Not done yet

Some Boomers have spent decades working with computers and other digital devices, many with coding skills to go behind the graphical user interfaces (GUI) we’re accustomed to.

—  Who are the darlings of the tech world?

Granted, the pace of change is increasing exponentially, and young minds are hatching the next big thing – at this very minute.

Baby Boomers (those born between 1945 and 1965) can’t take credit for inventing the computer, but they’ve certainly brought it to the masses. Of this generation we can name Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and others who as ambitious young guys in the 1970s made indelible marks on the world. As a result, Apple and Microsoft are household names globally.

While more Boomers retire, there are some thought leaders and young social media moguls today who would gladly put them out to pasture. But there are several facts worth noting.

—  There are Boomers and GenXers who possess decades of tech experience. This can prove valuable in figuring out legacy systems going back as far as the fifties in case data has to be retrieved.

—  Millennials/GenZ are more tech-savvy; they never knew a time without the Internet and smart devices. Yet at the same time many of them seem to be ruled by their devices. Of course, Boomers and GenXers may have inherent workaholic ways compared to their more casual young counterparts, but they've also spent many years in face-to-face human interaction, which is different from emailing and the brevity of texting. Some of the younger generation have an outright paranoia about speaking to someone on the phone.

—  For Boomers, a greater richness of life experiences can also be a plus, which is a positive in mentoring younger colleagues.

—  Legendary General Electric Chief Jack Welch (no relation to yours truly) saw with the advent of the Internet the need for intergenerational relationships among his employees. They paired up as mentors to their older colleagues with the goal of bridging a knowledge gap to ensure success for all.

—  So, I want to be careful not to be misconstrued as someone trying to paint younger generations with a broad brush of negativity; after all, I’m the father of two talented Millennials! We have a lot to share with each other.

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Beware the low-hanging fruit

—  In the biblical book of Genesis, God warns Adam and Eve not to pick fruit from a tree in the midst of the garden. This fruit, inviting to the eyes, was quite a temptation and proved irresistible to Eve, who ate it and shared some with Adam.

When you started to go on the Internet or open up the apps section of your smartphone or tablet, were you amazed at how many apps (applications), free offers and other online goodies were free or cost very little?

It’s human nature for us to be lured by low-hanging fruit on a tree that’s practically effortless to pick and makes our baskets fill quickly; likewise when we’re surfing online there’s so much that screams “free” at us.

But is it really free?

Having worked in marketing myself, I am well-aware that if you offer something for free or at a significant discount, you attract attention.

Please don’t misunderstand – this is perfectly legitimate if done properly. But have you gone online and been lured by someone advertising lots of freebies, like free gift cards, or opportunities promising to pay you to take a survey or write a review?

Dig deeper into one of these opportunities and you’ll soon be asked for all sorts of information. Like the snake who persuaded Eve to take and eat the fruit, there are folks who sound convincing when making all kinds of promises. In reality, whatever reward you seek to gain is miniscule compared to the information someone is harvesting about you for the purpose of targeted marketing. Worse still is the possibility that you might be unwittingly loading malware onto your computer or device!

Some who are looking for jobs might be enticed by the low-hanging fruit of a job they are sure to get that seems too good to be true. Drill down a little further and the reality might be that the jobs listed aren’t real but put out as bait, and  – again – valuable information about you gets harvested. If you’re still a job-seeker, your resume might be a goldmine for valuable personal data! If you’re in the market for a job, writing a resume with the right keywords is important according to job hunting experts, but giving out too much personal information could come back to bite you.

Social media has become a huge part of our lives, which is especially true of us who are over 50. You might check your Facebook to catch up on old school chums or Likedin for work colleagues. You share photos on Instagram or tweet out your thoughts. Let’s face it, social media is a reality of our technical world that’s not likely to go away.

Remember when you signed up for a Facebook account and were charged nothing, yet you see how Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is a billionaire. This is just one example, but hopefully you’re getting the picture in focus that it’s you who are actually their product. Facebook posted an ad revenue of $69.7 billion in 2019. Advertising represents 98.5 percent of Facebook’s global revenue. The rest includes revenues from consumer hardware devices on VR (virtual reality) devices and other things, as well as net fees Facebook receives from developers using its payments infrastructure.

Nobody’s urging you to leave Facebook or any other social media or application that gathers data from you, but it’s important to understand how these things work and that there are good and bad players in the online game, some as bad as the serpent in Eden’s tree.

When you enter into an agreement (myself included here), how much attention do you pay to that agreement you agree to so you can get an account?

