Is it just me or what?

[FWAmie]

For some odd reason today I am either feeling really "dumb" so to speak or feeling very "old". Considering I am only 25 and I happen to visit the vintage forum on here and things have changed so much! There are things that I remember as a kid back in the 90's I played with things like the Sega Genesis. Now you have the PS4 out and reading about things from the 1930's like the Jukebox. Reminded me of my great-grandma talking to my growing up (She has been gone since april 2006) but things seemed so much simpler back in the 90's and before that. Now today just seems complicated and so over run by new technology. Its almost as if no one can go without technology. Like kids, they no longer go outside a play. Instead they play ps3, Internet, other hand held game things.

But that could explain why I am basically making my kids go outside and play, look at picture books(because right now nether can read) and do something other than watch TV 24/7 or play on gaming consoles. But unfortunately I know it wont last for ever. Because once they both hit a certain age they will be on computers and what not. I mean as far as I have heard kids in the 3rd grade are doing online computer work for classes they are doing... Which if they are that is just pointless to me. I am starting to miss the 90's... Oh well, life goes on!

 

[SJ Coryell]

I think any generation its that point where they start to feel old. We remember what it was like being a pre teen and a teen. now there is a newer genration of teens and their likes and interests and trends are different. We notice this and it makes us feel like we are missing out and that we are the old people now.

 

[rachellove22]

I know exactly what you mean I turn 30 this year and this new generation of kids are so weird to me. I'm pretty sure the generations before me thought the same thing about us when we were teenagers but the things I hear about today startle me. When I was in middle school you didn't have to worry about being bullied or that someone was going to shoot up the school. What these kids have to go through now makes me sad for them. The biggest thing I worried about growing up was whether I was going to get the latest Babysitters Club book. Times have definitely changed.

 

[Cadus]

I'm still pretty young and don't have kids yet, but I don't think there is anything to worry about for the future. Even though there's never been anything like the internet before, it will bring people together on the grand scale of things; with a sharing of ideas and experiences comes understanding, and with understanding comes compassion.

...I am basically making my kids go outside and play, look at picture books(because right now nether can read) and do something other than watch TV 24/7 or play on gaming consoles. But unfortunately I know it wont last for ever. Because once they both hit a certain age they will be on computers and what not. I mean as far as I have heard kids in the 3rd grade are doing online computer work for classes they are doing... Which if they are that is just pointless to me. I am starting to miss the 90's... Oh well, life goes on!

Computers have their downsides, too, but you can't just assume kids doing online computer work for classes is pointless. If the world is headed in the direction of computer-usage, then letting them try to keep up can be a positive thing.

Even though I say this, I understand that you're waiting until they're older (I'll probably do the same with my kids) because at least then they have a chance to become athletic and real-life social at a young age. At the same time, though, computers have one of the greatest capacities to assist with learning. Really we just have to learn how to balance the future and the past as we raise future generations, and a little too much of either isn't going to be that bad for them.

 

[Orrymain]

Welcome to my world! I'm way older than you and boy do I get it. The world is a tech zone now. I actually feel sorry for kids today because they honestly don't have a clue what it really feels like to play. We used to create our games in the neighborhood. Today they just let the computer do everything. If I were you, I'd keep limiting TV and computer access. You're the parent! Be in control!

 

[FWAmie]

I have noticed. That even though my husband is 33 there are days he seems to revert back to his college or high school days. I actually don't mind, considering I see a side of him that I never knew. I mean, I have watched some of the shows he grew up with, which were much different than mine. But it also reminds me of the fact that not only are those the shows he grew up on, but also the shows his mom used to watch. So I see a whole "new" generation. Only meaning one that I did not grow up in. Its actually kind of amazing, also some of the shows are really cool. Then turn around and watch a show from now and it just makes me see that the older generations have acting actually better than today, and some shows have acting better today then then. So I actually see both sides.

 

[MrPogi]

"Well, back in my day, I used to walk to 5 miles to school in the snow uphill both ways..."

Seriously, back in my days, we had no personal computers, cell phones, calculators... When I was a senior in high school, we had 2 Commodore PET computers in our "Computer lab" and only math majors could use them. A pocket calculator went for about $100, and they were banned in school.

Yea, I'm old. But my 2 babies (3 and 8) keep me young. And I can't keep them off the tablets and other devices!

 

[FWAmie]

"Well, back in my day, I used to walk to 5 miles to school in the snow uphill both ways..."

Seriously, back in my days, we had no personal computers, cell phones, calculators... When I was a senior in high school, we had 2 Commodore PET computers in our "Computer lab" and only math majors could use them. A pocket calculator went for about $100, and they were banned in school.

Yea, I'm old. But my 2 babies (3 and 8) keep me young. And I can't keep them off the tablets and other devices!

Wow, why would only math majors only be able to use them? And as far as calculator being 100$ Holy moly! Oh ya, kids def. keep you young! I really want to find the old metal dump trucks and stuff so my sons can actually play with toys that are not going to break, the minute they decide that want to do something like ram it against a brick wall or something! I mean my step-son who is 9 and my 2 year old seem to make anything that says indestructible, very "dead" so to speak! But I know if I got them the full metal dump trucks my husband would be outside for hours on end with the boys..... Which would be nice, because then I would only be dealing with the two girls. My step-daughter is 11 and my other daughter is 5. They seem to not be so destructive, but they are female, they like to sneak and do stuff without getting caught and then, blame it on the boys. We normally tell the kids "If you think we don't know what your doing, you thought wrong. We invented the stuff your trying to pull." Which ironically is the same stuff my parents used to tell me.... Which all I can do is laugh every time because I used to swear I would never be like my parents and say the stuff they said.... Oh, boy was I wrong! LOL

 

[Rickideemus]

Seriously, back in my days, we had no personal computers, cell phones, calculators... When I was a senior in high school, we had 2 Commodore PET computers in our "Computer lab" and only math majors could use them. A pocket calculator went for about $100, and they were banned in school.

