I am a man and I can immerse myself enough into technology to reach the lower to mid levels of geek, but my old saying about computers was that if your grandmother can’t figure out how to own and use one, then it isn’t an every day appliance yet.
I grow tired of the inadequacies of these industries.
I am a man and I can immerse myself enough into technology to reach the lower to mid levels of geek, but my old saying about computers was that if your grandmother can’t figure out how to own and use one, then it isn’t an every day appliance yet. That's an unfair comparison. An "every-day appliance" does only one thing.
Your stove? It heats up. The controls are to adjust which part heats up and how much.
Your refrigerator? It cools down. The controls adjust how much it cools down.
Your Television? It displays video and plays sounds. The controls change the input, channel and volume.
Now, here's a partial list of what your computer could do:
- word processing
- send and receive email
- calculator
- spreadsheet
- manage all your bank accounts and investments
- play one of thousands of available games
- read out loud to you
- write down what you say
- compose music scores
- record, edit, mix and master digital audio, including radio
- record, edit, mix and master digital video, including television
- create, edit, manipulate and print nearly perfect pictures
- play a digital music file in one of many different formats
- play a digital video file in one of many different formats
- play a commercial CD, DVD or BluRay disc
- send and receive faxes
- send and receive TTY messages for the deaf
- track your position on a digital map
- give you directions to your destination
- design a jet airliner
- calculate how much a car's front end will crumple if it hits a wall at 20 MPH
- control a billion-dollar oil refinery
Computers are complex machines, no question. But they're complex for a very good reason: They can do far more for you than any household appliance.