I'm in my early 80s and out of touch with some parts of technology (Twitter, Instagram, Reddit) but not others. I own, and regularly use, five Apple devices and I find I know more about how they work and how to use them than most young people I meet. The difference is that the former don't offer me anything that I want. I have no need to know what my friends had for breakfast or to hear Donald Trump's most recent crazed paranoia. So - out of touch? Only with the things that have no value for me.
First time I realized I was approaching my "best if used by" date was when I hadn't heard many "words of the year." And that percentage seems to be increasing with each passing year.
I care for Taylor Swift about as much as I do about Elvis Presley. Which is to say, not much. Fashions come and go., and deserve attention only after the fact, if at all.
I remember one of Dave Barry's gems, that when he realized he was now the "older" one was when the pilot on a flight he took was younger than him! I check pilots since then, and sure enuf...
I'm at the age where I WANT pilots and doctors to be younger than I am, because they have much faster reflexes, better vision, and more-acute brain skills than I do.
I was surprised for a few seconds that you got your first computer in the mid-late 90s, if I'm reading the situation correctly now. Then I thought about it more and what you've said about yourself, and it tracks.
Look at this in perspective. It’s now 60 years since the Beatles burst into international fame. Flash back to 1964—60 years prior to that was 1904. How many of us could name bands, or songs, from then? Were there even bands in 1904? For sure, no electric guitars.
My parents knew all the big stars from the 19 - aughts, and the big bands, in the 60s when they were in their 30s. The big names carried on through many generations. Maybe today the focus of kids just never goes backwards??
Interesting this Stanley Cup craze. Yes, its virality was sparked in online spaces like TikToK where the young tend to congregate and influence one another. And yes, the idea of personal and environmental "wellness" via reusable water bottles may have originally got its impetus from younger folk. But, I suggest, the Stanley Cup craze is less a fad-forward youth phenomenon or sign of hipness, than it is just another manifestation of that good old fashioned American tradition of conspicuous consumption being passed on to, and practiced by, the next generations. Not dissimilar to forking over 50 bucks here to proclaim to the world that you're a patron of the farts (and other bodily functions). You have forked, right ? Anyway, as far as this "hand-me-down" tradition, it just may be happening faster or more often thanks to social media (remember the Hydro Flask ?) as an article today in the newspaper whose name we dare not speak illuminates.
As someone with more than a passing knowledge of reusable liquid containers from many enjoyable (as well as a number of less enjoyable) hours in the field, the Stanley looks to have the right stuff --- its candy-colored coatings notwithstanding. But there are equally as good or better flasks or bottles in terms of useability and thermal properties for the price and less. Especially for the $300+ (market price) passionately sought-after pink one. That now passé Hydro Flask, for example. Then again, they're simply functional; they don't have status symbol standing or cachet. According to research from Lending Tree, nearly 40 percent of Americans have overspent on clothes, shoes, and accessories — like the Stanley Cup — to impress others. Another telling study found a definite link between what it called "self-uncertainty" and conspicuous consumption: people who are uncomfortable being uncertain about themselves are far more likely to engage in conspicuous consumption. And who is naturally more uncertain about themselves than the peer-pressured young ? Of course, the cycle will continue and the Stanley Cup will be "so Thursday" any Friday now. Let's face it, consumer satisfaction is faintly un-American.
As an avid admirer of sexy men, the first time I had no idea who People’s Sexiest Man Alive was (Adam Levine--still not sure what exactly he’s famous for), I knew I must be old. Or not as hip to things as I once was.
At 79, I am on Facebook daily (I especially enjoy a FB group called "Language Snobs ’Я’ Us"), and I have two X accounts (visited briefly once a week only to post announcements). I got my first solely owned computer in 1992 (before that we had a family-owned Compaq "Luggable") and have had many since (I'm just about to start setting up a new desktop because the HD of my old one is near death). I am proficient enough in Microsoft Word (multiple versions from Word 2.0 to Word 2021) to answer many questions in the Microsoft Community support forums (where I am a moderator), but, since I'm self-employed, I have no expertise in networking or SharePoint or (spit!) Teams, and, having seen what disaster it can cause, I have no desire to use OneDrive. I'm fairly au courant about many cultural trends, but recently I made the mistake of trying to read WaPo's "What's In/What's Out" article and had no idea what most of the items were (whether in or out). Do people really care about such things?
I do not have so many problems with Microsoft products, but when I do - it is close to impossible to get an answer. And I do pay for Office 360 and I wonder if you can tell me how to ask a simple question of Microsoft.
Good idea, but since I did manage a library computer system, I hang on to the idea that I should do my own research and with me living on Social Security, they are out of my budget. Living on a farm taught many of us to fix stuff or do without.
Unless you have paid support, there's no way to ask a question of Microsoft itself, but you can chat with an agent or get support from other users, many of them much more knowledgeable than the chat agents. The various options are represented at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us, but I advise starting in Microsoft Community at https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/. Be sure to accurately select your operating system and the application you're having trouble with and give as much detail as possible, beginning with a descriptive subject line.