Well, I know almost exactly how old you are now, Pogi.

When I graduated from high school, there was one (1) computer in a special room in the library. It was locked up most of the time, and math nerds like me could only use it under the supervision of a teacher. One teacher -- one student -- one computer, in a little room. Computer cost the school $100,000. If I'm lyin, I'm dyin. It had ten (10) programmable steps of memory. Not 10k, not 10 MB, 10 bytes. One byte would say "hold this number," another would say "add," another would say "display answer." No conditional transfers, so it wasn't Turing complete, for you CS nerds.

It didn't do square roots. I was the hero of the computer room cause I wrote a program to make it do square roots by hitting [Execute] over and over till two answers in a row came out the same.

Rick

 

[Lily13]

The technology we have is everywhere in our lives and totally controls them... And it changes so quick. A few days ago I talked to my friend about how nice the atmosphere was when we texted in the evenings through SMS. and about how much less interesting the process is now that we don't have to wait a few minutes for each message to reach us, now that we have Facebook, viber, snapchat. And texting used to be perceived as so comfortable, fast and modem! World keeps changing and too fast.

 

[Orrymain]

Using a calculator was considered cheating in essence. You don't learn how to do math but inputting numbers and letting the machine do the work for you. That was the prevailing thought of the day.

My mom used to do that 5 miles in the snow thing. Then we finally went for a visit. Let's try two blocks and no they weren't long blocks.

 

[FWAmie]

I think to a kid, a small block can seem like a thousand miles! LOL

 

[CaliTVguy]

Using a calculator was considered cheating in essence. You don't learn how to do math but inputting numbers and letting the machine do the work for you. That was the prevailing thought of the day.

My mom used to do that 5 miles in the snow thing. Then we finally went for a visit. Let's try two blocks and no they weren't long blocks.

Yup, I remember that we could use calculators for homework but not on tests to include the SAT/ACT (was cheating)...so you didn't use them. To encourage "studying" no cable in the home...think we got 5 channels over the air (PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, and later FOX once it was created).

No cell phones, so you actually made plans and stuck to them....vice "texting" in the ball park of the time/location you wnated o meet up with someone.

 

[SJ Coryell]

I can remember getting our first computer at the house. It was monsterous Apple Computer. The monitor took up the entire desk and probably weighed around 50 lbs. Then there was the massive flat CPU that took up most of the desk. The thing was insane and the crazy thing is, I actually found it in our storage room a few months ago! My parents had kept is and i didnt know it was in there when they moved out. Wonder if it's a collectable now LOL

 

[Rickideemus]

Using a calculator was considered cheating in essence. You don't learn how to do math but inputting numbers and letting the machine do the work for you. That was the prevailing thought of the day.

I still think they should make the kids learn to do math without a calculator. I had a teller at a bank once who truly didn't understand that the answer should come out the same every time. I knew the balance was wrong, and said "please do it again." She did it again, and it came out right the second time. I had to go to her supervisor, because she didn't think it was "fair" to do it over and over till you like the answer! She wanted me to accept the first, incorrect, balance!! That would have been "fair." :eyes:

I mean, a cashier at McDonalds I could understand, but a teller at a bank?

Rick

 

[FWAmie]

When I was still in high school I constantly seen people using calculators, but I am a person who likes to literally write everything down. Just to be able to write something. But I would do the problem on paper and then double check it with a calculator. Until I ended up with problems that I couldn't do on a calculator. When that happened I asked most of the questions during class, that actually made other people really mad. But then found out that I actually had to have LD classes. Found that out in like 4th grade. Was in LD classes until my 10th grade year. Needless to say, unfortunately math is still not my subject at all!

 

[SJ Coryell]

FWAmie, I feel your pain. I have never been good at math. I fall into that rule that if you are good at art and writing then you will be weaker in math and science. My brain is wired for creativity for sure. I can do basic bath but you srater getting into the higher maths like Algebra and such forget it. I would rather write a 5 page research paper than do a page of Algebra problems! All day every day. Ide get the research paper done befor the math problems most likely LOL

 

[FWAmie]

FWAmie, I feel your pain. I have never been good at math. I fall into that rule that if you are good at art and writing then you will be weaker in math and science. My brain is wired for creativity for sure. I can do basic bath but you srater getting into the higher maths like Algebra and such forget it. I would rather write a 5 page research paper than do a page of Algebra problems! All day every day. Ide get the research paper done befor the math problems most likely LOL

As far as doing a research paper, I could do those all day every day for the rest of my life, before I ever decide "hey lets do some Algebra" Never going to happen! but I surprisingly passed Algebra with a C for college, but I worked at least 25-30 minutes on jsut one problem at a time. I hate it!

 

[SJ Coryell]

As far as doing a research paper, I could do those all day every day for the rest of my life, before I ever decide "hey lets do some Algebra" Never going to happen! but I surprisingly passed Algebra with a C for college, but I worked at least 25-30 minutes on jsut one problem at a time. I hate it!

I passed Algebra with a B and that was because I had an awesome instructor!

 

[FWAmie]

I passed Algebra with a B and that was because I had an awesome instructor!

When I took my Algebra for college, I was doing classes online. I have now learned I do way better doing hybrid classes instead of just online. Which I start classes again in May. Which means once or twice a week, depending on the instructor and class will be spent on campus, but the rest will be done at home.