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Their kids are probably going to be better with tech at some point.

Are they? Just because a kid uses snapchat and their iphones a lot doesn't meant they're technically savy.

Really, what distinguish a technical person from a "normal" person is a certain fearlessness when it comes to technology.




I've seen exactly that fearlessness with my six-year old twins when they get a hold of my phone or iPad. They've found features I didn't even know existed. They also are really adaptable. My wife, who is used to using either her iPad or her surface for computing has, despite a much longer span of using mouse/trackpad driven selection, developed a hard to break habit of tapping the screen on my MacBook. My kids, when we switched them to the MacBook for their virtual class meetings, adapted to using the trackpad without a moment's hesitation. They were also infinitely better than any of my co-workers have been about muting/unmuting themselves appropriately during videoconferences, as have their classmates. They're just learning to read still but once they've unlocked that achievement, I can only imagine what they'll be capable of doing.


Hijacking the thread to say: make sure they've got access to something with exposed innards. Windows is enough of a patched-together mess that it's a good candidate (I'd argue it's better (more messy) now than it was when I cut my teeth on it), but a 'nix with systemd, a web server or a low-voltage electronics kit would do nicely.


Well, true that certain systems hinder you in becoming proficient with software, even if these are called "accessibility features".

But if there is a goal I am sure they will get crafty pretty quickly.


Agreed. We all grew up with books but few of us know anything about printing and binding.




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