I'm pretty exhausted this week. It's been a week of a lot of changes, new habits, etc., in the midst of what we're all going through. Plus I'm really worried about my mom, whose depression is now extreme. We're going to have to relax some of our COVID rules so that she can spend time with her friends, because what we've got going now is not tenable.
So, how are y'all?
up
8 users have voted.
—
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
when weather is at all decent, one can do a lot of socializing outdoors and be safe, or as safe as anything in life is.if no outdoor place, maybe inside with windows/ doors open, and deal with visiting insects later.
Suggest getting her socializing soon. When too depressed, a person doesn't want to see anybody.
I'm pretty exhausted this week. It's been a week of a lot of changes, new habits, etc., in the midst of what we're all going through. Plus I'm really worried about my mom, whose depression is now extreme. We're going to have to relax some of our COVID rules so that she can spend time with her friends, because what we've got going now is not tenable.
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
She and her friends may not be computer comfortable. e-mail can help a lot. If not, cell phone. The old flip-phones are still available and better for old people whose fingers are not as agile, I have both, but I primarily use the flip-phone because it's so easy to just open it to answer a call, versus placing my finger between the the green and red buttons and swiping left, which may or may not work. Old fingers wander. You may have noticed my large number of "one key off" typos. My sister had a netbook but has forgotten how to use it. Still, she talks daily from Alabama to her old friend in Indiana. You can buy USB extension cables most anywhere for the price of a Starbucks coffee. I bought a pack last week that had varying lengths. One was ten feet long. That's fine since it's just carrying DC current. The flip-phone can then be a portable wired phone. she can sit on her sofa, or in bed or at the kitchen table and chat with her friends.
If she's younger then a smart phone, perhaps with Zoom, or a touchpad would be good. Very young kids use the pads, even pre-schoolers. But kids' brains are wired for fast learning and their coordination grows every year instead of shrinking.
I'm not endorsing Zoom. It came out of nowhere really fast and has not been reviewed for spyware of malware. I'm actually suspecting CIA origin because suddenly Democrats everywhere endorse it.
So e-mail and portables phones replace snail mail and the dial telephone which is what my parents used to connect with distant friends.
I'm pretty exhausted this week. It's been a week of a lot of changes, new habits, etc., in the midst of what we're all going through. Plus I'm really worried about my mom, whose depression is now extreme. We're going to have to relax some of our COVID rules so that she can spend time with her friends, because what we've got going now is not tenable.
So, how are y'all?
up
6 users have voted.
—
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
She is very much NOT comfortable with tech, and has decided that her inability to learn how to use it and retain that knowledge is a sign of her brain power fading with age, as well as, possibly, inherent stupidity. I think neither is true, FWIW; I think she hates using the stuff, and is anxious about doing so. I myself often can't retain things people tell me when I'm confronted with using tech I 1)don't like, 2)don't trust, and 3)am unfamiliar with. It takes repeated times of hands-on practice, with people telling me again and again. But that doesn't make me think I'm stupid or that I have early-onset dementia; I tend to curse the tech, and try again.
Anxiety is not good for learning, in my experience. Out-and-out fear, under certain circumstances, can lead to certain kinds of learning, sometimes done very quickly. Anxiety, not so much.
#1
She and her friends may not be computer comfortable. e-mail can help a lot. If not, cell phone. The old flip-phones are still available and better for old people whose fingers are not as agile, I have both, but I primarily use the flip-phone because it's so easy to just open it to answer a call, versus placing my finger between the the green and red buttons and swiping left, which may or may not work. Old fingers wander. You may have noticed my large number of "one key off" typos. My sister had a netbook but has forgotten how to use it. Still, she talks daily from Alabama to her old friend in Indiana. You can buy USB extension cables most anywhere for the price of a Starbucks coffee. I bought a pack last week that had varying lengths. One was ten feet long. That's fine since it's just carrying DC current. The flip-phone can then be a portable wired phone. she can sit on her sofa, or in bed or at the kitchen table and chat with her friends.
