Sunday, February 7, 2010
You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
I'm a great believer in learning keeps you young. Stop learning and you may as well curl up your toes and call it quits.
The problem comes of course when an old brain has to learn new concepts. It may take much longer; it may take a LOT of repetition or attempts, but keep at it, and you can grasp a new skill or learn new information on a previously unstudied subject.
Some things, of course, are never meant to be. All things are possible, except skiing through a revolving door; and if you're over 70 years old, or are physically frail, then skate boarding is not for you. But apart from these obvious examples, I think many of us tend to limit ourselves more than we need to.
Why am I talking like this? Well, I saw this the other day (YouTube Video) and my initial reaction was one of concern. I realised that I had always thought there would never be a time when technology would get the better of me. Oh sure, installing new home entertainment equipment seemed to be a much longer process, but that was due to the increased complexity required to play my CDs.
Having spent some time thinking about this I realize that there is no need for fear. It might take me longer than the 16 year old down the road to connect up my new TV, but I'm going to enjoy the movie much more than he will. I'll get to see it a dozens times or more because I keep falling asleep in the boring bits.
[EDIT] I recently came across an updated version of the video linked above. Check it out here.
The problem comes of course when an old brain has to learn new concepts. It may take much longer; it may take a LOT of repetition or attempts, but keep at it, and you can grasp a new skill or learn new information on a previously unstudied subject.
Some things, of course, are never meant to be. All things are possible, except skiing through a revolving door; and if you're over 70 years old, or are physically frail, then skate boarding is not for you. But apart from these obvious examples, I think many of us tend to limit ourselves more than we need to.
Why am I talking like this? Well, I saw this the other day (YouTube Video) and my initial reaction was one of concern. I realised that I had always thought there would never be a time when technology would get the better of me. Oh sure, installing new home entertainment equipment seemed to be a much longer process, but that was due to the increased complexity required to play my CDs.
Having spent some time thinking about this I realize that there is no need for fear. It might take me longer than the 16 year old down the road to connect up my new TV, but I'm going to enjoy the movie much more than he will. I'll get to see it a dozens times or more because I keep falling asleep in the boring bits.
[EDIT] I recently came across an updated version of the video linked above. Check it out here.
Labels: Technology
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