How We Use Technology
Sandy Berger and Gabe Goldberg, writers for AARP's Computers and Technology Web site, have been writing about high-tech topics for years. And just like the variety of topics they cover, each also has a different viewpoint about current technologies and how best to use them.
Q: Besides computers and the Internet, what technology has changed your everyday life the most?
SB: Right now VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is my big
winner. Most of my family, friends and I now use Google Talk or Skype to
replace the use of traditional telephones. It's just like talking on the
telephone but there are no long-distance charges. In fact everything including
the software is free. Skype just added video, so my daughter in Sweden put a
small webcam on her computer and this week I was able to see my granddaughter
take her first steps. Great technology!
GG: For me it's instant messaging. I've been working
for myself at home for twelve years. Fortunately, that period overlapped
perfectly with the Internet's growth. While I love and use e-mail, I enjoy
using instant messaging more. With several dozen people in my buddy list, I can
always find someone online for a quick chat, smile, or joke. And it's ideal
for short and efficient work-related exchanges.
Q: Has the Internet changed how you learn things?
SB: When I was a kid I loved going to the library. Now the
library has come to me. With the Internet I can look up and learn about any
subject. In the past few months, I've used the Internet to learn how to
repair a toilet, remove a stain from a silk blouse, and make a great bowl of
chili, all without a trip to the library.
GG: It put me at the center of my own personal informational
World Wide Web. I subscribe to many e-mail, blog, RSS, and Web site lists and
often forward items from those sources to friends, relatives, and colleagues,
and they do the same for me. This mutual-aid clipping service is better than
any automated process could be since only people can have the imagination to
send me something I've never requested because they know I'll want
it.
Q: What area of technology do you think will affect your life most in the future?
SB: There are tremendous strides being made in the health
area. Now that we have coded the human genome, future research in the area of
genetics will bring many cures and preventions. In-home high-tech medical
evaluation equipment will help us live independent lives longer. In the next
ten years all our lives will be very positively impacted by breakthroughs in
the health area.
GG: I believe electronic communication will have the greatest
impact. The Internet and other communication tools let me live and work
anywhere I like. With the world's information at my fingertips and clients
and colleagues instantly reachable, my ZIP code or continent of residence
barely matter for working or staying connected to people.
Q: What is your biggest technology disappointment?
SB: A few years ago before the appearance of spam, email
was a joy to use. Spam has only worsened with time. Today I get about thirty
valid emails each day along with about three hundred pieces of spam. AOL and
Yahoo! are starting a system whereby some reputable people and companies will
have to pay for email. This idea of charging good people will not stop the
spammers. It will only move us closer to a pay email system. This
disappointment could turn into tragedy.
GG: I'm disappointed in the chaos of PC software. I
started my career designing and developing large IBM mainframe computer
operating systems. Mainframe software has a discipline and structure missing
from PCs. I hate PC software installations spewing files all over my hard disk,
often making it impossible to cleanly remove programs. It's ridiculous that
it's often necessary to wipe PC hard drives and reinstall everything simply
to remove the debris that collects from using Windows and its applications.
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Authors
Sandy Berger is a nationally-known author and has written several books on computers. Gabe Goldberg has developed, worked with, and written about technology for decades.
