<P align=left>When the program first started, I was sure<BR>we could never change our ways, but before<BR>long, depositing bones and leftover food in<BR>the bin became automatic.
<P align=left>Why am I telling you this? Because using the<BR>computer will also become easy for you the<BR>more you try. Sure, the learning curve is<BR>steeper than remembering which container<BR>to use for which type of garbage, but the<BR>idea is the same. Every time you perform a<BR>function or solve a problem on your computer, <BR>it will be easier than the time before.
<P align=left>This week, I read a book written by Bill Gates<BR>in 1996 titled 'The Road Ahead'. Gates said, <BR>"Computers frighten almost everyone<BR>(everyone but children), before they learn to<BR>use them. When people spend more time with<BR>computers, they understand them better.<BR>You can start by playing computer games or<BR>doing other simple things. Once you start<BR>using them, I think you'll like them."
<P align=left>With the Internet, we can keep in touch with<BR>old friends and make new ones; have virtual<BR>experiences of flying an airplane, driving a<BR>car, even dissecting a toad. Pilots and doctors<BR>practice their work without worrying about<BR>accidents. Every school can have a wonderful<BR>library thanks to the Internet.
<P align=left>Gates saw then how much our world would<BR>change because of computers. Banking and<BR>shopping online, distance learning, the ability<BR>to telecommute and work from home - all of<BR>these grew as software became better and<BR>more powerful.
<P align=left>Gates talked about his own futuristic house. <BR>Anyone in the house wore an electronic pin that<BR>told the house who and where you were. When<BR>it got dark, the pin would turn on lights nearby<BR>and turn them off when you went away. Music<BR>would play near you and the phone ring nearby<BR>only if the call was for you. A home control <BR>console activated choices of lighting, music,<BR>and temperature. That was in 1996, so who<BR>knows what his home is like now!
<P align=left>The book ended with a cartoon showing a mutt<BR>using a computer and saying "On the Internet,<BR>nobody know's you're a dog." How true - on<BR>the Internet, we are all on equal ground.
When in my 40's, the university library where I worked was computerized. The thought of using those machines at my age was so intimidating that I moved to another department. I transferred back a year later, determined to learn.
<P align=left>To my surprise, computers were easier to use than I imagined, and so enjoyable that I went back to school full-time.
<P align=left>(c) Carol Bremner 2003<BR><A href="mailto:cabremner@creativehomecomputing.com">cabremner@creativehomecomputing.com</A><BR>projects - hints - products<BR><A target="_new" href="http://www.creativehomecomputing.com">www.creativehomecomputing.com</A><BR>
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