Spring Break
THE LETTERS ARE BIG - I THINK MY COMPUTER IS BROKEN
Johnathan Kastner
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Opinion
Most people nowadays have a computer. To most of you, this is a No-Duh kind of acceptance, like everyone having a cell phone, or everyone having access to all of humanity's collective knowledge but instead choosing to access all of humanity's collective smut and lolcats.
I hesitate to reveal how old I am (I can drink and vote -- often at the same time), but assumed computer ownership was not necessarily the case when I was teeny. Kids these days have no respect for the magic box, what with the flat screen and multiple colors other than green and gray. Naturally, I assumed in the business world this would be different.
Not so much. It turns out that the most basic principles of computer security and use are largely ignored in favor of a, "Hey! I made words appear on the screen!" approach.
This results in large piles of wasted productivity and hair pulling, so that the small amount of the work day that is not taken up by slacking on Facebook and Twitter is filled with fighting Words' hilariously "helpful" auto-format feature.
To use an analogy, picture that computers are connected by some kind of "highway" that transmits "information."
People who don't know the basics about computer use and security are like unlicensed, drunk, texting drivers, busily eating a sandwich in one hand and swigging a fifth of gin with the other. They're most likely to cause accidents but also most likely to not lose anything vital. And when they get "pulled over" by someone who recognizes that perhaps at least one hand should be on the steering device, they become insolent. Then they show up on "COPS."
I did tech support for a few years. Not that I'm bitter.
How is this relevant to you, you're no doubt asking, as I have exceeded the non-me related attention span of most people by a good three paragraphs? Simple. At some point, you will get a job. And no matter what industry that's in, you'll likely have to come face-to-face with a computer.
I hesitate to reveal how old I am (I can drink and vote -- often at the same time), but assumed computer ownership was not necessarily the case when I was teeny. Kids these days have no respect for the magic box, what with the flat screen and multiple colors other than green and gray. Naturally, I assumed in the business world this would be different.
Not so much. It turns out that the most basic principles of computer security and use are largely ignored in favor of a, "Hey! I made words appear on the screen!" approach.
This results in large piles of wasted productivity and hair pulling, so that the small amount of the work day that is not taken up by slacking on Facebook and Twitter is filled with fighting Words' hilariously "helpful" auto-format feature.
To use an analogy, picture that computers are connected by some kind of "highway" that transmits "information."
People who don't know the basics about computer use and security are like unlicensed, drunk, texting drivers, busily eating a sandwich in one hand and swigging a fifth of gin with the other. They're most likely to cause accidents but also most likely to not lose anything vital. And when they get "pulled over" by someone who recognizes that perhaps at least one hand should be on the steering device, they become insolent. Then they show up on "COPS."
I did tech support for a few years. Not that I'm bitter.
How is this relevant to you, you're no doubt asking, as I have exceeded the non-me related attention span of most people by a good three paragraphs? Simple. At some point, you will get a job. And no matter what industry that's in, you'll likely have to come face-to-face with a computer.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Thomas Anderson
posted 4/29/09 @ 3:52 PM MST
I liked the article. You made me laugh a few times. But, I think you are underestimating the younger generation John. Its the 40+ adults I'm most worried about. (Continued…)
TechGuy
posted 4/29/09 @ 4:28 PM MST
Tell them to press the "any key", you know the big one on the front...(the one that shuts it off...)
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