You Know You Are Old When

[tradosaurus]

Our DIL told my wife their daughter deserved to go to Disney Land and they were planning a trip.

My wife asked "Why does she deserve to go, does she do laundry, clean up after the dog, load the dishwasher, exactly what does she do to deserve the trip". That really upset the DIL, she stomped off with out an answer.

Our granddaughter does nothing beyond social media and has NO responsibilities and that is a major problem in today's environment a lot of parents are not parenting.

Our son should know better he grew up with responsibilities but, happy wife, happy life.

Can't stand that saying.
Obviously your son's wife isn't happy and will never have enough. Your wife rightfully called the DIL on her delusions.
Happy spouse, Happy House.

 

[deserteagle71]

In the process of replacing my 16 or so year old Mac desktop.

Never once in that 16 years have I ever had an issue with that desktop.

Only reason why I'm replacing it is the software is finally not available to update after we already updated

Yup. They are bulletproof compared to the components used in most PCs. I have an ancient Mac IIsi (from about 1990) set up in my basement, connected to an ImageWriter dot-matrix printer. Still works fine. Original keyboard and mouse. Same with an old Mac Powerbook laptop. But today's software just doesn't run well with that old architecture and only 1mb of RAM.

 

[MossRoad]

When I worked in I.T. we had just as many Mac hardware failures as we did PC hardware failures. But way fewer OS and applications issues. Mostly, the PCs were used for daily business and machine controls, while the Macs were mostly used for graphics, photos, etc.

Also, Macs did not play well with Windows based networks, storage, active directory, etc. You know... all that fancy stuff that corporations have to use to function.

That started changing in the years before I left. Plus, cloud computing you can do from about anything. You're just using a virtual desktop that could be hosted in Timbuktu.

 

[goeduck]

I certainly don't miss the old mechanical hard drives on computers. The last one I had to 9 minutes to boot up and be ready to use. I have a desktop running my security cameras and a laptop that I use for everything else, both Windows 11. I logged into my router a few days ago and was surprised that I am up to 27 network devices.

 

[MossRoad]

I certainly don't miss the old mechanical hard drives on computers. The last one I had to 9 minutes to boot up and be ready to use. I have a desktop running my security cameras and a laptop that I use for everything else, both Windows 11. I logged into my router a few days ago and was surprised that I am up to 27 network devices.

9 minutes to boot up is probably not a physical hard drive issue, but a well-fragmented, no free-space, no contiguous free space, messed up swap file kinda thing.

 

[goeduck]

9 minutes to boot up is probably not a physical hard drive issue, but a well-fragmented, no free-space, no contiguous free space, messed up swap file kinda thing.

That one was a company laptop and probably all you say plus layers of corporate mandated software to keep it running trouble free. Truth is it would lock up regularly yet the IT guy was the only one who was allowed to do anything with it. At least it gave me 9 minute breaks from online meetings and excuses for missing new company initiatives. Sorry boss, your company issued laptop must have been rebooting when you told us that.

 

[deserteagle71]

Also, Macs did not play well with Windows based networks, storage, active directory, etc. You know... all that fancy stuff that corporations have to use to function.

This is still a big problem with Macs, much as I love them. With me, it is GPS programs. I'm the guy our Search and Rescue team relies on to create tracks, waypoints, etc. when we are on a search. As far as I know, not one GPS program is written to work well with a Mac. You have to use an emulator and that introduces its own set of problems.

And no such thing as depending on the "cloud" when doing SAR. Most times, at least here in northern Nevada, we are where there is no internet and no cell service. So it has to be done on the computer itself.

 

[MossRoad]

This is still a big problem with Macs, much as I love them. With me, it is GPS programs. I'm the guy our Search and Rescue team relies on to create tracks, waypoints, etc. when we are on a search. As far as I know, not one GPS program is written to work well with a Mac. You have to use an emulator and that introduces its own set of problems.

And no such thing as depending on the "cloud" when doing SAR. Most times, at least here in northern Nevada, we are where there is no internet and no cell service. So it has to be done on the computer itself.

Ahh, yes. Remote work. Everything has to be on the computer before you leave. Everything you gather has to be updated to corporate when you return so they are synched.

Emulators... eeks. If you want me to use a PC, get me a PC.

I did like virtual desktops in the office environment. They just needed a desktop to be able to run a browser. All software updates were done on the server.

 

[sixdogs]

You may not have used a fountain pen in school but your desk still had the round hole cut in it to hold the inkwell.

 

[Oaktree]

We purposely spent $650 on change dispensers connected to the pos (point of sale/register) to avoid confused uneducated staff making change. The manager fills it and the staff have to hand out the bills the pos tells them to give. We must make it easy or they'll be giving wrong change their whole shift.

Says a lot about US education. A whole lot.

And what is that? That schools don't teach mostly outmoded skills? Every cash register made in the last 50 years has the cashier enter the amount tendered, and then it calculates change.

 

[Oaktree]

True Story. I run my families General Contracting business. Get a phone call Monday of Holy Week. Caller "Do you do replacement windows?" I tell him "Yes we do." Caller asks, "Do you have sample you could bring over and show me?" I reply that yes, we do have samples and I would be happy to bring them to his home. He then says, "Friday is Good Friday, I have the day off, I will be home all day." I said "So will I." He then asks "What?" So I replied " You said Friday was Good Friday and that you had the day off and will be home all day. And I said "So will I." He then seemed confused and asked "So you are not coming on Friday?" I said "No." He then asked "Then, when can you come and bring the samples?" I told him I could come to his house Monday any time after 8AM. He said "Monday? I will be at work." I said "So will I."

If a contractor copped an attitude like that towards me, I'd look for another contractor. Part of being in business is being available when it's convenient for your (potential) customers.

