Speedy's Cafe - General Chat about anything you like!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I saw a rainbow about 2:45 this afternoon, not that it's particularly unusual to see a rainbow around here.  But I'm used to seeing them in the east or west, or somewhat south of that.  This one was stretched very precisely across the northeastern quadrant of the sky.  I don't recall ever seeing one that far north before, and I don't think it had ever even occurred to me that it was possible.

In order for a rainbow to be visible, the sun has to be less than 42 degrees above the horizon (I looked up the actual number here, where there's lots of info on rainbows).  Around here in summer (when I'm most likely to be outside and noticing the rainbows), the sun is that low only in the early morning and late afternoon, when it's in the northern half of the sky, putting any rainbows in the southern half.  But it's November now, and the sun is relatively low even at noon.  In fact, according to this website (and assuming I typed in my latitude and longitude correctly), the sun is below 42 degrees elevation even at noon from mid-October till early March, meaning there could even be a rainbow due north.  Apparently I've been looking in the wrong place for cool-season rainbows!

If you don't know your latitude and longitude, you can get it from Google Maps -- and now I'm trying to remember how.  (Time to go to bed, Carol!)

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yes Carol!  sweet dreams about those 42 degree suns and rainbows. 

Please do me a favor, include John with his perfect gelled hair riding down the rainbow curve. It remains perfect, but why?? Why?? Why is that? And why does he have that hair?

And that is how the sweet dream turns into nightmare. Night night!

[Carol the Dabbler]

10 minutes ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

John with his perfect gelled hair [....].  It remains perfect, but why?? Why?? Why is that? And why does he have that hair?

But -- didn't we decide that wasn't really John?  It was his evil twin Pierre?

 

[Arcadia]

On 11/16/2020 at 3:05 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

But -- didn't we decide that wasn't really John?  It was his evil twin Pierre?

 

Yes. But how is that less of a nightmare???

[Carol the Dabbler]

5 hours ago, Arcadia said:

But how is that less of a nightmare???

Not much less, I guess -- but at least we know the real John still has normal hair -- wherever he is.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

I'd like to see an episode of Sherlock and Mycroft dealing with evil Pierre! 

He could be the next big villain. Step aside, Magnussen, go scrub that fireplace with Hydrogen Peroxide or something, and Moriarty, go take care of your back comb, we have found better villain!

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I'd like to see an episode of Sherlock and Mycroft dealing with evil Pierre! 

Didn't we already see that in Series 3?  Oh, wait a minute, that wasn't Sherlock either, was it?  It was his dim-witted twin -- what's his name?  Ah, here it is -- Simon!

 

 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Happy Thanksgiving Day to my fellow Americans!  And Happy Fourth Thursday of November to everyone else!

 

[kimber8ada]

Thanks, Carol! Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[HerlockSholmes]

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all👍🇱🇷

[Carol the Dabbler]

We took Alex's old computer (the one he uses for gaming) to the repair place today, and had to wait for a while, so I was "people watching" out of the corner of my eye.  I was surprised by how old some of the clients were.  There was one lady that I took to be about 90, who walked in with her laptop on the shelf of her rolling walker.  And a man who appeared to be in his 80s.  They both sounded just as knowledgeable about their computers as typical people half their age.

So the cliche about older folks being afraid of computers or incompetent with them is apparently now passe, which makes sense.  After all, that 90-year-old was in her mid-60's when the internet kicked in, and may have been using computers at her workplace well before that.

 

[Artemis]

I wouldn't say it's entirely passe (though I've never liked the stereotype to begin with).  I interact with many people who are confused by their computers/internet or would rather not use them at all, and most of them are people older than 55.  In fact just today I was helping a coworker use Google and open his Gmail, and he's in his mid-60's.  But computer illiteracy in that demographic is definitely shrinking, and I think it's due to the entrenchment of social media.  Their families are on Facebook, and they don't want to miss out on photos of their grandkids and such.  They've sort of been forced to adapt to computer use in order to stay connected.  Everything else happens on Twitter, and if you're not there you might feel out of the loop, especially if you're interested in staying up to date on the latest sociopolitical madness.  (I'm not on Twitter and I don't care about what I might be missing, but that's me.  FOMO is common.)  Smartphones probably play a role too, as landlines fall out of use.  They're sort of like mini computers, so learning to use one of those can serve as an introduction to a larger computer, or vice-versa.