I find that the old saying “when in doubt check it out” is true in this case. We can leverage the power of the Internet to find reviews about online services, promotions, software, etc.

Also, speaking of Adam and Eve reminds me that it’s good to turn off your device and turn to the Bible. You’ll be surprised by how much those holy words say about our lives, online and offline!

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Do manners matter when talking to technology?

Source: Wikimedia Commons

—  Say “please” and “thank you.”

For many of us who live in or come from the Southeastern U.S., manners were drilled into us by our parents as we were growing up and learning how to address others. When speaking to grownups, kids are to use “sir” and “ma’am.” It’s just done. Even if you don’t come from the South, you still want to speak and be spoken to using a courteous, friendly voice.

But what about manners when using a voice-activated device, be it a smart speaker, smart phone or smart something else?

Amy Graff of SFGate looked at how her son sternly asked for a game score when using her phone and got to thinking about how any of us interact with these devices and apps.

Does it really matter about manners when speaking to a non-human device?

And when you, a grownup, snap back at Alexa, Cortana or Siri when they don’t understand your request, what do children within earshot think? To answer that “does it matter” question, you might consider this — does it matter when children model the kind of behavior they observe when parents or grandparents talk to their phone or smart device? You might know the saying 'some things are better caught than taught.' I think there’s a psychological connect between addressing a device and addressing a real person.

It’s no wonder that etiquette classes sometimes include these digital interactions, along with emailing, texting and when to check your Facebook feed. Through Artificial Intelligence (AI), Google and others can even make their devices respond to polite requests.

Away from home, I make these observations.

While attending meetings, I’m sometimes mildly amused when someone at the meeting receives a call, and then speaks commands through the Bluetooth device he's wearing. How much easier, I think to myself, would it be to feel the phone vibrate, quietly pick it up and touch an icon to send the call to voicemail?

Manners aside, are there things you can say to your device that might get you into trouble? If your thing is black humor, your words might be taken seriously (It’s probably not a good idea to joke about where you hid the body, okay?).

Well, I could go on and on, but that will be a topic for another day.

Full disclosure here -- I really don’t talk to digital devices, regardless of what they are, so my understanding is somewhat limited here. I do know this: no matter what the device, as with any smart device, it should be set up on a secure WiFi network using secure passwords to minimize possible issues.

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Try out these 8 cool web resources

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

— Whether you’re bored and lonely due to COVID-related isolation or up for learning some new challenges, here are eight great resources for you to check out today:

Keep learning - There are seemingly limitless opportunities for learning that are free or inexpensive, whether you want to learn a craft or learn business principles from successful entrepreneurs. Khan Academy is one of my favorites because of the wide range of subjects and it’s well-designed interface. And it’s free. Though geared towards young learners, there are plenty of courses on life skills, like travel or personal finance. Another great one is iTunesU, with ever-expanding offerings, right on your iPhone.

Got experience? Share your knowledge - Consider becoming a mentor. Opportunities abound in education, business and other areas. Read this article and be inspired.

Find Entertainment - if you have cable or satellite, you might be tempted to ditch them, given the increasing number of live streaming and on-demand programming options available now. You can watch on your phone and tablet— or your TV. Some have practically unlimited DVR recording. Many are cheaper than cable or satellite, and many are free, like Airy.TV.

I didn’t know my phone could do that! Take a tour of your phone and find out how many little-known things there are you can do with your phone. What’s flying overhead? I just KNOW that song — who’s singing it? Where can I get the cheapest gas?

Read stuff - Old magazines might have been a bad thing in the waiting room of doctors offices, but it’s possible to access a variety of magazines online free from many sites. Here’s a favorite site for old magazines and books to browse.

Get inspired - each day there are thousands of hours of new podcasts produced for every interest, from Bible teaching programs to news commentary to Celtic music shows. If your vehicle has Bluetooth, a good podcast is great company on your road trip or commute. Go to your phone’s podcast app, or check this one out. RightNow Media, a subscription-based video service normally offered through churches (if they subscribe), is currently offering free content, doing their part during the COVID pandemic.

Take a virtual vacation - Google Maps offers detailed satellite imagery from around the world. Click on a place and you can get 360 degree views of breathtaking places, plus detailed information on food, lodging and directions on how to get there. There are free apps for your smartphone or tablet, and on a computer just go to google.com/maps.

You oughta be in pictures - Chances are your smartphone, tablet or computer has a pretty decent video camera. YouTube offers a great platform for someone to share their knowledge/hobby/interest, and you can even edit your creation. Other great platforms include Vimeo and DailyMotion.

If you know of others, let me know!

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