The Rantings of Generation X - This is the end. Technology is the END.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
Cursive is 100% useless. When do you ever use it? Never! They teach you normal writing, I don't get your point.

What is "normal" writing? Not everyone uses a Crayon, ya know.

I think I can agree with both sides of this coin.
Allow me to extrapolate.
Modern technology IS "dumbing down" the next gen, in the sense of not knowing how to survive w/out power or running water, or cellular coverage. Think dewey decimal system. Ask anybody under the age of 20 what they know about it, they wont.
However, with the availibiltiy of an unlimited source of knowledge in your pocket, think about the upside.
Next gen kids have the Ace of spades. I used to have to go to the library and look up a book through an index card library, to find the book I wanted. Then read the book to learn what a sought. This = time. Alot of time wasted "looking" for info. If while growing up, I had access to the answer to every question I ever had.......
Let's just make sure the information avalible is the correct info.
I feel the Nex Gen's of humans will overall be more intelligent as a whole, just based on the ease of access.
But by loosing the access, well, you get the idea.

reply to post by SuperSeaver


Technology will continue to evolve and the next generation will have their own devices that will awe and amaze just like we have /had. Technology did not evolve the way we thought it would back in the 60's. The world of microchips, computers and cell phones were not even a dream in the 60's. We dreamed of the day when we would have video phones the size of a tv set in the 60's. We dreamed of homes that float in the sky and we dreamed of new colonies of humans living on other planets. We dont have that yet. We didnt talk about miniature phones that we could carrry around with us and use anytime any place. We didnt talk about CD's or DVD's as we were still recording on film then. We had the radar range, the precursor to the microwave oven but no one talked about convection ovens or even imagined them as part of our lives. I did believe that my children would be taught by a computer in a different environment than the traditional school. We got that half right. Children still attend a tradtional school but computer learning is the norm now and you can even get a college degree without even having to step foot on a campus.
As long as we are able to dream and imagine, technology will continue to advance so that each generation will have their ah ha moments and their big inventions. I dont see that ending any time soon. Dream on Humans....

reply to post by benrl


I saw an article just the other day about what the people of Paris in the 1800 thought the year 2000 would be like. They had people playing crocett ( SP) under water with scuba suits over long dresses with bustles . It was funny, they imagined advanced technology for their time but never changed the styles of dress for the people so their illustrations show advancements but they are all wearing clothing that was contemporary in the late 1800's. They imagined electric roller skates and fire fighters who wore suits that enabled them to fly so they could rescue people from burning building without having a ladder or having to enter the burning building.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
Cursive is 100% useless. When do you ever use it? Never! They teach you normal writing, I don't get your point.

Legible cursive is more fluent,and less fatiguing than printing pages of individual characters by hand. Having written papers long hand in the distant past. However;The keyboard has taken its toll on my now almost completely illegible handwriting.I type right handed("hunt and peck")anyway;(Learned correctly, but a stroke and industrial injury relieved me of some of my left hand dexterity; can't imagine doing every thing long hand again.

One emp strike and the keyboard becomes just another thing to throw into the fire pit for light and warmth. The future archeologists will unearth in a century or two.and scratch their heads;quizzically.... Long division without calculators is another dieing skill..

I am not an OLD guy, but when I was a kid, there was no internet, no cable, only about 5 TV channels, that actually went OFF the air after the news. We used to get up in the morning, GO OUTSIDE and stay there all day until the sun went down. We played with sticks, built forts in the woods, got lots of fresh air in our lungs, and actually read books in our spare time. I look at these young people and I feel bad for them because although they are enjoying trappings of a technology I could not have dreamed of as a kid, I think they are missing out on living real life. Our whole society is so artificial now. Our food comes from factories, and it barely tastes like food anymore. Anyone who knows what a tomato tasted like 30 years ago VS now will know exactly what I am talking about. Kids are obese from eating garbage and sitting in front of their TVs playing non stop video games instead of exercising. And their brains are hard wiring accordingly. I already have noticed some of the younger people around me lack social skills, and rarely exhibit any form of politeness. They seem to be stunted in their ability to think critically, cannot handle ever being told they are wrong about anything, and act like spoiled brats most of the time. I have always felt that hardship builds character, and this crop of kids (not all of them but a lot) are like spoiled coddled brats with no social skills. Now you see people walk around in a stupor looking and typing into their smart phones, I always wonder what parts of the brain will atrophy from non use? Will coming generations have an inability to do math? Will we forget how to repair or even make the machines we use? The movie Idiocracy is a must see as an example of this. It was meant as a comedy, but its chilling to watch because it is happening around us as we speak.

Being 43 I understand where the OP is coming from. I was actually thinking about this a few months ago. I was hanging out at my girlfriends house and we were helping her 11 yo son with his homework. We were doing math, story problems ;AKA exercises in critical thinking and applied mathematics. He was stuck, and getting frustrated, his mom asked him "What if you had to solve a problem like this in real life?" his answer "I'd just google it"

The first reaction my mind had was, the next gen is screwed. It got me thinking about how I can't remember phone numbers off the top of my head anymore, I've carried around a digital phone book for 10+years. It seemed like technology was robbing me of my memory skills, and the next gen's ability to think for themselves.

Me being how I am, I began to think about the other side of things. Maybe this isn't such a bad thing, having all this knowledge stored for me allows those parts of my brain to concentrate on other things. Maybe not having to do all the work to figure out a problem, just knowing the answer will advance thinking because the brain has more resources available. So far I'm not seeing it, maybe it's because I am getting older and forgetful, and the next gen is going to be a bunch of brainwashed idiots that can't think for themselves.

**I have more on this, but no more time to type. Life calls, gotta make the donuts.....later

I was born in 1985. I can just barely remember my stepfather's record set.
I can look at 3-D games and remember when the Nintendo 64 first came out. What an unbelievable novelty it was!
Even with that, I find myself wishing I had been born in 2000. I'm not sure why.

reply to post by openminded2011


You have to create a balance these days. The kids want the tech toys but we know they need to be outside playing. I try to make sure that there is time each day for both of these things. My youngest is 17 now and though he spends too much time on Facebook and then his ninetento ds he also spends time down at the beach with his friends .

Originally posted by EllaMarina
I was born in 1985. I can just barely remember my stepfather's record set.
I can look at 3-D games and remember when the Nintendo 64 first came out. What an unbelievable novelty it was!
Even with that, I find myself wishing I had been born in 2000. I'm not sure why.

I'm not sure why either. Who wants to be 12 years old.?