Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People

[Lynn McGuire]

Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25

The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.

Lynn

[Your Name]

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.

Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon.
:-)

[Charles Packer]

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

[D]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

Almost, but not quite. But my grand father grew up in an unheated house
with a packed earth floor in northern iceland. Amazing the changes he saw
during his life time!

[Gary R. Schmidt]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

Yep, all four born in the 1880s or 1890s. :-)

Nan frequently threatened to live long enough to see the return of
Halley's Comet, alas, she didn't, so she wasn't disappointed.

Cheers,
Gary B-)

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

I knew four of my great grandparents, all born in the late 1800s. One
of them was born in Belgium, another was born in Germany.

My four grandparents were born from 1910 to 1917. All were born here in
Texas.

One of my wife's grandparents was born in 1900 and his wife was born in
1902. No birth certificates as they were Cherokees born in the Arkansas
back woods.

Lynn

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Lynn McGuire

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

I knew four of my great grandparents, all born in the late 1800s. One
of them was born in Belgium, another was born in Germany.
My four grandparents were born from 1910 to 1917. All were born here in
Texas.
One of my wife's grandparents was born in 1900 and his wife was born in
1902. No birth certificates as they were Cherokees born in the Arkansas
back woods.
Lynn

My paternal grandmother was married in 1900, not sure when she was born.
She never learned to drive either.

When my father was growing up, he knew a number of ex-slaves, including
one who had been owned by my great-grandparents (if I have the story right).

[Mark Jackson]

Post by Charles Packer
Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

All four of mine were born in the 1880s. My paternal grandparents lived
into the 1960s (outliving my father by a decade); he drove, she did not.

My maternal grandparents died young and my mother (born in 1909) was
raised by *her* paternal grandparents (born in the 1860s) in a small
town (population around 200 today) in Indiana. *She* certainly
experienced some changes in the environment in her 92 years.

[Joy Beeson]

On Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:40:06 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer

Post by Charles Packer
Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

Grandparents? My father was born in the nineteenth century. My older
sisters witnessed the change from horse-drawn plows to tractors.

When I was born, there was no electricity or running water in our
house, and this was perfectly normal.

A few years ago I went on a tour of the duplex home the Beyer brothers
built for themselves, and the tour guide remarked that everything in
the house was electric, even the fireplaces. I started to remark on
how up-to-date that was -- and realized that *nothing* in the present
day can be as modern as that all-electric house had been, even if the
description includes things that are currently impossible.

[Your Name]

Post by Joy Beeson
On Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:40:06 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer

Post by Charles Packer
Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

Grandparents? My father was born in the nineteenth century. My older
sisters witnessed the change from horse-drawn plows to tractors.
When I was born, there was no electricity or running water in our
house, and this was perfectly normal.
A few years ago I went on a tour of the duplex home the Beyer brothers
built for themselves, and the tour guide remarked that everything in
the house was electric, even the fireplaces. I started to remark on
how up-to-date that was -- and realized that *nothing* in the present
day can be as modern as that all-electric house had been, even if the
description includes things that are currently impossible.

You could have a connected / "smart" house with all the latest gadgets
and gizmos where you can control *everything* from a cellphone app or
via voice control. :-)

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

My 84 year old uncle grew up with his Civil War veteran grandfather in
their home in Texarkana. His grandfather was born around 1850 and was a
muleskinner in the Texas 5th Artillery unit from Texarkana. They took
four 4 inch or 6 inch cannons to Virgina in 1862 ? and fought in a
couple of battles. They ate the mules walking back to Texas and threw
the cannons in a ditch somewhere. His grandfather passed away at the
age of 100 in their home.

Lynn

[Jay Morris]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

All four, from 1884 to 1898, but all but a grandmother died before I was
born and she died when I was six. I still have one grandfather's
driver's license from around the 1930s.

[William Hyde]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

My grandparents were born between 1884 and 1890. All lived to see space
flight, but only one to see the moon landing. Neither grandmother ever
had a driver's license, both living in that civilized age where the
local grocery was not three miles away.


William Hyde

[Robert Carnegie]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

That's partly cultural.* But soon, no one will.

* Saudi Arabia permitted women to drive cars
only very recently. The U.S. allowed women
to own cars, ah, quite recently.**

** Specifically to finance the deal.

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Charles Packer

Post by Your Name

Post by Lynn McGuire
Pearls Before Swine: Talking Technical with Young People
     https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/12/25
The technology changes are so great in just a couple of decades that
people do not understand how old technology worked.
Lynn

There are loads of YouTube videos of youngsters trying to use things
like a rotary phone, cassette tape player, etc.
Then again, the same happens with every generation. Few adults know how
to use something like a spinning wheel or drive a horse-drawn wagon. :-)

Is anybody else here old enough to have had grandparents born in
the 19th century? Theirs arguably was the generation to have
witnessed the greatest technological change. Neither of my two
grandmothers, from the Midwest, ever learned to drive a car.

