21.1.07

USING A COMPUTER AT 60 ?

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Pookie loves old ladies, they always have such interesting handbags with them which smell so good. Yesterday evening we watched a quiz show on german TV. The questions are rather difficult and the amount to win important 300.000 € ! Not bad.
There are always two people playing together. This time it was a grandma with her grand daughter. That's nothing special but the grandma was 89 years old ! A tiny person with a rumpled face showing the hard life she probably had behind her. But she really was amazing ! She was just as a 30 year old, sitting in an old shell.
She spends most of her time behind her computer and did this already since more than 10 years ! Internet she knows by heart, is corresponding with the whole world in english, participates in forums and talked about computers almost like Bill Gates, and knew more than her granddaughter. I couldn't believe it ! I have to say its very unusual and rare in Europe that women over 50 are blogging ! Except in the UK. I am the only one between all our friends or people we know and they just can't understand what a Blog is. I didn't know it either since April last year, when I dropped into this by pure chance.
When I tell people that I have a Blog (I don't dare to say I have 4), nobody understands me. Now, I always say that I have a Website, that they understand. But still, they wonder what I am doing with it, that I am so busy and that I love it. At my age I should probably behave like others, drinking tea, shopping and watching TV or playing bridge. But using a computer ? Is she still normal ?
Most women of my age are really afraid of computers and glance very suspiciously at them as if a monster would jump out of it. They block themselves up and don't want to know anything about it because : "I will never understand such a new thing"
That makes me angry.
They had also learned driving a car, using a telephone, an electric typewriter, dishwashers, washing machines and they learned to switch on a TV, use the remote control and are even programming TV channels, the tape recorder or DVD player, in short everthing which had been invented or brought to the market since 1960.
If you think it over this were a lot of inventions. Today everybody has such things and cannot even imagine to live without them and they got used to it, even with mobiles. Why not a computer ?
Really I admired the old lady. I could have been her daughter. And I swore to myself, if ever I will get that old, I just want to be like her.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us What would she do with that, if she knows nothing about a computer ?
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  • 9 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Even my Husband at age 68 has trouble with using the computer for more than email. I, however, love my blog, love writing it, working on it, and of course visiting other bloggers and learning about their lives.
    I think my grandmother (who would be 110 if she were alive), would have loved computers. She was always amazed at new modern things. She was a woman ahead of her times.

    Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

    I want to be like that lady when I "grow up" too!! I want to keep up with as much technology as I can possibly keep up with..Thanks for stopping by. We looked yesterday but did not get!! I have one prospect on a cat and am going to see her tomorrow. I wanted a year old this time since we lost Lucy and she was 3. This one is grey long haired with 4 white paws. i will definitely let you know and post pictures..Sandy

    tiggerprr said...

    I think it's great that you're blogging! I hesitate to say "at your age" because I don't think you're "old". Age is just time, your true age lies in your heart IMO. So you must be very young. :)

    Anonymous said...

    I do believe that you'll be like that - just like myself too. Well, for a while at least, then I'll be totally gone, kokoooo :-) -Giggles-

    I do recognize that behaviour - or denial. They're so afraid of new things. Maybe it's because they feel left so far behind and they're not getting any help from the men there either. It's a pity really.

    Men and women are different and therefor we have differnt ways of learning things, but most methods today is more created for the men I think. We women are so used to it so we don't even realize this sometimes...

    Computers are really great to keep the brain in good shape. More people should use it in other ways than we do today.

    Unknown said...

    I hope I still can blog when I reach such a mature age.

    :D

    Thanks for visiting my FF :D

    Anonymous said...

    Great post...I still have young friends that don't get the Web, but we live in a very rural area and there are still some folks set on not learning about computers. Sad but true.

    Mary said...

    I think it's wonderful that older people are so tech savvy. I sometimes think it's hilarious that some times they know more than me. :O) Here from the Carnival of Blogging Chicks.

    CyberCelt said...

    I think it is a matter of motivation. I can setup a wireless network, but I cannot program the VCR. I care about being able to communicate, but really do not like TV.

    Evidently, the woman had motivation to learn.

    Glad you got your blog post on Blogger. I do not know what was going on yesterday. It is wasn't free ...

    Talia said...

    Computers are fabulous for any age. Studies on "grey" computing have shown that it is extremely helpful for older people especially those that are isolated from friends and family.

    I think keeping 4 blogs up is a huge undertaking and I like your idea of telling people it is a website. I'm constantly surprised by the number of people who have no idea what a blog is!!!