Explaining technology to the commoner

Theories or hypothesis are never of real value until you test them in the Real World(Tm). And sometimes they fail miserably.

Well, this is exactly what happened to me this week. I had this very well thought-out theory on how to teach technology to the common men. The basic idea is that while you can get by only how things work, you can never really master technology until you learn why things are the way they are. You can only go so far only learning everything by heart. I have already touch that part of the subject and I won't reproduce the entire argument here...

And so with this idea in mind I sought out to find the perfect way to teach someone how to use technology better, and how to teach those around me enough knowledge about computers and security to make them efficient and safe. With a solid base on how computer works, it's much easier to understand why you should or should not do something. It's also easier to see anything that might be problematic, like a phishing scam or a scrupulous website. I Truly believe that with a solid foundation, one can be good enough to be self-sufficient. I also think that everyone should follow some sort of computer training in order to insure the overall safety of the entire network. But then, I compared notes with a friend and found out that I forgot something important:

People are lazy. People are stupid. They don't want to learn.

When was the last time you opened a manual of any device you used? If you actually read the manual (like I tend to do), ask around. You might find that you representing a small minority. We, North-Americans, tend to think about ourselves and give as little attention as possible to things that don't seems useful. Can't learn to use it in 5 second? it's useless. Can't be explained a new notion in less than 5 min.? don't want to hear it. We just don't care.

Teaching a notion to someone who isn't intended on mastering it can be a real pain.

But there is still hope for those you want to learn. Because computers and technology will be in every aspect of ours lives soon enough. Learning it will no longer be a simple requirement, it will be impossible to do live a normal live without it. And thoses who will lack the basic computer knowledge will become second class citizens (or un-netizens): unable to communicate or participate on the community, to socialize with friends, or to meet anyone. It is similiar to the phone system from years ago, you don't hear this anymore: "You don't have a phone number? But how am I going to reach you?". But very soon, people without Cell phone, e-mail adresse, Blog or any new communication technology deemed necessary for communication will be left out.

So why not start today? Learn something new today. Take a simple step forward. Before you know it, you will have walked a mile, or 10000, and will have joined up with the information revolution.