Computers Are Dumb

Computers are dumb.

Perhaps that sounds odd coming from a guy who spends all day working with them, but it's true.  We are still in the infancy of the digital revolution.  Even the very latest gadget from Apple Inc. will look like a Model T or Steam Locomotive compared to what we'll be working with in 30-50 years.  The automobile (at least a steam version) is older than this country.  It has well over 2 centuries of technology behind it.  That is (in part) why our cars last longer than our computers.  Many historians tie the birth of the computer to the Manhattan Project in 1945, but the first computer most of us actually got our hands on didn't arrive until January, 1984.  That was the birth of the Macintosh, the moment everything changed.

That was only a little over 25 years ago.

As fast as we believe technology evolves, 25 - 50 years is still not very long in the development of a sophisticated machine.  

Okay, so maybe computers are not so much "dumb" as immature.  A 25 year old machine is a lot like a precocious 6-year old kid.  Not a baby anymore, but definitely not old enough to do much on it's own.  We have to tell it to do everything.  Oh, sure, we can set up automated systems to remind it to get the mail, empty the trash, take messages and even go to sleep on time.  But as soon as we try to work with it on more sophisticated tasks, a computer needs us to know a lot more than it.  It's like having a car mechanic with the ability to completely rebuild your engine, but only if you tell them exactly how, and in what sequence, to do so.  How frustrating would that be?!

And it leads unnecessarily to technophobia.

We see it every day in what we do.  I cannot tell you how many of our clients feel they need to denigrate themselves before they can ask for help.   "I'm a total idiot when it comes to this computer."    We hear this all the time...

Don't be afraid.  We're here to help.  

We're building visual tutorials on our website that you can check out any time for help with some common tasks.  We're also trying to be even more responsive with instant remote desktop counseling sessions. These are live tutorials or fix-it sessions where we (upon request only) tunnel through the internet to see your computer's desktop and talk to you through your Mac.  If you've never done this kind of screen sharing before, you're in for a treat.  It's pretty cool.  And it's a fast and easy way to help you figure out how to tell your dumb computer what you need it to do.

Remember. It's not you. It's the computer.  :-)

Happy Weekend!

Mick