages to find info.
About that time a computer called an Amstrad came on the market. It was like a keyboard with a 3.5'' floppy drive at one end. So I got one. This is where the heartache started. I expected it, being a computer, to be smart and do all the things i wanted it to do by itself. Started playing around with it, read a few simple books on DOS and did the usual drawings etc even a couple of simple animations. Played games, of course.

I decided to make my job easier and thought a database (WHATEVER THAT WAS) would fit the bill. Bought some software (ha ha) and loaded it up. Then sat back and waited for it to present me with a set of fields and tables. THREE week later I managed to get my first row, column and field name in place. Hours of work, frustration and bruised foreheads later I got a working database and played a round with it. Ha success. I might mention here that the school I attended did not have any IT classes or clubs.

I took the 'PC' to work and started entering the customers details in to it. Just names and address. Telephone numbers followed which meant i could access them before anyone else using the paper system. Then came all sorts of other details including things I talked about with them, like they had broken their leg etc. They were amazed when i asked them things about stuff we had gone through months before.

The next thing I know is the CEO was standing behind me one day asking me to show him how it worked. Things went from there.

Yep is was a struggle to make the transition from lathes and milling machines to a computer. I have since learned to use many many software packages from Corel Draw to Dreamweaver. Its takes me about 6 months of use to get to be a basic user of these packages but one thing I will always do it use the HELP FILES. They are invaluable if there is no one around to get you out of the mire.

If I can do this, anyone who wants to, can. Have to say here my interest in modern tech stop just short of social networking.

Gerry
 
If I can do this, anyone who wants to, can.
Anyone can learn to do it, it's not like learning Latin. (Don't ask me how I know that. :blush:)

When people say they can't learn how to use a computer, I hear them saying they won't learn how to use a computer.

My grandparents had an upright piano, as well. They bought it for my uncle, who is actually closer to my own age than he was to my Dad's age. My uncle didn't want to take the time to learn to play, so my grandfather suggested the piano be moved to our house, so I could learn. My uncle didn't want that to happen, either. :shrug2: About 4-5 years ago, the lady that played the piano and organ for 45 years in the church I grew up in agreed to give me lessons. Here I was, over 50 and preparing to take piano lessons. About 3 weeks later, she took ill and was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was gone in less than 2 weeks, so I never even got that first lesson. But I keep hoping it might happen at some point down the road. I don't give up on dreams.
 
A PC is a tool, and like any tool, you have to learn how to use it for it to be effective. That means using it for more than surfing the Internet and sending email. You don't buy a jig saw to cut straight lines. :rolleyes:
 
Heck GT63 see one never stops learning as I have NEVER sawn a straight line with my jigsaw and it doesn't matter how hard I have tried. And now you tell me you can't and I kept blaming every thing but myself for my wobbly cuts. :)
 
Heck GT63 see one never stops learning as I have NEVER sawn a straight line with my jigsaw and it doesn't matter how hard I have tried. And now you tell me you can't and I kept blaming every thing but myself for my wobbly cuts. :)

That makes two of us. I can saw a straight line with a hacksaw, make a flat with a file but I can never get a jigsaw to go straight. Goes well for a couple of inches and then all of a sudden I m twisting it back to the sribe. What is it with these things. You even watch the xperts on TV and if you look closely you can see the line wander like a mole in bright sunlight.
Gerry
 
Heck GT63 see one never stops learning as I have NEVER sawn a straight line with my jigsaw and it doesn't matter how hard I have tried. And now you tell me you can't and I kept blaming every thing but myself for my wobbly cuts. :)

Dang Whiplash, You just made me spray Tea on my monitor. LOL
 
Never wanted a computer or a plastic gun. Now I 've got both. Still never learned to weld metric and I don't plan too!

George
 

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