But I swear I remember this puzzle! I would have been under 40 at the time, but I had no trouble with it except that it made me a little sad (“oh no, that’s John and George”). Maybe it popped up in a different context? Or I have slipped timelines. Anyway, I miss the Post Hunt.
Out of touch --- or strangely, "back in touch" at the same time ? Would have to be the weird,Twilight Zone-like realization that I am now become Nostalgia, Bringer of Ago. Not "nostalgic," mind, but a collection of mental and physical bygone stuff eagerly sought after by Gen Z which, we're told, is obsessed (at least for now) with the past. Everything old (even the crap from back when) has the glint of rediscovery.. I may have moved on; the young have apparently regressed. Is that Rod Serling's voice I hear ?
The first time I read that an influential and popular rock and roller whose band had been together for 25 years died and I'd never even heard of the group, much less the guy. Sadly (more for them than me) this has happened several times since. I should mention that this was in 2005 or so and that I'm the same age as your young friend Tom.
I'm guessing Chris Cornell? He was the lead singer from Soundgarden, (big in the '90s) who committed suicide here in Detroit a few years back. A big deal to my mid-30s son, who'd been to his concert the night before; I didn't know him by name.
I remember hearing a (probably apocryphal) anecdote about a young person (who'd be about 65 now) coming across a photo of the Beatles and saying, "Look! Paul McCartney was in another group before Wings!"
I'm in my early 80s and out of touch with some parts of technology (Twitter, Instagram, Reddit) but not others. I own, and regularly use, five Apple devices and I find I know more about how they work and how to use them than most young people I meet. The difference is that the former don't offer me anything that I want. I have no need to know what my friends had for breakfast or to hear Donald Trump's most recent crazed paranoia. So - out of touch? Only with the things that have no value for me.
Can't remember the last time I had heard of a performer on Saturday Night Live, or enjoyed listening to their performance.
First time I realized I was approaching my "best if used by" date was when I hadn't heard many "words of the year." And that percentage seems to be increasing with each passing year.
Same - 49 here and I had to Google what "rizz" is.
Your comment is the first I'd heard of this term.
I keep my finger on the pulse of pop culture. It is one of many ways I maintain my unlimited supply of street cred.
I care for Taylor Swift about as much as I do about Elvis Presley. Which is to say, not much. Fashions come and go., and deserve attention only after the fact, if at all.
At 59, I'm a mostly-to-thoroughly; though to be fair I've been a mostly all my life...
I remember one of Dave Barry's gems, that when he realized he was now the "older" one was when the pilot on a flight he took was younger than him! I check pilots since then, and sure enuf...
I'm at the age where I WANT pilots and doctors to be younger than I am, because they have much faster reflexes, better vision, and more-acute brain skills than I do.
Not always. Remember Captain Sully landing the plane on the Hudson? That required an older experienced pilot which he was.
I don't understand the "dots" explanation, or what you were seeing, exactly.
Agree. I am flummoxed.
I think he's referring to the use of periods in web addresses, for example.
I am indeed.
I have now elaborated on what my brother told me, for clarity's sake.
I was surprised for a few seconds that you got your first computer in the mid-late 90s, if I'm reading the situation correctly now. Then I thought about it more and what you've said about yourself, and it tracks.
Ah yes, the venerable "luggable" (at 29 lbs./13 kg) advertised as "The $1,595 computer that sells for $1,595." Had a whole 64KB of RAM, it did. https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1984-01/page/n395/mode/2up?view=theater
me, too. I thought it was use of ellipses.
When John Lennon was murdered (I was a ninth-grader), one of my friends asked, in utter seriousness, if that meant The Beatles would break up.
Look at this in perspective. It’s now 60 years since the Beatles burst into international fame. Flash back to 1964—60 years prior to that was 1904. How many of us could name bands, or songs, from then? Were there even bands in 1904? For sure, no electric guitars.
My parents knew all the big stars from the 19 - aughts, and the big bands, in the 60s when they were in their 30s. The big names carried on through many generations. Maybe today the focus of kids just never goes backwards??
Interesting this Stanley Cup craze. Yes, its virality was sparked in online spaces like TikToK where the young tend to congregate and influence one another. And yes, the idea of personal and environmental "wellness" via reusable water bottles may have originally got its impetus from younger folk. But, I suggest, the Stanley Cup craze is less a fad-forward youth phenomenon or sign of hipness, than it is just another manifestation of that good old fashioned American tradition of conspicuous consumption being passed on to, and practiced by, the next generations. Not dissimilar to forking over 50 bucks here to proclaim to the world that you're a patron of the farts (and other bodily functions). You have forked, right ? Anyway, as far as this "hand-me-down" tradition, it just may be happening faster or more often thanks to social media (remember the Hydro Flask ?) as an article today in the newspaper whose name we dare not speak illuminates.
