Phone tech support with Grandma

I often tease my mom about how much more the kids know about computers than she does.
Even our 18-month-old son Elijah can sometimes seem more comfortable using an iPhone than
my mom would.
And I as a professional techie find myself often put in the position of having to offer advice or
impromptu technical support when Im with family. So, when I saw the caption That moment
when you realize you will be your familys tech guy for the rest of your life, it really spoke to me.
Then there is the picture that came with it:


I recently had a similar sounding conversation about browsers with my mom over the phone.
But, one thing that I have found is that I am slowly losing my edge when it comes to technology.
Computers I can still understand, but when it comes to tablets there really isnt much that you
can troubleshooteither they turn on, or they dont. And, if they dont maybe they need to be
charged. I dont know beyond that. And, with wireless connectivity, it becomes really hard to
determine why a mobile device isnt connected to the wifi. Is WiFi enabled? Is the router on?
Then, I dont know what to tell you.
I am reaching the realization that perhaps its not so much that people like my parents arent
applying themselves when it comes to learning about technology, but that technology really has
passed them up. Like falling asleep one night and then waking up in the 23rd century on the
bridge of the starship Enterprise. Once you get passed the coolness of it all, how could you ever
get caught up with all of that technology?
Perhaps Buck Rogers, the sci-fi character I grew up watch in episodes of Buck Rogers in the
24th Century had the right idea. He adjusted to the new, more technologically advanced
environment of Earths future, but at the same time he clung on to some of the old fashioned

thinking he brought back with him from the 20th century. Like camping, building motorcycles,
and cooking your own food.
I know that as I grow older, the one thing that I will have the hardest time giving up is the
keyboard. I am just a much better communicator when I am tapping out my thoughts (although,
having read this piece some of you might disagree with that). But there will be a time when
voice recognition will become the newest fad, and suddenly there will no longer be keyboards.
Except for my house, because I could never stand hearing my own voice as I dictated my
meandering thoughts to a computer.
So, as much as I laugh at my mom for being unprepared for the technological advancements of
the 21st century, I know that eventually the tables will turn and I will suddenly feel myself out in
the cold.
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