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Technology is our word for stuff that doesn't work yet

I was reading a very interesting article/posting on Always-On about "Grokking Technology" that got me thinking about the role technology is playing my personal and professional life, and in my kids lives.

While I didn't come up with anything earth-shattering, I did like this chart which clearly shows what is going to happen demographically as we move into the future.


The idea of "digital natives" is very compelling - my daughter for example is 7, has a Gameboy, understands that "binary" is a language and is familiar enough with email that she has one already. She's already owned 1 digital camera (and broken it), and can articulate what Google is better than her grandmother, who FINALLY got a working computer with an Internet connection.

The kicker however to the article can be found in a comment way down at the bottom of the page left by Rich Seidner who quotes Douglas Adams. "Technology is our word for stuff that doesn't work yet." In the context of the article (read it already!) this quote is genius. In the context of my mother - it is reality. And at work.. don't get me started!!

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