How times have changed.
 

In 1947 (Yes - 1947) when I started school, I learned to write on a slate. After a year we graduated to pencil and then to pen and ink. I had the job of mixing the ink powder with water to make ink.
I remember when ball point pens were invented and first appeared in the shops. We weren't allowed to bring them to school as it was believed they would not be good for our handwriting.
We learned our mathematical tables by heart and had to pass a mental arithmetic question each every night before we were allowed to go home. I can still recite the tables and add up a shopping bill before the shop assistant does it on the till.
I just spent Christmas with my daughter, son in law and three grandchildren and was dumbfounded when they each recieved an i-pad as presents. I was told that they are now mandatory in their school.
They are great kids but are totally fucking useless at adding up without a calculator. Every child at their school has a computer on which they do their assignments and there are no exams because failing is not politically correct.
Times have changed but not, I think, necessarily for the better. Happy new year to you all. :skull-bee

Do tell us more about growing up in the Victorian era finky :D

x

I actually agree with you on this issue Batffink.

I have some serious issues with technology and how it dumb's down society.

You've already touched up on a few things, so I'll do my best to avoid repeating anything that you have already pointed out.

I'm going to start with the mobile telecommunications device, also known as a cell phone. It's a great little gadget, however when it comes to text messages, and the text message language, that is something that we could do without. Everything is abbreviated, or "u r" instead of "you are." I wouldn't be surprised if young people today, are truly illiterate. They probably are.

Then there is internet. What a lovely thing. I can go to google, and type in pretty much anything, and get tons of useful information. At first I thought this was a good thing, and then I found myself studying a lot less. I used to read lexicon's and encyclopedia's for fun, but now, I don't read much of anything. Now I just go to external sources to find information when it's needed, instead of an internal source, that being my mind. It is much better to study something, and have it in your head when you need it, then to not have it, and just type it in google and hit search.

Something else along the same lines of using external sources for education or in this case, spelling, is the spell checker. Using Word, and forum's and Emails with built in spell checkers has ruined my ability to spell. What I do now, is type whatever because I know the program will correct it for me, or at least point out that I spelled it wrong. Then when I use IM, or something that doesn't have a spell checker, I find myself saying "how do I spell this word," or "does the i go before the e."

You mentioned the calculator. Yes that is another example of how technology is making it where we don't have to use our mind as much. Funny thing about that is, I can recall when I was in college, and people was using the calculator and still getting the wrong answer. Sad, very sad.

Technology has it's benefits, but it seems we are a society with a propensity towards lethargy which instead of making us stronger, is actually making us weaker.

Here is a good illustration of that. Take a domesticated pet, and put it back in the wild. It will not be able to survive as easily as a animal that has always lived in the wild and will most likely die. So it is clear that it is easy to go from wild animal to domestic animal, however going from domestic animal to wild animal is not so easy. For us, going from opening our fridge, and cutting on our stove; to having to hunt for our food and making fire with a stone and a stick would be a utter nightmare. In a sense electronic technology has domesticated us, in the same manner as when we take a wild animal and bring it inside of our warm house and put water and food in a bowl for it.

Happy New Year to you too Batffink.

Dumbing Down? Haw! glad to see the cell phones are doing their evil job still! :skull-big:skull-big

See people shopping with them and using them to find out what bread and coffee is for?! Like come on people!:D

Hell even Our Army is having to turn people away because our schools arent teaching them anything other than the standards they need to know..."brb", lol, lmfao and other strange abberviations!?

For example a simple math equation in the entrance exam..."If 2 + X = 4 then what is X?" 40 percent arent able to answer that? hmmm not good I think?:o

WOW....Bat you had a Slate how nice. Remember the abacus and slide rule miss those as well as doing math in your head as well as on your fingers. Oh well guess things change for the better as back on our days all we had was Black & White!

No "Color" like the lucky youths of today have!;):p

*Replying in a joking manner*

Hey what do you mean, I have plenty of color.

You sassy young thing. I should put you over my knee and give you what for. There's life in the old Bat yet. :D:D

Well a big Bowl of wassil would do nicely Matt!:skull-lov

And HRH welcome back to posting your wisdom as well!;):D

And Folks HRH refers to a Spade as something you dig with not a racial slur as many think of it today?!;);)

Bob Dylan said best when he came out with "The Times They are a Changing" :skull-thu

Sindyloo - spade can also refer to card playing too :skull-thu :D

I have it on good authority that in Heaven you regularly win a four no trump bid in bridge with an over trick or two.

:skull-bee

As was surmised by the most remarkable Sindyloo, a racial slur never entered my mind. Actually, I've never had a desire to learn the understanding of the term "spade" as it relates to racial slurs. I probably should have, but it just seems too vastly unimportant.

Maybe it could be related to the famous WWI fighter plane named the Spad.

That's a far reach. But, why the hell not.

:skull-bee

Strewth, cor blimey and fuck a duck.

The great HRH has returned.

Rumour had it that your ornery old carcass had been re-cycled into an Abrams tank and was currently on active service in Afghanistan. (An Abrams tank is the next best thing the Yanks have to a Scottish soldier!)

Welcome back you old fart and thank you for your kind words. :skull-bee

Why did I automatically think ofthis?

:D

Now thats funny as hell :skull-big .... did he ever get his fucking bike? :D

Nice to see you around Rotter :skull-thu by the way ... they let the dogs out :rolleyes: :skull-big (doggy) & I am a new me .... that was an old style ... ;) :skull-bee