If she's younger then a smart phone, perhaps with Zoom, or a touchpad would be good. Very young kids use the pads, even pre-schoolers. But kids' brains are wired for fast learning and their coordination grows every year instead of shrinking.
I'm not endorsing Zoom. It came out of nowhere really fast and has not been reviewed for spyware of malware. I'm actually suspecting CIA origin because suddenly Democrats everywhere endorse it.
So e-mail and portables phones replace snail mail and the dial telephone which is what my parents used to connect with distant friends.
up
4 users have voted.
—
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
And she used to be a COBOL programmer. She likes her Doro flip-phone except for the battery life. I sent a cable extender. She says she never got it. My daughter says she installed it for her. ???
My 86 year old brother in law in a nursing home loves his flip phone and he is totally non-technical. Before the accident I had to go over to his house to re-scan the channels whenever the TV allocation changed. Both need phones replaced now that 3G service is going away. We have the "new" 4G phones and the Doro is still pretty good. Better in some ways. But I had to manually put in all 20 phone numbers. Something went wrong with the migration process.
EDIT: I restored service to my old Galaxy S2 and paired it with the car. That way I can answer calls with the car's bluetooth system. But the car has the damn touch screen. My 2012 Impala had two buttons on the steering wheel and voice activation. Just press the phone on button and say "Call home" "Call cindy" "Call paul" and the Alexa-like voice would say "Calling " and dial it. Phone button activated the system. Button with a phone symbol with a line through it hung up. Perfect. loved that car. Too low to the ground for rough roads. 300hp V-6. Passed anything.
There's a thought. Amazon Echo. I don't trust it on privacy but your mom may not care.
She is very much NOT comfortable with tech, and has decided that her inability to learn how to use it and retain that knowledge is a sign of her brain power fading with age, as well as, possibly, inherent stupidity. I think neither is true, FWIW; I think she hates using the stuff, and is anxious about doing so. I myself often can't retain things people tell me when I'm confronted with using tech I 1)don't like, 2)don't trust, and 3)am unfamiliar with. It takes repeated times of hands-on practice, with people telling me again and again. But that doesn't make me think I'm stupid or that I have early-onset dementia; I tend to curse the tech, and try again.
Anxiety is not good for learning, in my experience. Out-and-out fear, under certain circumstances, can lead to certain kinds of learning, sometimes done very quickly. Anxiety, not so much.
up
3 users have voted.
—
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
I have little experience dealing with any of those issues and no useful advice.
I do support Granma's point that one can do social distancing and socializing at the same time by moving outdoors. We have done so here, but very small groups. I, of course have the advantage of living here and not there, and I don't know the housing situation. Here, unless one is eating or snacking on something that might attract the meat bees, there is really no bug issue, and even then it generally is no big bother, especially if one sets something aside for them.
Where needed &/or useful, one can get screened in pop-up no-bug rooms for a reasonable price, though it likely isn't the best season for them, though, in the SE that might be different. One can also screen in a porch with some rolls of screen and assorted hardware, should a porch exist, etc. At any rate, I wish you luck.
be well and have a good one.
up
4 users have voted.
—
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
My FIL here in Eugene was an architect and one of the smartest guys I ever met. He passed last year in his 90's. I know he knew and had a lot of respect for Christopher Alexander at Berkeley. I think he (FIL) was involved in The Oregon Experiment here in Eugene that gave rise to the two books you are reading. I need to add those two to my reading list as well.
Take care and I look forward to hearing your take on them.
@peachcreek
recommendations ever, from the Whole Earth Catalog / CoEvolution Quarterly / Whole Earth Review folks.
My blind friend in Philadelphia has started learning German — her mom was a German, from Swabia.
In that connection I’ve been ignoring news and politics completely these past weeks, working on a computer software function written in FileMaker Pro — a database and programming system from Claris, an Apple subsidiary, that lends itself well to do-it-yourself projects — for converting German-language text into Braille.