Where do you live that good Friday is considered a holiday?

 

[Oaktree]

I see this in several areas…

The big one is when one becomes a homeowner and dependent on trades for everything…

My grandmother and mom had no problems lighting a pilot light, building a fire or plunging a toilet.

Another area is automotive… they could put on chains with the best of them and checking the oil, radiator and tire pressure easy peasy.

But those people have always existed. While my parents were also very DIY, many of their friends were not. Growing up rural teaches you to be at least somewhat self-sufficient, and it's easy to take for granted that everyone else is that way too.

 

[Oaktree]

Heard from a Reformed pastor, and later confirmed by a Rabbi, "most Jews are atheists". Their argument was that many congregants are more concerned with tradition and process, than religious belief.

Probably true of most religions.

 

[Oaktree]

TRUTH!
To many parents are trying to be "friends" with their children rather than parents, and that is now becoming second generation.
My parents and grandparents (RIP) spent a lot of their time with me training me instead of trying to be buddies. And that involved a lot of guidance and correction, and I was a "first born" child.
I tried to do the same, and once I was satisfied they "knew" the essentials of a task, be it shoveling snow, changing the oil on a car, or calculus they were good to go. I tended to give them some slack to learn by minor mistakes, but be ready to recue them from major mistakes.
Sort of a difference between "helicopter parenting" and "standoff battleship parenting".
Being "friends" with your children is much easier when they are adults.

I don't have any kids (that I know of), so I'm reluctant to criticize parenting techniques. I will admit that I don't understand the whole "gotta be my kid's friend" mentality either, but I wonder if it's an over-reaction to overly strict parenting. I have a good friend who was by his own admission a very permissive parent and justified it by not wanting to be like his parents (who compared to mine were kind of softies themselves). Several other of my contemporaries (fellow boomers) have expressed the same sentiments.
Another factor is we boomers were the first generation for whom being a single parent (divorced or otherwise) was not stigmatized. During my 30s/40s many of the women I dated were single mothers, who I think were trying to compensate for their kids' father not being involved on a day to day basis (or at all). Then again, having to do the job of both, plus earn a living maybe they were just too tired to fight battles with a teenager. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be in their shoes.

Some lucked out with parents who were able to hit that happy medium, others didn't.

 

[Oaktree]

But today's software just doesn't run well with that old architecture and only 1mb of RAM.

Surprised they run at all. I'd read that when Apple went with their current architecture (OS-10?) basically any pre-existing software would not run on the new OS.

9 minutes to boot up is probably not a physical hard drive issue, but a well-fragmented, no free-space, no contiguous free space, messed up swap file kinda thing.

Or a LOT of startup stuff. Seems like every program likes to put itself in the startup menu, whether it needs to be running all the time or not. Not to mention programs (like antivirus, etc.) that check in with the mothership for updates and do them immediately, also slowing down the machine.
When I replaced the mechanical HD in my laptop with a SSD, it booted in maybe 60% of the time.

 

[jjeff]

Here's a old fashioned hack Im trying to pass on to the kids in my life anyways. Once my kids were old enough to somewhat understand the value of money and want something materialistic they saved up for have them pay in cash in person with you in close proximity monitoring the transaction with the money they earned. have them calculate the price with 6% sales tax in my state that's .06 on the dollar extra they need to have, does a few things teaches them to take care and appreciate something they bought a lot more, monetary math, reiterates value of money, and responsibility of taking care of money in there possession knowing full well if moneys left out or misplaced for whatever reason I'll take repossession tbd if they get it back this is money earned doing safe little chores around the household and hobby farm. Not for doing chores most kids imo should do anyway. According to my wife id fit in with folks that lived long before my time and before child labor laws were enacted lol. The nickel and dime Chinese junk I was used to throwing out has greatly dissipated over the years since I implemented my draconian measures, but I'm still a work in progress as im guilty of caving to there wants occasionally.

 

[ultrarunner]

[/QUOTE]
You

But those people have always existed. While my parents were also very DIY, many of their friends were not. Growing up rural teaches you to be at least somewhat self-sufficient, and it's easy to take for granted that everyone else is that way too.

In high school all my friends except 2 had cars that were a work in progress...

We would do motor swaps, clutch and brakes... I painted a few plus all the regular repairs like water pumps, etc

I happened to be at the old high school last week and the student body cars almost across the board late model Honda, Toyota, etc... no pickups in sight...

Most of the guys dove pickups and plenty of them 20+ years old in my day.

 

[ultrarunner]

Both of our daughters can light pilot lights, build fires, plunge toilets, snake drains, check auto fluids and change tires. Debit card is plastic checkbook. Online banking keeps track of all of that nicely.

I'm thinking im just around some helpless people...

A lady up the street had no heat for several days... simple pilot light. We had fast to 100 mph in the Bay that night and PGE was out days for pilot relights.

I also see differences in MDs and Nurses from when I started.

We use to have lots of military docs and nurses were old school.

The new ones are very book smart but require a lot of support... don't know a better way to say it.

The military guys could handle anything and well versed say on every kind of anestesia machine... now they often only know one... say GE for example.

It's like what do you do when the electronic record keeping goes down?

Military Docs and Nurses I've work with have a higher problem solving skill set and do well under pressure.

 

[stuckmotor]

You know you're getting old when you go to a restaurant and are served by third generation members of families who's young grandparents once served you.

 

[Pixguy]

And what is that? That schools don't teach mostly outmoded skills? Every cash register made in the last 50 years has the cashier enter the amount tendered, and then it calculates change.

I don't care what mode they use as long as they teach basic math so the "youts" don't need a calculator or register to figure change. Our schools are graduation HS kids with third grade level of math. Real good.