The most frustrating thing I hear...

I cant? the fact that you try negates that WORD.
I would like a dollar for every mistake I have made, that's how you learn try not to do it next time,
And I say try as you will do it again at some time in the future.
The funny thing is when you do make the mistake you know as soon as you hit the key, even before it executes your command, oh oh to late.
Remember with computers if any thing can go wrong IT WILL.
Regards to all.
Ron H

ooooooooohh how i agree with you Leo,unless you are brain dead no one in this world is stupid, but making the effort to learn is the setback. I stared learning the computer when i was 67 and yes it was very hard, but with your tips and my will power i'm getting there.

I run a computer club for elderly people, and spend most of my time telling people that you are perhaps entitled to call yourself stupid if you can count to 467, but don't understand why the next number is 468. However there is nothing inherently logical about the way computer/human communication has developed, so there is no reason to feel inadequate if you don't know something about computers. Where possible I start each weekly meeting by telling them the questions I have had to pose to my guru during the previous week. Despite this I am not sure if they believe that I don't know everything. I haven't decided if I should admit to them that I have no idea what to do with my network settings when that goes wrong or when I travel.

I believe that people who say this are actually saying something different than what they mean. What they mean is "I'm ignorant about computers" which is an acknowledgment that they don't know much. I agree that that too could be a negative aspect to their willingness to learn. If people would then make a simple change and say "I'm ignorant about computers, but willing to learn", then that would represent a complete reversal of attitude from what we started with. John B.

I am going to disagree and claim there are some stupid users. I have been doing PC/network support for 17 years and I can tell you who the stupid users are. They are the ones that call you up to fix their problems and then proceed to tell you how to fix it. When you try to relay to them what the you think should be done they will argue with you till the end of time. You then wonder why they even bothered calling you if they already know how to fix it.
The smart users are the ones that are willing to listen and learn. I wouldn't know how to do any of the jobs that my clients do so why should my clients think they should know how to do my job.
As I said, I've been doing this for 17 years but I still do things like read Leo's blog because there is always something new to learn in the world of computers. There are 'NO' computer experts that know everything there is to know, so don't worry that you may not know as much as the next guy.

This is great, vvery well said.
I'm going to print these articles
And give them to at least 3 other people I know that feel that way about themselves
Frank Guerrero

Thanks a lot for the fine article, which I showed to my husband (80). He is struggling hard to cope with a computer and his microscope and doing pictures of chemistry stuff. At least, now he smiles when something goes wrong and he wants me to explain, why. AND he thinks that he will be able to remember all the different steps after all. Thanks again, Leo

I share your frustration about individuals who get in this mode of thinking. When someone calls me and says their computer is acting up and I ask what are the messages or what were you doing at the time and they cannot remember one specific detail I want to say "Have you lost your ability to read and write?" But I bite my tongue and ask them to collect some specific information.

I think people get in this mode because they have lost their desire to learn.

I to share your frustration, I'm +60 and started using computers when they required 2 disk to run. But the one thing I've learned is that anything I try to do I go at it with the additude that THeir is nothing I can't learn and do. I've got jobs over the years with this type of additude and telling the employer that I can do it, willing to work for them free for 2 weeks to prove it, if I'm wrong then we part friends.
I'm retired now and still tackle everything I do with the same get it done additude. It's fun to do or learn something new, and the computer and it complexities is(Spelling is one of my BEST)is
a blast.

You are absolutely RIGHT ON! The pace of technology is not and will never stand still. If we don't get on-board, we'll surely be left behind. This is really sad when I hear it daily for gen-y 20 somethings. Constant daily learning is the only way to begin with the end in sight where it is readily accepted that data is knowledge and knowledge is power. Without which we are relegated to mediocrity. Why are many foreign educational institutions turning out students who in turn are sought after by American industry? Because they have embraced the concept of 'constant learning' beginning at an early age. Only then can attitudes be molded for success through technology. When we turn out high school graduates that excel in math and science which are significantly less than half the class we will never keep up.
From a 50 something baby boomer with nearly 40 years experience in one the fastest changing industries in the world - telecommunications though now is more accurately called communications in the 21st century!