Too old for an iPod?
in [UK Mac]
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From: T i m on 8 Mar 2010 06:56 I'm talking about Dad that is. Ok, they are both going to be 80 years old soon but they both still have (most of their) their marbles, he still drives them all over the place, they regularly go to Jazz and ferry other oldies about etc. A while back Dads music centre died and long>short I leant him a 4G 1st Gen Nano and whenever I was round there, ripped more of his CD collection to it using Mums laptop. He demonstrated he could use the iPod ok and it was loud enough etc etc. I later got him a 12 and 240V charger and a car cassette adaptor to try to see what he thought (I have to sell it to him as 'free stuff to play with' or he'll more likely to reject it if he thinks I've bought it especially for him). So, just now I get a phone call from him saying he'd got (or just bought) a Bush CD and cassette thingy, that he was trying to record a CD to cassette and there were six buttons on it with no markings as to what they did. He also suggested there was no mention of them in the manual? He read them out to me ... "Two vertical bars, a square, two triangles facing the left ... " etc etc. I explained that 'those were universal symbols found on pretty well all music / video players and if he wants to be reminded of their function then any suitable manual will describe them again ...'. He commented that even if that was the case it was remiss of them not to describe their function in case someone had never seen them before (like him apparently). So, unless he's bought some new CD's (he doesn't use Mums XP laptop and his iMac / OS9 won't talk to the iPod) or is doing this for someone else then it's so frustrating to me that he doesn't make use of the iPod. After all, with only 20 or so CD's he can probably have them all on there and there's no reason why Mum can't hold the thing and set it going in the car etc (is there)? I'm no good with people so can anyone give me any idea what's likely to be going on here please (especially as some of you are old and some are wise <g>)? (Assuming that this cassette recording process is for him) is it that because it wasn't his idea he doesn't want to play with the iPod (he can be stubborn sometimes, especially if he doesn't fully understand things), or 'his way' is just easier for him (if you count having to store / track numerous cassettes 'easier' etc). Cheers, T i m
From: Adrian C on 8 Mar 2010 07:12 On 08/03/2010 11:56, T i m wrote: > I'm talking about Dad that is. > Yes -- Adrian C
From: T i m on 8 Mar 2010 07:22 On Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:12:44 +0000, Adrian C <email(a)here.invalid> wrote: >On 08/03/2010 11:56, T i m wrote: >> I'm talking about Dad that is. >> > >Yes Hmm, I was hoping that wasn't the case but I suspect you are right. :-( Not the basic working of the iPod as such but the concept behind it all. The confusing thing is I know (and help) similarly aged people who seem happy to embrace all this sort of stuff, using the Inet for a range of things (not just eMail) and mobile phones for more than making the odd emergency call etc (some of the rudest and least PC texts I get are from an 70+ year old lady!). Oh well, I tried. Cheers, T i m
From: Woody on 8 Mar 2010 07:23 T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > So, just now I get a phone call from him saying he'd got (or just > bought) a Bush CD and cassette thingy, that he was trying to record a > CD to cassette and there were six buttons on it with no markings as to > what they did. He also suggested there was no mention of them in the > manual? Yes, I get things like that from my mum until I point at the manual and say 'how about this bit here then'? > He read them out to me ... "Two vertical bars, a square, two triangles > facing the left ... " etc etc. I explained that 'those were universal > symbols found on pretty well all music / video players and if he wants > to be reminded of their function then any suitable manual will > describe them again ...'. He commented that even if that was the case > it was remiss of them not to describe their function in case someone > had never seen them before (like him apparently). I would be suprised if he hasn't seen them before, but either way, it would be remiss of them not to describe their function. So unusual in fact that I doubt it is the case. I have never seen a manual for a tape recorder that didn't describe their function. In fact, it is suprising he could use the CD, as unless it was unusual, then it would contain a large number of the same symbols! > So, unless he's bought some new CD's (he doesn't use Mums XP laptop > and his iMac / OS9 won't talk to the iPod) or is doing this for > someone else then it's so frustrating to me that he doesn't make use > of the iPod. After all, with only 20 or so CD's he can probably have > them all on there and there's no reason why Mum can't hold the thing > and set it going in the car etc (is there)? None at all. Sounds like a certain amount of stubourness or technophobia. Also, the iPod probably also contains the same symbols as the cassette. As will iTunes. And his video recorder if he has one and umm.. any music thing made since the 60s I guess. > I'm no good with people so can anyone give me any idea what's likely > to be going on here please (especially as some of you are old and some > are wise <g>)? (Assuming that this cassette recording process is for > him) is it that because it wasn't his idea he doesn't want to play > with the iPod (he can be stubborn sometimes, especially if he doesn't > fully understand things), or 'his way' is just easier for him (if you > count having to store / track numerous cassettes 'easier' etc). some people don't like change? As well as that, some people have conceptual difficulties with things they don't understand. Or maybe it is a case of 'i have always done it this way, why should I change', ie, he doesn't see an advantage of changing. Sometimes when describing things to people it helps if you can get them into a position of seeing the advantage themselves, like it was their idea. -- Woody
From: Ben Shimmin on 8 Mar 2010 07:37
Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk>: > T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: [...] >> He read them out to me ... "Two vertical bars, a square, two triangles >> facing the left ... " etc etc. I explained that 'those were universal >> symbols found on pretty well all music / video players and if he wants >> to be reminded of their function then any suitable manual will >> describe them again ...'. He commented that even if that was the case >> it was remiss of them not to describe their function in case someone >> had never seen them before (like him apparently). > > I would be suprised if he hasn't seen them before, but either way, it > would be remiss of them not to describe their function. So unusual in > fact that I doubt it is the case. I have never seen a manual for a tape > recorder that didn't describe their function. > > In fact, it is suprising he could use the CD, as unless it was unusual, > then it would contain a large number of the same symbols! Some ten years or so ago, I had to write my mother a cheat-sheet for these symbols that we take for granted as being universally understood. They might as well have been alien hieroglyphics, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't even that old at the time. b. -- <bas(a)bas.me.uk> <URL:http://bas.me.uk/> `Zombies are defined by behavior and can be "explained" by many handy shortcuts: the supernatural, radiation, a virus, space visitors, secret weapons, a Harvard education and so on.' -- Roger Ebert |