The sun, the birds, and computers

That sunny weather is tempting me to pull out my shower stool and go outside to sit and weed a little here and there.  Even if I just get one tiny corner done, the satisfaction is immense. My low back has been killing me the last few days. Suspect it might have been the heavy lawn mowing I did (before I figured out how to heighten the machine for an easier push).  I've had periods of electric-like zingers when I walk or sit a certain way. I've put up with it off and on for years, figuring it was something I did physically (like rearranging furniture)  and that I was out of whack.  Used to go to the chiropractor when the condition lasted more than a week or two. I'm not going to the chiropractor, though.  My last few trips there  amounted to less than five minutes in and out the door with little or no dialog discussing  why I was there in the first place.  I have a book showing floor exercises I can do and I'd probably get more success from my own healing methods.

Yesterday I noticed the birds were more active than usual. They were swooping here and there and a couple even hit my window.  When I left in my car, I noticed more birds all up and down the street swooping and carrying on.  Maybe it's the mating season. 
Since I have Google at my fingertips, I decided to see what other people thought this bird swooping meant.  One (off the wall) website showed these comments......

Why do birds fly in front of cars?

To get at the easy pickings of roadkilled insects. Inevitably, this will sometimes lead them to swoop down in front of oncoming cars, necessitating some fancy flying to avoid becoming fowl-puree.

To get to the other side (fly to the light!)

I think it’s to take advantage of the wind currents created by the car's movement. Rabbits, on the other hand, I know about. They run out in front of cars because they think it’s a fun game. I used to live on a winding mountain road and you could see the rabbits waiting in the bushes for a car to come. They'd leap out right in front of you and race across the road and then I swear they'd stop and wait for the next car.

If they walked they'd get runned over.

They were secret agents in a past life and wanted to feel the thrill of a chase again.

Why do cars drive into the birds' flight paths?

 

When I took my car in for an oil change yesterday, I was surprised to see Mary Gaboury's sister, Teresa, there with her husband.

 She was getting an oil change too.  She told me that  she didn't know how to use a lot of her car's features....like the GPS. A lady salesman told her to come in sometime and she'd spend an hour teaching her everything the car could do.

I had to chuckle when Teresa was explaining how she tried to teach herself but the "typewriter on the screen" wouldn't come up.  A dead giveaway that she doesn't own a computer. I told her the typewriter is now called a keyboard, and that when I first started learning on the computer, my language also  reflected the machines I was used to. I called the monitor a TV screen.

That got me to wondering about how many Americans are not on-line. I edited down this article....

The F.C.C. said that a third of Americans -- some 93 million people -- do not have broadband access to the Internet at home. These include people who are not comfortable with computers or, are worried about all the bad things that can happen if they use the Internet.

19 percent say the Internet is a waste of time. The study found that just over half of those who don't have broadband access at home would be willing to pay $25, with the other half either not sure what they'd pay or not willing to pay anything. Of those who don't have broadband, 80 percent do have cable or digital satellite television.

That's a sign of a shocking and troubling misunderstanding about the uses of the Internet. 65% say there is too much pornography and offensive material on the Internet, and 46 % believe it's too dangerous for children. They may have computers or access through work or at a friend's house, but few of them feel confident in their abilities to use -- or even to find use from -- the Internet. This means that 35 % of Americans need not just physical cables and financial assistance to get online; they also need education in the ways and means of the Internet. Two groups are especially disconnected – older Americans and lower-income Americans.

I'm not just talking about a weekend seminar in "how to avoid Nigerian Princes." I'm talking about classes that aim at digital literacy, that teach users not just how to find information but also how to discern where the content comes from. Imagine arming the population with enough information to avoid scams. Imagine more Americans beginning to understand why Wikipedia is a great leaping-off point for finding information, but not a conclusive research source. Imagine teaching people that, with the Internet, they are able -- that they are empowered -- to ask questions and find their own answers. Who doesn't need that class?

 

Amen to that!  Every single day I pretty much come upon something on the computer that is either scaring me half to death or pissing me off!  Sometimes I can research it and figure it out, but more often than not, the explanation and the solution to fix it are way over my head!  Yesterday, for example, a message popped up telling me somebody else had my IP address and here's what I needed to do.... blah blah blah.  I printed off a page of instructions and will study it later when I'm rested.  Ha!

 

Dryer just turned off so time to fold clothes and then jump into genealogy and book editing.  Have a fun Memorial Day Weekend.