That's partly cultural.*  But soon, no one will.

Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

pt

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.

On the subject of the automatomobile I strongly recommend the story "Sally"
by Isaac Asimov.
--scott

[Paul S Person]

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.
On the subject of the automatomobile I strongly recommend the story "Sally"
by Isaac Asimov.

Indeed.

On my current pass through my great list of possible reads, starting
with the last two James Bond novels, I was pleased to find that
Asimov's /Nightfall and Other Stories/ had finally made it to Kindle.

"Sally" is in /Nightfall and Other Stories/, so I had the pleasure of
reading it recently.

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.
On the subject of the automatomobile I strongly recommend the story "Sally"
by Isaac Asimov.

How about "Why Johnny Can't Speed"?

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.

You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.

pt

[Your Name]

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.

You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.
pt

Insurance companies will *ALWAYS* charge an arm and a leg for
everything and anything, and then pay out as little as they can get
away with when you make a claim ... that's how they operate and how
they make masses of money for the greedy scum who own, run and have
shares in them. They couldn't care less about the actual customer. It's
really no betetr than a legalised scam. :-(

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by Your Name

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.

You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.
pt

Insurance companies will *ALWAYS* charge an arm and a leg for
everything and anything, and then pay out as little as they can get
away with when you make a claim ... that's how they operate and how
they make masses of money for the greedy scum who own, run and have
shares in them. They couldn't care less about the actual customer. It's
really no betetr than a legalised scam. :-(

State Farm used to send me a dividend check every year when they
returned excess annual auto premium dollars.

[Jay Morris]

Post by Scott Lurndal

Post by Your Name

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Scott Dorsey

Post by Cryptoengineer
Manually driving a car will become a rare skill, and insurance
policies will either carry expensive riders, or simply not cover
it.

Perhaps for a while, but after a decade or so manually-driven cars will
be theftproof because the kids stealing cars won't know how to drive.
This will have the effect of reducing insurance costs on some vehicles in
some locations.

You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.
pt

Insurance companies will *ALWAYS* charge an arm and a leg for
everything and anything, and then pay out as little as they can get
away with when you make a claim ... that's how they operate and how
they make masses of money for the greedy scum who own, run and have
shares in them. They couldn't care less about the actual customer. It's
really no betetr than a legalised scam. :-(

State Farm used to send me a dividend check every year when they
returned excess annual auto premium dollars.

USAA does that when reserves exceed a certain amount, so it's not every
year. They're a mutual insurance company. I also get a senior bonus
cause I've been a member so long.

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Jay Morris

Post by Scott Lurndal
State Farm used to send me a dividend check every year when they
returned excess annual auto premium dollars.

I do not think they do this anymore as they are not structurally the
same company they were a few decades ago and they are now responsible
to shareholders who want to see short-term gains.

Post by Jay Morris
USAA does that when reserves exceed a certain amount, so it's not every
year. They're a mutual insurance company. I also get a senior bonus
cause I've been a member so long.

USAA is one of the very last of the insurance companies structured that
way and they deserve commendation for actually serving customers.
--scott

[Default User]

Post by Cryptoengineer
You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.

In late 2023 I read the book My Murder by Katie Williams. It's a
near-future setting, where some people never learned to drive and use a
type of self-driving "uber" service. Others do know how to drive and
have manually-driven cars.

Some of the technology in the book seems like it would be 10-20 years
from now, other aspects way in advance of current.


Brian

[Your Name]

Post by Default User

Post by Cryptoengineer
You have a point on theft, but I was thinking more of liability - if
self-driving cars have far fewer accidents than manually driven ones,
the insurance companies will charge an arm and a leg if you insist
on taking control yourself.

In late 2023 I read the book My Murder by Katie Williams. It's a
near-future setting, where some people never learned to drive and use a
type of self-driving "uber" service. Others do know how to drive and
have manually-driven cars.
Some of the technology in the book seems like it would be 10-20 years
from now, other aspects way in advance of current.
Brian

There are many books like that. In some the cars mostly use
self-driving, but people can choose to take manual control if they want
to. the iRobot movie's Audi has that option, as does Knight Rider's
KITT.

Of course, people who don't want to drive themsleves have been around
since way before the car was even invented. They simply use taxis,
buses, trains, stagecoaches, chauffeurs, etc.