Mature meetings with a mouse
September 22nd 2008 20:42
Some random anecdotes on the meeting of mature age and the computer age.
My uncle is going to computer classes. He's 86. Maybe he got tired of having to rely on my aunt to send emails. When I spoke to him the other day, he was trolling the internet for web sites devoted to caravans. "I'm looking at a big, expensive one here," he said, "but it hasn't got anything mine hasn't got." He didn't fool me. You never stop dreaming.
I read yesterday about "Katherine", an American who is on the internet every day for four hours doing research, emailing and instant messaging with her distant partner of 10 years, John. They have occasional cyber-sex, which Katherine describes as "fun". She's 82.
Next was Lizzie. She uses the internet for four to eight hours a day, also partly to stay in touch with a distant long-term partner. Lizzie, who is 72, describes cyber-sex as part of her "sexual repertoire".
I don't know what my dad would have thought of cyber-sex, but he never got the chance to try it before leaving us. He never really got into computers, mainly because he couldn't get the hang of using a mouse. I shall always treasure the picture of him waving the mouse at the screen in frustration. "How do I make that little arrow go there!"
There's a blog of gentle humour here in which the author trumpets an advantage of getting old as the ability to play on the computer until 4am and sleep until noon without risk of censure. I agree with the sentiment, but the last time I managed to stay awake until 4am was several decades ago.
He also finishes his post with the words, "Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles," which is a little miracle of an expression itself.
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