Hello from London notes on history

[Snowdropbooks]

I adore my iPad.
When I was a teenager many years ago now, I thought the future would be about cars that flew and shiny silver clothing, I couldn't imagine the internet or mobile phones, or indeed microwaves although Star Trek imagined a version of this. The iPad is what I imagined the future would be about, magical machines that transform your life and way of thinking.

My only concern now is that although I use all this technology, I have no idea how it works, i could not build any of these machines myself, and I feel vulnerable at times when something goes wrong or more often these days gets stuck. Fortunately I have a son who can help, but the older generation is now reliant on the younger generation to explain how to use complex technology and machines. So much for wisdom and passing down our knowledge, knowledge is moving in the opposite direction from teenagers to us oldies.

 

[Spink10]

Welcome

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

I adore my iPad.
When I was a teenager many years ago now, I thought the future would be about cars that flew and shiny silver clothing, I couldn't imagine the internet or mobile phones, or indeed microwaves although Star Trek imagined a version of this. The iPad is what I imagined the future would be about, magical machines that transform your life and way of thinking.

My only concern now is that although I use all this technology, I have no idea how it works, i could not build any of these machines myself, and I feel vulnerable at times when something goes wrong or more often these days gets stuck. Fortunately I have a son who can help, but the older generation is now reliant on the younger generation to explain how to use complex technology and machines. So much for wisdom and passing down our knowledge, knowledge is moving in the opposite direction from teenagers to us oldies.

Don't be too pessimistic! Yes - the technology is complex and there's no one person who could explain *in detail* how all of it works. We all have our areas of specialisation and we collaborate together to make the whole thing work. The young may be familiar with how to *use* the technology but they know no more than you or I about how the technology really works.

So, yes, they know which buttons to press to get the iPad's apps to run but ask them if they understand the fundamental quantum mechanics that lies at the heart of the iPad's electronics - an understanding that is essential if you want to design that electronics that 'powers' the iPad - and I suspect you'll get a very different response.

So, don't be too hard on yourself!!

Tim
Scotland