It's just a series of tubes, Sen. McCain
Jun. 11th, 2008 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tikistitchWanted to comment about this little news McNugget, basically, Senator McCain admitted a while back that he doesn't worry his pretty little head with compooters, and in fact lets the little woman handle the question of PC vs. Mac.
A couple of points:
First, let's stop with the age-ism, ok? It's dumb. Yeah, a lot of the people who are a-skeered of new technology are older people (thus the endless brick-tossed-through-our-flatscreen-inducing Jitterbug ads on BBC America - the prouct is basically promoted as a cell phone that won't scare Ma and Pa Kettle). But, look here, whippersnappers, OLD PEOPLE INVENTED THE INTARNETS! Like, Vint Cerf 'n stuff. Show some 'spect.
Second, we're thinking what's interesting here is not so much McCain's technophobia, but rather his blithe ability to function in the 21st century as a kind of computer naif. A story: when we were a baby grad student, we heard whispers of a certain professor of medicine who had his admin print out all of his email messages. Said professor would then write out responses in longhand (with a quill pen, one surmises), and his factotum would then loyally type them into the professsor's confounded calculating machine for him.
Thing is, the point that strikes from this grad school urban legend is not so much the eminent professor's failure to adapt, but rather his curiously quaint sense of entitlement. Sen. McCain claims on the brief tape that he has Mrs. McCain handle the computer-dependent sphere of his life, but this seems a bit facile. We'll bet that Mrs. McCain, for example, does not trail along behind the senator at work each day, and we've no doubt that there are indeed computers in the Senate office. Of course, the McCain office runs because the senator has his own set of lowly admins to type out his email responses. Most of his fellow citizens are not tech heads, but most of us can answer, when asked, PC or Mac. But, then again, most of us don't have the expectation that a Bartleby is waiting in our entryway, quill poised to scriven out our email messages for us.
A couple of points:
First, let's stop with the age-ism, ok? It's dumb. Yeah, a lot of the people who are a-skeered of new technology are older people (thus the endless brick-tossed-through-our-flatscreen-inducing Jitterbug ads on BBC America - the prouct is basically promoted as a cell phone that won't scare Ma and Pa Kettle). But, look here, whippersnappers, OLD PEOPLE INVENTED THE INTARNETS! Like, Vint Cerf 'n stuff. Show some 'spect.
Second, we're thinking what's interesting here is not so much McCain's technophobia, but rather his blithe ability to function in the 21st century as a kind of computer naif. A story: when we were a baby grad student, we heard whispers of a certain professor of medicine who had his admin print out all of his email messages. Said professor would then write out responses in longhand (with a quill pen, one surmises), and his factotum would then loyally type them into the professsor's confounded calculating machine for him.
Thing is, the point that strikes from this grad school urban legend is not so much the eminent professor's failure to adapt, but rather his curiously quaint sense of entitlement. Sen. McCain claims on the brief tape that he has Mrs. McCain handle the computer-dependent sphere of his life, but this seems a bit facile. We'll bet that Mrs. McCain, for example, does not trail along behind the senator at work each day, and we've no doubt that there are indeed computers in the Senate office. Of course, the McCain office runs because the senator has his own set of lowly admins to type out his email responses. Most of his fellow citizens are not tech heads, but most of us can answer, when asked, PC or Mac. But, then again, most of us don't have the expectation that a Bartleby is waiting in our entryway, quill poised to scriven out our email messages for us.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 02:30 am (UTC)When PDAs first came into being (Apple Newton 'n' stuff), before anyone had come up with the term PDA to refer to them, I already had an idea for a name: Personal Electronic Notebook & Information Storage. It's more descriptive than "Personal Digital Assistant", and its acronym is only two syllables.
"Do you have my new number?"
"I dunno. Let me look at my PENIS."
"Wow, isn't that old PENIS a bit big?"
"What? Are they much smaller these days?"
"Yes. Take a look at my PENIS."
"Wow, your PENIS really fits into the palm..."
no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 02:33 am (UTC)http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23845805-2,00.html
no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 02:52 am (UTC)As for Ms. McCain, I'm sure she has some lacky to handle all that compy stuff herself otherwise it would damage her expensive manicure typing on all those little keys.
I still remember when Bush senior was wowed by supermarket scanners at the end of his administration.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 02:55 am (UTC)Yeah, I remember that as well. It's weird that that's the type of people we elect as president. Me, if I went into a job interview and told them I couldn't use a computer, they'd just LAUGH at me.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 05:03 am (UTC)If the e-mail was to someone else in the same company, he would also send a *paper copy* of said e-mail with his handwritten reply on it--just to be safe, y'know, in case the e-mail didn't get there.
I heard this from the secretary herself, and I had no reason to doubt her! Astonishing, isn't it?
no subject
Date: 2008-06-12 05:38 am (UTC)