As someone with more than a passing knowledge of reusable liquid containers from many enjoyable (as well as a number of less enjoyable) hours in the field, the Stanley looks to have the right stuff --- its candy-colored coatings notwithstanding. But there are equally as good or better flasks or bottles in terms of useability and thermal properties for the price and less. Especially for the $300+ (market price) passionately sought-after pink one. That now passé Hydro Flask, for example. Then again, they're simply functional; they don't have status symbol standing or cachet. According to research from Lending Tree, nearly 40 percent of Americans have overspent on clothes, shoes, and accessories — like the Stanley Cup — to impress others. Another telling study found a definite link between what it called "self-uncertainty" and conspicuous consumption: people who are uncomfortable being uncertain about themselves are far more likely to engage in conspicuous consumption. And who is naturally more uncertain about themselves than the peer-pressured young ? Of course, the cycle will continue and the Stanley Cup will be "so Thursday" any Friday now. Let's face it, consumer satisfaction is faintly un-American.
As an avid admirer of sexy men, the first time I had no idea who People’s Sexiest Man Alive was (Adam Levine--still not sure what exactly he’s famous for), I knew I must be old. Or not as hip to things as I once was.
At 79, I am on Facebook daily (I especially enjoy a FB group called "Language Snobs ’Я’ Us"), and I have two X accounts (visited briefly once a week only to post announcements). I got my first solely owned computer in 1992 (before that we had a family-owned Compaq "Luggable") and have had many since (I'm just about to start setting up a new desktop because the HD of my old one is near death). I am proficient enough in Microsoft Word (multiple versions from Word 2.0 to Word 2021) to answer many questions in the Microsoft Community support forums (where I am a moderator), but, since I'm self-employed, I have no expertise in networking or SharePoint or (spit!) Teams, and, having seen what disaster it can cause, I have no desire to use OneDrive. I'm fairly au courant about many cultural trends, but recently I made the mistake of trying to read WaPo's "What's In/What's Out" article and had no idea what most of the items were (whether in or out). Do people really care about such things?
I do not have so many problems with Microsoft products, but when I do - it is close to impossible to get an answer. And I do pay for Office 360 and I wonder if you can tell me how to ask a simple question of Microsoft.
This is why I have a subscription to Best Buy's Geek Squad.
Good idea, but since I did manage a library computer system, I hang on to the idea that I should do my own research and with me living on Social Security, they are out of my budget. Living on a farm taught many of us to fix stuff or do without.
Unless you have paid support, there's no way to ask a question of Microsoft itself, but you can chat with an agent or get support from other users, many of them much more knowledgeable than the chat agents. The various options are represented at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us, but I advise starting in Microsoft Community at https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/. Be sure to accurately select your operating system and the application you're having trouble with and give as much detail as possible, beginning with a descriptive subject line.
Thanks. I will save these links. gary4books@yahoo
Off to look for this FB group...
You won't find it. It's a closed, hidden group, accessible only by invitation. If you provide an email address, I can send an invitation, I think.
But I swear I remember this puzzle! I would have been under 40 at the time, but I had no trouble with it except that it made me a little sad (“oh no, that’s John and George”). Maybe it popped up in a different context? Or I have slipped timelines. Anyway, I miss the Post Hunt.
I discussed this once before, years ago, in a chat.
Got it. In my memory I’m downtown, outside, but maybe I was just imagining it as a Hunt puzzle at the time. Thanks, brain.
Out of touch --- or strangely, "back in touch" at the same time ? Would have to be the weird,Twilight Zone-like realization that I am now become Nostalgia, Bringer of Ago. Not "nostalgic," mind, but a collection of mental and physical bygone stuff eagerly sought after by Gen Z which, we're told, is obsessed (at least for now) with the past. Everything old (even the crap from back when) has the glint of rediscovery.. I may have moved on; the young have apparently regressed. Is that Rod Serling's voice I hear ?
The first time I read that an influential and popular rock and roller whose band had been together for 25 years died and I'd never even heard of the group, much less the guy. Sadly (more for them than me) this has happened several times since. I should mention that this was in 2005 or so and that I'm the same age as your young friend Tom.
Who was the rocker? I might use this.
I'm guessing Chris Cornell? He was the lead singer from Soundgarden, (big in the '90s) who committed suicide here in Detroit a few years back. A big deal to my mid-30s son, who'd been to his concert the night before; I didn't know him by name.
Sorry but I just don't remember.
No problem. I'll just say it was Jagger. That'll stir things up.
Funny you say that, since my reaction at the time--after realizing, "Oh, I guess I'm old now"--was to cue up "Exile on Main Street" and call it a day.
I remember hearing a (probably apocryphal) anecdote about a young person (who'd be about 65 now) coming across a photo of the Beatles and saying, "Look! Paul McCartney was in another group before Wings!"
It's an urban myth, I believe. But I hear ya.