My FIL here in Eugene was an architect and one of the smartest guys I ever met. He passed last year in his 90's. I know he knew and had a lot of respect for Christopher Alexander at Berkeley. I think he (FIL) was involved in The Oregon Experiment here in Eugene that gave rise to the two books you are reading. I need to add those two to my reading list as well.
Take care and I look forward to hearing your take on them.
#5
recommendations ever, from the Whole Earth Catalog / CoEvolution Quarterly / Whole Earth Review folks.
My blind friend in Philadelphia has started learning German — her mom was a German, from Swabia.
In that connection I’ve been ignoring news and politics completely these past weeks, working on a computer software function written in FileMaker Pro — a database and programming system from Claris, an Apple subsidiary, that lends itself well to do-it-yourself projects — for converting German-language text into Braille.
up
2 users have voted.
—
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I can't remember if you're a planner too, or if I'm just remembering gulfgal's career....
#5
recommendations ever, from the Whole Earth Catalog / CoEvolution Quarterly / Whole Earth Review folks.
My blind friend in Philadelphia has started learning German — her mom was a German, from Swabia.
In that connection I’ve been ignoring news and politics completely these past weeks, working on a computer software function written in FileMaker Pro — a database and programming system from Claris, an Apple subsidiary, that lends itself well to do-it-yourself projects — for converting German-language text into Braille.
up
0 users have voted.
—
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
It's deep work, and is already provoking a lot of thought in me; I'm amazed that the work was ever done. It must have been hard to do, because he's writing about something exceedingly difficult to define. He even calls it "the quality without a name."
My FIL here in Eugene was an architect and one of the smartest guys I ever met. He passed last year in his 90's. I know he knew and had a lot of respect for Christopher Alexander at Berkeley. I think he (FIL) was involved in The Oregon Experiment here in Eugene that gave rise to the two books you are reading. I need to add those two to my reading list as well.
Take care and I look forward to hearing your take on them.
up
2 users have voted.
—
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Comments
Good morning, everybody!
I'm pretty exhausted this week. It's been a week of a lot of changes, new habits, etc., in the midst of what we're all going through. Plus I'm really worried about my mom, whose depression is now extreme. We're going to have to relax some of our COVID rules so that she can spend time with her friends, because what we've got going now is not tenable.
So, how are y'all?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I'm sorry about your mom
when weather is at all decent, one can do a lot of socializing outdoors and be safe, or as safe as anything in life is.if no outdoor place, maybe inside with windows/ doors open, and deal with visiting insects later.
Suggest getting her socializing soon. When too depressed, a person doesn't want to see anybody.
Don't know her age.
She and her friends may not be computer comfortable. e-mail can help a lot. If not, cell phone. The old flip-phones are still available and better for old people whose fingers are not as agile, I have both, but I primarily use the flip-phone because it's so easy to just open it to answer a call, versus placing my finger between the the green and red buttons and swiping left, which may or may not work. Old fingers wander. You may have noticed my large number of "one key off" typos. My sister had a netbook but has forgotten how to use it. Still, she talks daily from Alabama to her old friend in Indiana. You can buy USB extension cables most anywhere for the price of a Starbucks coffee. I bought a pack last week that had varying lengths. One was ten feet long. That's fine since it's just carrying DC current. The flip-phone can then be a portable wired phone. she can sit on her sofa, or in bed or at the kitchen table and chat with her friends.
If she's younger then a smart phone, perhaps with Zoom, or a touchpad would be good. Very young kids use the pads, even pre-schoolers. But kids' brains are wired for fast learning and their coordination grows every year instead of shrinking.
I'm not endorsing Zoom. It came out of nowhere really fast and has not been reviewed for spyware of malware. I'm actually suspecting CIA origin because suddenly Democrats everywhere endorse it.
So e-mail and portables phones replace snail mail and the dial telephone which is what my parents used to connect with distant friends.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
She's 72.
