Not fitting in with the modern world

[User32269]

One thing I find quite hard to comprehend is the attitude a lot of youngsters have to the technology. For me, a smartphone is still a bit Tomorrow's Worldy, an expensive and advanced thing that you treat with a bit of respect. My iPhone is probably 4-5 years old, but could pass for brand new because I look after it so well. The first iPad I ever saw belonged to my step-daughter and she shared it with her kids - a few weeks old, the screen was cracked, the case was damaged, and no-one cared. It's just technology, almost a disposable item. They get them in school and they are nothing special. I find that quite difficult. I can hear my Dad saying "you kids don't know the value of things!" and I think I am turning into him. I know I am probably being a bit precious about this, but surely there is a value in looking after expensive stuff that you (or someone) worked hard to afford? It seems to be a generational thing.

It's the pace of innovation. Things seem to become obsolete in a week.When I was young, if you got a radio or a black and white portable TV it was expected to last and you had to look after them. Kids now view things like tablets, phones, and games consoles as disposable. It's not surprising as that's how they are marketed.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

It's the pace of innovation. Things seem to become obsolete in a week.When I was young, if you got a radio or a black and white portable TV it was expected to last and you had to look after them. Kids now view things like tablets, phones, and games consoles as disposable. It's not surprising as that's how they are marketed.

That reminds me of a conversation I was having with my wife recently. I was thinking of all the new technologies that had been invented in our lifetime that had already died a death, eg video recorders, cassette tapes, telephone answering machines to name but 3. I was trying to recall any technologies that had been and gone during the first 50 years of our parents' lives. I couldn't think of any.

 

[User32269]

That reminds me of a conversation I was having with my wife recently. I was thinking of all the new technologies that had been invented in our lifetime that had already died a death, eg video recorders, cassette tapes, telephone answering machines to name but 3. I was trying to recall any technologies that had been and gone during the first 50 years of our parents' lives. I couldn't think of any.

I find the pace of it all too much. My wife gets genuinely excited when her phone contract is up and that shiny new i phone arrives. I'm completely the opposite, I will use my phone til it dies and can't shake off the desire to look after things.
Even if you look at cycling, I remember when the oneupmanship was whether you had cotterless cranks or not, now you buy a £3k bike, a week later you skim through Cycling Plus and discover its classed as obsolete!
Our consumerist society dictates we have to constantly spend our dosh, we've bought into it and people will use credit to own the latest thing we are told is essential.
I find it all a bit souless, but am a part of it like everyone else. That's why I escape to the shed and play with old metal bikes with canti brakes etc!

 

[Silver Fox]

My dad is 83 and recently bought himself a brand new Audi A4. I was out with him one day and commented on the excellent quality of the cars music system. He said he was disappointed with it, when I asked him why he said he couldn't find anywhere to play his cassette tapes.

When I explained it was all digital music these days I told him I could buy him his favourite albums from I tunes. Are they in Southport son he asked. Bless him

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Hit by a board rubber...? You were lucky...

When it happened to me I got hit full on in the eye and needed hospital treatment. He never threw one again. He learned more about discipline than I did.

 

[mybike]

You never know. They reckon the first person to live to 150 has already been born

The first person to live to 150 has been born & died.

If authority figures could only gain their authority by throwing lumps of wood, they don't deserve any.

Frankly, the best teacher in my school was the one who would fling things. And he had authority!

 

[ColinJ]

When it happened to me I got hit full on in the eye and needed hospital treatment. He never threw one again. He learned more about discipline than I did.

I remember a boy at the back of class leaning over to whisper something to the boy next to him. The teacher flew into a rage and threw the board rubber at them. It slammed into the wall inches from their heads. From the look on the teacher's face, I think he realised how close he had come to maiming them.

I didn't think "This teacher is very strict, I must obey him" - I thought "How can I take this psychotic idiot seriously"!

 

[Pale Rider]

A friend of mine at school had the board rubber thrown at him.

He managed to duck and lift the lid of his desk, causing the rubber to clout the lid, not him.

We were very impressed.

The same teacher lost his temper will all of us one day and smashed his fist into the wall-mounted black board, causing a crack in it.

 

[summerdays]

I had a teacher who ruled with the blackboard rubber.... Mr Lenton, who taught us German. He had a whole range of punishments, from telling you to stick your head out the window and recite various bits of German, or having to write out the entire vocab book book 3 times (which was so much by the end of the term that he didn't notice if you skipped every third word), and the main use of the blackboard rubber was slow and deliberate.... He would wipe the entire board whilst telling off the person, then walk over to them and repeatedly hit them on the head while explaining in a slow calm voice why he thought they were wrong

 

[Lonestar]

Why is it the same people at work have a mobile phone glued to their ears all day?

Hate the bloody things.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Why is it the same people at work have a mobile phone glued to their ears all day?

Hate the bloody things.

And we now have something far worse - Office Communicator. Already on the phone to someone else ? No worries, I'll expect you to have two conversations at once by sending you a message on OC which will sit there flashing on your screen until you answer it

 

[jefmcg]

I`m not talking about throwing board rubbers, I`m talking about discipline

And if a teacher is throwing things at the student, discipline is already out the window. (Yup, TMN to several posters above this one.)

The most impressive teacher I had for quiet discipline was Sister D'ath, an old fashioned nun who still wore a habit, and had a caliper on her leg. She'd be writing on the board, never turning her head. If someone was talking, she would keep writing but (without turning) reach across to write your initials on the corner of the board. When you finally noticed them and stopped talking, she would quietly erase them - again without looking. She never explained she would do this, and she never needed any other discipline to keep the class in order.

It won't surprise you to find out, after we got used her strange personal style, and weird old-fashioned affectations, she was a brilliant teacher.

 

[hopless500]

Long wave's great. I've tried using my phone to listen to the cricket while out and about but its forever buffering and cutting out. So I just strap a small LW radio to my handlebars and it works a treat. (Apart from the bloomin' shipping forecasts of course!).

I like the shipping forecasts

 

[summerdays]

My best teacher was a newly qualified one, don't know how she did it at all, she was calm, enthusiastic and interesting, and I remember her warning us in advance that she might shout a little bit more on her assessment day. She didn't need to, we were angels during that lesson. I've often wondered if she stayed in teaching or not but she was fantastic for that one year!

 

[colly]

I don't find new tech stuff much of a problem tbh.
I use what I want and ignore what I don't
Social media has never really interested me but that isn't because I wouldn't get the hang of it.

The technical stuff behind it is mostly a mystery to me it's true but you don't need to know anything about a bike or car to be able to use one.
Mrs Colly though still struggles with the idea of a mobile phone. She has one but frequently it's off and when it's on she leaves checking messages and missed calls until she gets in.