It used to be possible to avoid computer use entirely, without a hitch; but that is becoming harder and harder to do with the move towards "paperless".  Right now there are still options for people who don't want to go paperless, but one day I think there won't be.  Maybe not soon, but one day.

I wonder what the next big tech breakthrough is going to be, and if I will live to see it.  Is it still going to be smartphones and laptops a century from now, or will they have been replaced by something yet to be realized?  Tech was changing fast in the 20th century, but it's been a tad stagnant in the 21st.  We are fitting more stuff into smaller gadgets, but that's about it.  I've heard whispers of near-future possibilities, but none that have come to fruition yet.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Artemis said:

I interact with many people who are confused by their computers/internet or would rather not use them at all, and most of them are people older than 55.  In fact just today I was helping a coworker use Google and open his Gmail, and he's in his mid-60's.  But computer illiteracy in that demographic is definitely shrinking, and I think it's due to the entrenchment of social media.

That's presumably part of it -- but also, today's 55-year-olds were in their early 30's at the dawn of the internet age.  So part of the reason that the 55-and-up demographic is more computer literate today than in the past is simply that they first encountered computers at a younger age.

Unfortunately, though, the internet (and software in general) keeps changing, which I suspect is part of the remaining confusion.  Taking myself as an example, I think that many people who are old enough to be comfortable with who they are, don't really see the point of learning new routines simply in order to do what they could do just fine (or better!) with the old routines.  I still mourn the loss of WordPerfect.

2 hours ago, Artemis said:

it's been a tad stagnant in the 21st.  We are fitting more stuff into smaller gadgets, but that's about it.

Isn't that pretty much the story of the 20th century as well?  Once photography, electrical circuits, the telephone, vacuum tubes, radio, and the earliest computers were invented, we had the basis of the internet and today's smart phones.  Since then, it's been just details.

 

[Artemis]

33 minutes ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Isn't that pretty much the story of the 20th century as well?

Mmmm, I wouldn't say so.  I see your point, but a vacuum tube, in my opinion, is a much different invention than a television, even though it's one of the building blocks of a television.  A flatscreen HD television, on the other hand, is still a television.  That's not a new invention, it's the same invention with newer tech.

A lot of innovation came out of the 20th century, in my view.  Television, satellites, home computers, the internet were just a few of the major ones.  We haven't really invented much this century yet, we've just put the programming into smaller packages.  TV's are flatter and in HD now, but they're still TV's.  Computers can sit on your lap, or in your hand, but they're still computers.  Cell phones have increased functionality (much increased), but they're still cell phones.  Movies can be streamed, but they're still movies.  They're not new inventions.  Since I was born we've gone from records to cassettes to CD's to digital files.  Those are all just different ways of storing and playing music, but they're also inventions.  But all that's really changed since the emergence of the digital file is size.  Size of the file, size of the data chip, size of the device used to run it, etc.  It's all still digital. 

Not that I necessarily want it to keep changing.  Honestly it was a pain (an expensive pain) to have to replace all my music and movies so they would be compatible with newer formats every half decade, lol.  I was only musing: Is there going to be anything beyond digital, or is this it?  And data storage aside, what's our next advancement going to be?  Will there be more Star-Trekian inventions like replicators, transporters, holodecks, hyperspeed, etc.?  Something we can't even imagine existing yet?  Or have we pretty much reached the limit of what we can do?

I don't have an answer, I was just thinking out loud.

1 hour ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I think that many people who are old enough to be comfortable with who they are, don't really see the point of learning new routines simply in order to do what they could do just fine (or better!) with the old routines.  I still mourn the loss of WordPerfect.

Ditto to that.  I'm an "If it ain't broke don't fix it" kind of person, and it seems like they are constantly "fixing" things that were fine to begin with.  I like familiarity and I hate having to relearn things for the sake of supposed "progress".  There is a point, though, and the point is so that you don't get so far behind the learning curve that you can no longer function in a changing world.  It's probably easier for a retiree not to bother with it all, if they'd rather stay in their ways; but if you're an employee, you don't always get a choice.

 

[Pamela]

8 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I think that many people who are old enough to be comfortable with who they are, don't really see the point of learning new routines simply in order to do what they could do just fine (or better!) with the old routines.  I still mourn the loss of WordPerfect.

I'm also on board with that. I'm 67. The only computer I have (or want) is a desktop at home, no laptop. I have a landline (yep!) and a cell phone, but it's a flip-phone (i.e. stupidphone), and believe it or not, I like it. I don't want or need a smartphone.

I agree WordPerfect was wonderful, until I got the hang of Word. Word took the "coding" out of my hands and all I had to do is literally say what I wanted. Hmm, was that good or bad?

[Arcadia]

46 minutes ago, Pamela said:

I agree WordPerfect was wonderful, until I got the hang of Word. Word took the "coding" out of my hands and all I had to do is literally say what I wanted. Hmm, was that good or bad?

Whereas I started on Word, and never liked WordPerfect ... it seemed so fussy by comparison! And then I went into desktop publishing and didn't need either. These days I used OpenOffice if I use anything at all. Which is almost never.

I still grumble every time they "update" Windows. 3.1 worked perfectly fine, what do we need 10 for?  

 

[Pamela]

37 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

 

I still grumble every time they "update" Windows. 3.1 worked perfectly fine, what do we need 10 for?  

 

To give somebody something to do?

[J.P.]

Oh, don't let me start on updates. We've got new Mac Laptops at work and I send Apple the darkest wishes I can make up. I kind of got used to this in the 20+ years, but hell, they always manage to surprise me.

They seem to make their main sales on adapters and cables. You cannot even charge your beeping iPhone from their own laptop without a special gizmo!

Not to mention other stuff you usually need to stick into a computer you work professionally with.

This came together with a huge glitch in our IT system, introducing of the new Teams and Microsoft365 for mobile working and firing our team boss, which means we all are doing his job. Instead of ours. My brain constantly runs on overload for weeks now.

I mean there are some some things coming with updates that are actually usual, but Steve Jobs' idea of an operating system is like a garden shovel with golden adornments, pretty flowers painted all over it and a load of funny noises it can make while digging.
 

[Carol the Dabbler]

15 hours ago, Artemis said:

I see your point, but a vacuum tube, in my opinion, is a much different invention than a television, even though it's one of the building blocks of a television.  A flatscreen HD television, on the other hand, is still a television.  That's not a new invention, it's the same invention with newer tech.

Ah, OK, you're looking at it from a different angle.  I was indeed talking about building blocks -- if you have all of them, it's only a matter of time before you put them together.  But you were talking about functionality.  Fair enough.

15 hours ago, Artemis said:

There is a point, though, and the point is so that you don't get so far behind the learning curve that you can no longer function in a changing world.

Quite true.  Which is the main reason I bother with certain things (kicking and screaming all the way).

9 hours ago, Pamela said:

I agree WordPerfect was wonderful, until I got the hang of Word. Word took the "coding" out of my hands and all I had to do is literally say what I wanted. Hmm, was that good or bad?

That's my main complaint about Word!  WordPerfect didn't actually require the user to deal with the formatting codes, but it optionally allowed them to do so, which could be extremely useful for doing picky things.  Same thing with the old forum software (which allowed us to view and modify the BBCode in order to fix certain problems) versus the new version (which alas does not).  Software is becoming ever more user-paternalistic.

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I went into desktop publishing and didn't need either. These days I used OpenOffice if I use anything at all. Which is almost never.

I assume you're talking about typing your stuff directly into a website -- like here?  My concern about that is, where's your backup copy?

I don't recall ever hearing the name OpenOffice -- what is it, in a nutshell?  In any case, I assume that's what you use in order to, say, write a (postal-type) letter?

3 hours ago, J.P. said:

Steve Jobs' idea of an operating system is like a garden shovel with golden adornments, pretty flowers painted all over it and a load of funny noises it can make while digging.

I suspect that a good many of the "improvements" are things that we never see, mostly to make it easier for various websites to work in conjunction -- which I'd just as rather they didn't!

 

 

[Artemis]

13 hours ago, Pamela said:

I have a landline (yep!)

Me too!  I don't want to let it go, lol.

13 hours ago, Pamela said:

and a cell phone, but it's a flip-phone (i.e. stupidphone), and believe it or not, I like it. I don't want or need a smartphone.

My favorite phone ever was the LG VX8600, the flip-phone I got in 2007. 

That phone was the best, and it took even better pictures than my iPhone 5s.  I miss that phone.  I don't think I'd have a smartphone if I didn't need it for work.  I might not even have a cell phone at all, unless it were a super cheap one I kept in my car for emergencies.

13 hours ago, Pamela said:

The only computer I have (or want) is a desktop at home, no laptop.

Is there an advantage to having a desktop PC rather than a laptop (unless you're a heavy gamer)?  I find I prefer laptops because they're portable and they save space.  The latter is especially important in my house.

4 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

WordPerfect didn't actually require the user to deal with the formatting codes, but it optionally allowed them to do so, which could be extremely useful for doing picky things.

That's what I liked about WordPerfect too.  I'm uncertain if I started with Word or WordPerfect (I think it was the latter), but I didn't mind Word until the Office 2007 release, when they started overcomplicating it and crowding it with features.  It used to be a fairly simple program with a few simple functions.  I barely even recognize the latest version.

I haven't had Word on my personal computer since Office 2003, the last one I liked.  When I need it, I use WordPad instead (in Windows Accessories).  It's not the best but it's good enough.

You can still buy WordPerfect, if you really want it.  It probably looks a lot different now though.

8 hours ago, J.P. said:

I mean there are some some things coming with updates that are actually usual, but Steve Jobs' idea of an operating system is like a garden shovel with golden adornments, pretty flowers painted all over it and a load of funny noises it can make while digging.

I really like my iPad and iPod, but when it comes to a PC, I definitely prefer Windows.  Not a Mac fan at all.  Not that Windows isn't also incredibly annoying sometimes.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

15 minutes ago, Artemis said:

You can still buy WordPerfect, if you really want it.  It probably looks a lot different now though.

I haven't checked into this recently, but my recollection is that Microsoft bought out WordPerfect, which somehow forced me to stop using it.  (I certainly didn't do it just out of spite.)  If someone is now selling something called WordPerfect, then presumably MS sold off the rights to the name.  I'll check into that, but I'm willing to bet it's nothing like the original.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Now I'm *really* puzzled!  According to Wikipedia, Corel has owned WordPerfect since the 90's.  So why did I stop using it????  

Of course it ain't exactly cheap, so I'm not about to stop using Word (which I already have) at this point.

 

[Artemis]

1 minute ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

So why did I stop using it????  

I remember being forced out of using it too, so I'm not sure.  Maybe they just removed it from the operating system so people would have to pay for it?

 

[Pamela]

Regarding the advantage of a desktop over a laptop (for me, anyway):

(1) larger monitor [I have a 21 inch], 

(2) I could never get the hang of the mousepad on a laptop [I like a regular mouse],

(3) a regular keyboard is much more comfortable over a laptop keyboard,

(4) I don't need portability. Any need I would have for a computer can darn well wait until I get home. I don't want to be tethered to a gadget.

There are probably more, but that's it off the top of my head. 

[Artemis]

41 minutes ago, Pamela said:

I don't need portability. Any need I would have for a computer can darn well wait until I get home. I don't want to be tethered to a gadget.

Agreed.  Regarding portability I was speaking in terms of being able to move it around the house.  I never (or very rarely) take my laptop out of the house with me, but I like having the option of working from a different room when needed.