She is very much NOT comfortable with tech, and has decided that her inability to learn how to use it and retain that knowledge is a sign of her brain power fading with age, as well as, possibly, inherent stupidity. I think neither is true, FWIW; I think she hates using the stuff, and is anxious about doing so. I myself often can't retain things people tell me when I'm confronted with using tech I 1)don't like, 2)don't trust, and 3)am unfamiliar with. It takes repeated times of hands-on practice, with people telling me again and again. But that doesn't make me think I'm stupid or that I have early-onset dementia; I tend to curse the tech, and try again.
Anxiety is not good for learning, in my experience. Out-and-out fear, under certain circumstances, can lead to certain kinds of learning, sometimes done very quickly. Anxiety, not so much.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Sounds like my sister (78)
And she used to be a COBOL programmer. She likes her Doro flip-phone except for the battery life. I sent a cable extender. She says she never got it. My daughter says she installed it for her. ???
My 86 year old brother in law in a nursing home loves his flip phone and he is totally non-technical. Before the accident I had to go over to his house to re-scan the channels whenever the TV allocation changed. Both need phones replaced now that 3G service is going away. We have the "new" 4G phones and the Doro is still pretty good. Better in some ways. But I had to manually put in all 20 phone numbers. Something went wrong with the migration process.
EDIT: I restored service to my old Galaxy S2 and paired it with the car. That way I can answer calls with the car's bluetooth system. But the car has the damn touch screen. My 2012 Impala had two buttons on the steering wheel and voice activation. Just press the phone on button and say "Call home" "Call cindy" "Call paul" and the Alexa-like voice would say "Calling" and dial it. Phone button activated the system. Button with a phone symbol with a line through it hung up. Perfect. loved that car. Too low to the ground for rough roads. 300hp V-6. Passed anything.
There's a thought. Amazon Echo. I don't trust it on privacy but your mom may not care.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Yeah, she's already pretty much there.
I'm doing my best...fingers crossed!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good morning CSTMS. Sorry about your mom.
I have little experience dealing with any of those issues and no useful advice.
I do support Granma's point that one can do social distancing and socializing at the same time by moving outdoors. We have done so here, but very small groups. I, of course have the advantage of living here and not there, and I don't know the housing situation. Here, unless one is eating or snacking on something that might attract the meat bees, there is really no bug issue, and even then it generally is no big bother, especially if one sets something aside for them.
Where needed &/or useful, one can get screened in pop-up no-bug rooms for a reasonable price, though it likely isn't the best season for them, though, in the SE that might be different. One can also screen in a porch with some rolls of screen and assorted hardware, should a porch exist, etc. At any rate, I wish you luck.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Between Two Worlds
Good luck with the change
Hey. I'm excited about your reading!
My FIL here in Eugene was an architect and one of the smartest guys I ever met. He passed last year in his 90's. I know he knew and had a lot of respect for Christopher Alexander at Berkeley. I think he (FIL) was involved in The Oregon Experiment here in Eugene that gave rise to the two books you are reading. I need to add those two to my reading list as well.
Take care and I look forward to hearing your take on them.
Christopher Alexander’s _A Pattern Language_ was one of the best
recommendations ever, from the Whole Earth Catalog / CoEvolution Quarterly / Whole Earth Review folks.
My blind friend in Philadelphia has started learning German — her mom was a German, from Swabia.
In that connection I’ve been ignoring news and politics completely these past weeks, working on a computer software function written in FileMaker Pro — a database and programming system from Claris, an Apple subsidiary, that lends itself well to do-it-yourself projects — for converting German-language text into Braille.
That's great, lotlizard!
I have mostly been ignoring news too.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Have you done anything with Alexander's work?
I can't remember if you're a planner too, or if I'm just remembering gulfgal's career....
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I'm really glad somebody here knows about it!
It's deep work, and is already provoking a lot of thought in me; I'm amazed that the work was ever done. It must have been hard to do, because he's writing about something exceedingly difficult to define. He even calls it "the quality without a name."
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver