Technology and I are not friends.

[mexicanjoe911]

I recently took a CEU class and the the registration and logging on, testing and eval of the course were all done on iphones. Myself and another gentle man " of age" had problems with the task. Fortunately we had younger people in their 20's and 30's that helped us out. They all laughed when I said my VCR is still flashing 12:00 at my shop. Ill get the last laugh when these "youngsters" are faced with the challenge of driving a stick shift......... Peace and harmony prevailed!

 

[GypsmJim]

When youngins ask me if I can handle a computer task, I always tell them that I was writing computer code before their mothers were born.

As times changed and the CEO hired a nephew and he became my boss, I had to go to Europe with him (as a consultant of course....LOL) because he didn't really know what to do. Of course, HE was in charge.

We had to stay over the weekend, so our host company gave us a rental car. It was a stick. He didn't have a clue. When I said move over and I drove it off the lot, I could see his embarrassment.

As an aside, I was in an estate sale recently and saw a classic movie that I had not actually viewed before. It was the winner of a dozen academy awards. It was new and unopened. But......it was a VCR. My old one is still intact and connected, though not used in many years. But for a buck I resurrected it and we had a nice Sunday afternoon movie.

 

[Wvfarrier]

My 5 year old son is more tech savvy than I am

 

[Danjet500]

Years ago when VCRs and Atari games were big I made a bet with my nephew, about 10 at the time, that I could beat his best game playing with the controller behind my back. Waiting until after dinner, I challenged him to a game. It was some kind of downhill ski game. I went first and showed him how it was done. He was amazed. He was more amazed when I turned my back to the screen and did it again. Needless to say I didn't tell him for a while that I had taped the game and then replayed it for his enjoyment.

 

[Yaworski]

I was having a conversation with the boss' son who works at the Apple Store. At one point he said, "You've probably never worked for a technology company like I do." "Not at all. I used to work for Computer Sciences Corporation as an assembly language programmer." Mr. Technology had no idea what assembly language is.

Worked with a young woman who announced that since she was the youngest person on the team that she was consequently the most tech savvy and would be the go to person for tech help. Turns out that she didn't know of to delete multiple emails from her Gmail account.

Most "tech savvy" people really have no clue. They know how to upload videos and teleconference but doing something like recovering a lost partition is magic.

 

[wproct]

I got an immediate chuckle on this thread. Our VCR is also flashing 12:00 in our living room. For a guy that will soon turn 80 I think I do ok with computer and electronics, but one thing I gave up on was video editing. Not that I couldn't do it, but I just lack the interest anymore.

 

[gjgalligan]

Mr. Technology had no idea what assembly language is.

I don't either.

 

[Yaworski]

I don't either.

What's this world coming to?

 

[Johnnu2]

I don't even know what a CEU class is....
So I stopped reading right about there

J.

 

[GypsmJim]

I was lost when the VCR was blinking at12:00. Mine doesn't do that.

 

[GypsmJim]

sorry double post. Guess I'm not savvy after all.....LOL.

 

[GypsmJim]

I don't even know what a CEU class is....
So I stopped reading right about there

J.

When my company got woke ( or TQM or Six sigma as they called it at the time) many years ago I was required to do that crap. The instructors were idiots and I taught them more than I got in return. Nevertheless, it got me my raise that year.

 

[Yaworski]

When my company got woke ( or TQM or Six sigma as they called it at the time)

I remember TQM. As I recall it wasn't very Q and poor M.

 

[blume357]

I don't even know what a CEU class is....
So I stopped reading right about there

J.

Continuing Education Units: You have to take multiple classes to keep up with the ever changing knowledge of what ever work you do.
Let me explain further from my limited perspective: I've been a chimney sweep for 42 years... back in the beginning they had a test you took and if you passed then you were 'certified'. then you retook the same test every three years... after retesting 3 or 4 times 'they' decided we needed to take some classes and get these 'CEU' along with taking the test... then 'they' decided if you had enough 'CEU's in various different types, business, technical, safety, health etc. you would not have to take the test. After doing this 13 times I finally decided to no longer get certified..... the only thing I had figured out that has changed with this chimney sweep business in the last 42 years is most companies need to know how to manage and train their employees better... and the big deal is train them to find as much 'wrong' as possible and propose to fix it. Also, how to work on these new fangled gas logs and inserts... which often can be 'fixed' with a good wack in a certain place with a hammer.

Couple of years back I was at a store getting a new iPhone and the young sales person asked it I was the I.T. person at my business and I just replied, "Yes, I'm it."

 

[Johnnu2]

Thanks for the info.
I remember those days.... I'm glad I don't have to play anymore

J.

 

[GypsmJim]

I remember TQM. As I recall it wasn't very Q and poor M.

Our training manual was custom printed for my company. TQM had 12 basic principals that we were expected to learn. Our book only had 11. The one that was left out was: "Workers are the backbone of the company and problems are usually due to Management".

When the whole program was completed, we had a huge layoff, including all of the Vice Presidents.

They were all promoted to Senior VP. (you can't make this stuff up)

 

[375hh1973]

VCRs are really still a thing???

 

[Mobuck]

I gave 'computers' a thought way back when they were controlled by PUNCH CARDS and were about the size of a railroad boxcar. Didn't look like it had much potential and I went on to other things.
See how wrong I was.

 

[GypsmJim]

VCRs are really still a thing???

My "Entertainment Center" in the Living Room includes a TV, DVD, Satellite Dish Controller, Turntable, Cassette Player, etc. And, Yes, a VCR. Never had a need to add anything new and removing something and all that rewiring was too much of a hassle.

I haven't used it in probably 10 years, but now that I needed it I was happy it was there.

 

[GypsmJim]

I gave 'computers' a thought way back when they were controlled by PUNCH CARDS and were about the size of a railroad boxcar. Didn't look like it had much potential and I went on to other things.
See how wrong I was.

I joined the Computer Club in High School. Didn't know much or care, but there were some girls in the club so it looked like a good place to be.

Learning a Keypunch was a requirement at my University. My senior thesis was using that boxcar to develop an optimization process. After graduating, one of my first job assignments was to develop a new product that another Engineer had been fumbling with for a couple of years.

I developed the product formula in 3 months and had it to market 2 months later. Marketing doubled the sales price even though the manufacturing cost increase was less than a dollar. A year after that sales were so good that my local plant diverted all production to another plant, and they started manufacturing that single formula 24/7.

Boy did I get a raise that year! A year later came a promotion that was the start of a 30 year upward career. Although I hated all those cards with all the holes, but I'm sure glad I stayed with them.

Interestingly enough, that same product is still on the market, some 54 years later.

 

[Hertervillian]

I feel this myself.

Want to learn a LOT about your smartphone? Register a SBR online with ATF. My brain hurt a bunch that month (yes month). Worse than Chinese calculus. The final hurdle was the photo portion of the riddle. Finally broke down and asked the IT department of the family, my son in law, actual paid IT guy. He threw up his hands in defeat. My daughter says “oh just email it to yourself” then put it in as a (?)file.

2 years on I might just do it again. It’ll be just like I never did it before I’m sure.

 

[Armybrat]

Chinese calculus?
You should’ve borrowed my appropriate hardware….

 

[Yaworski]

I still have my circular slide rule and my slipstick. Still have my TI SR-50A and SR-56 calculators.

 

[Jeepnik]

I joined the Computer Club in High School. Didn't know much or care, but there were some girls in the club so it looked like a good place to be.

Photo club. Girls and dark rooms. But this was the 60's when things we fairly relaxed.

 

[Hertervillian]

Chinese calculus?
You should've borrowed my appropriate hardware….

View attachment 65278

Genius level achieved

 

[GypsmJim]

Photo club. Girls and dark rooms. But this was the 60's when things we fairly relaxed.

I was the club instructor for the University photo club. Once I was teaching a girl how to develop film, and of course the darkroom does not even have a safelight at that point. I distinctly remember her saying: "My hands are over here"....

Once we had a "figure session" during one of our evening club meetings. A very beautiful model was the subject. (figure = nude). Our club president was up on stage taking moving shots and closeups and he really was into be a professional photographer. Later we found out he had no film in the camera....

 

[ArizonaTea123]

My father taught me how to drive a stick in his 1965 Volkswagen Beetle.
I drove deuce and half and five ton in the Army mo problem. Anyhing with a clutch is easy.

 

[Laserbait]

When my company got woke ( or TQM or Six sigma as they called it at the time) many years ago I was required to do that crap. The instructors were idiots and I taught them more than I got in return. Nevertheless, it got me my raise that year.

Oh geez, I remember six sigma. What a load of crapola that was.

I always thought less of people that put their six sigma "rank" in their email signatures (i.e. Six Sigma Black Belt). I used to refer to them as the SS Troops. That annoyed more than one person, so it was worth it.

 

[Tensaw]

I was having a conversation with the boss' son who works at the Apple Store. At one point he said, "You've probably never worked for a technology company like I do." "Not at all. I used to work for Computer Sciences Corporation as an assembly language programmer." Mr. Technology had no idea what assembly language is.

Worked with a young woman who announced that since she was the youngest person on the team that she was consequently the most tech savvy and would be the go to person for tech help. Turns out that she didn't know of to delete multiple emails from her Gmail account.

Most "tech savvy" people really have no clue. They know how to upload videos and teleconference but doing something like recovering a lost partition is magic.

I was an IBM assembly language computer programmer for 16 years...

 

[Yaworski]

I was an IBM assembly language computer programmer for 16 years...

We are gods among mortals!