Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

Are your parents dumbasses on the computer?

  • 16-10-2010 11:19AM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 355 ✭✭


    I think we all at one stage had to show our parents how to use a computer or other digital device. This can be a lengthy and infuriating process - it´s almost as if they are deliberately being dumb just to annoy you.

    Two things I saw recently over on the Intermesh which sum up my thoughts on this.

    Firstly, this brilliant video about a Romanian mother and farther trying to follow their son´s instructions on how to login to Instant Messenger on his computer.



    And the second, why it´s better to pretend you know nothing about computers. link

    :pac:


«13

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,391 ✭✭✭✭mikom


    I think we all at one stage had to show our children how to use a toilet or other lavatory device. This can be a lengthy and infuriating process - it´s almost as if they are deliberately being dumb just to annoy you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 333 ✭✭loike


    tl; didnt watch


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,485 ✭✭✭✭SteelyDanJalapeno


    loike wrote: »
    tl; didnt watch

    samesies


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    They're stupid until they're stalking me on the internet and find everything I've ever written!!:mad: But word processors? Downloading music? Can't do that, let us call in computer daughter!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,547 ✭✭✭Agricola


    I like that my parents are complete technophobes. They are the only people I know these days who arent twittering, facebooking, blogging, youtubing etc etc etc.
    Sometimes you just get píssed off of it all and it nice to speak to people who don't have a clue about any of it. Its like timewarping back to childhood in a way!


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 688 ✭✭✭UpCork


    My Mum is quite good on the Internet. She is on e-mail for work purposes a lot and knows how to "Google" information. However, she is wary of everything online and as a result infuriates me a lot when she is looking up information. It got so bad at one stage, I refused to stay in the room. Thankfully, she isn't proficient in the use of Facebook or anything like that and has no interest in forums.

    She sees the Internet as merely something she wants to use when she needs to send an email or find something out, whereas I just like to sit looking up differnet thinks and chatting on forums. That's an alien concept to her.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 293 ✭✭Penisland


    My Dad thinks my laptop is a f*****g coaster!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 388 ✭✭Scoobydoobydoo


    Sorry, I can't help reply to this, I'd NEVER call my parents anything disrespectful, but I'd be happy to poke fun at someone who uses phrasing inspired by watching too much American tv.....Dumbass.....really? That's like, SO lame!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,916 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    Penisland wrote: »
    My Dad thinks my laptop is a f*****g coaster!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

    Beermat ok.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,626 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    My mam bought a laptop a while back for the sole purpose of playing Solitaire on


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 496 ✭✭bette


    I would give many a young "computer geek" a jolly good run for his/her money. Read the Computers and Technology threads for guidance on how smart the kiddos are.
    • My flash card is not formatted
    • My laptop won't boot up
    • What's the best PC for gaming
    • What's the best laptop for college
    • My computer crashed

    Now have you ever heard of backups? Did you know that you can buy some graphic cards which cost more than a cheap laptop? Do you know what an anti virus is for? Do you know that a computer is simply a collection of bits and pieces and does not constitute a "RIG"?

    And finally, don't forget who taught you how to sit on the potty!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,160 ✭✭✭Kimono-Girl


    my mum is very computer literate she uses it for work! she's on face-book and more recently boards! :cool:

    my dad not at all literate thankfully! :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,850 ✭✭✭Cianos


    When I was showing my mam how to type she said she doesn't want to waste the 'ink' that makes the words appear on the screen. :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,485 ✭✭✭✭Ickle Magoo


    As a director of IT - my dad showed us how to use a computer. I remember going to his office and he had one room for his desk, huge brick of a computer and so on and the room next door was for the hardware/drive... :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭rcaz


    orourkeda wrote: »
    Beermat ok.

    Do you only ever drink beer?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 36,634 ✭✭✭✭Ruu_Old


    My Dad holds the mouse with one hand and then clicks the buttons with the other. :o


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 496 ✭✭bette


    Ruu wrote: »
    My Dad holds the mouse with one hand and then clicks the buttons with the other. :o

    I wonder what YOU do with the hand that is not holding the mouse? :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 355 ✭✭GizAGoOfYerGee


    .....Dumbass.....really?

    Are yer auldpair bleedin gobshítes on deh cumputar?

    Giz a go of yer gee, Scoobydoobydoo.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,710 ✭✭✭RoadKillTs


    My mam asked me to get her a pc and send it down to her. So got a basic enough one. She just wanted it for Word, and Intenet so nothing major.

    Shes gets the pc anyways and rings me. She said she was too afraid to turn it on! So I try and reassure her and I say there is nothing you can do to break it!

    And what does she do?? She goes and changes the bloody voltage switch on the back of PS. :eek:

    I was not impressed.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 496 ✭✭bette


    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056062403

    Just got two iomega 1tb harddrives.
    Used swissknife to convert them to fat32.

    I'll bet your stupid parents never had this problem! :D

    Mind you one could google FAT and have a good read on how to set up one's discs. :P


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭cynder


    My mother is 60 on the 1st of November and shes great on the computer, books Flights, downloads music, defragments the hard drive, she is on facebook, she uses msn messenger,google talk, skype, has a youtube account, buys and sells off ebay, buys off amazon, she is even going to mod her wii. She has a wii, nintendo ds and a ps2,,,, go mom....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,653 ✭✭✭✭amdublin


    UpCork wrote: »
    My Mum is quite good on the Internet. She is on e-mail for work purposes a lot and knows how to "Google" information .

    All olds I know refer to email and google as the email and the google.

    Funnys :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,326 ✭✭✭Scuid Mhór


    my parents would be more computer literate then most. mom's on facebook and they know how to do most of the basics. don't know if they know what forums are but they'd freak out if they knew i post on some regularly.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭wonton


    me da was asking me whether he should update to the newer internet explorer and my ma intruded with the ridiclous question " is internet explorer the same thing as a gigabyte?"


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,653 ✭✭✭✭amdublin


    mom's on facebook and they know how to do most of the basics. don't know if they know what forums are but they'd freak out if they knew i post on some regularly.

    Is mom in America? (While she is freaking out?)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,243 ✭✭✭kelle


    My father had no interest, but my mother was very determined and was getting better and better on the PC - then the "C" word got her and took her away. I can imagine she would be on Facebook and spend ages reading messageboards.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,349 ✭✭✭✭starlit


    My mam isn't too bad now she is fairly computer literate. The only thing is she hasn't much patience when it comes to computers sometimes. Just can get a bit lazy and get me to do stuff for her like type an email and text messages for her. I have had to show her how to use the Sky +, the printer, her mobile and the computer itself. It took her a while but once I run it through with her as she is learning how to use something new like a new mobile or new technology she is grand after a few attempts. It is a pain and infurating though if she does silly things though. She knows of social networking sites and other new online inventions, she knows how to use google no problem just that she hasn't much interest in much else other than email and google really. She is good to do things online though like book flights, buy books, fill out forms online for car insurance etc. she is over 60 and she is fairly computer literate, if she wants to find out something about technology like the new Ipad or new broadband stuff she usually asks me. Now the only thing is she couldn't tell the difference between an Ipod and a nintendo ds!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭PeterIanStaker


    I'm just glad my parents aren't on facebook.:o
    Seriously though, my dad is great on the computer, uses Skype etc, my mum is not so good with it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade




  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭JerryHandbag


    Yes, although I would call them computer illiterate rather than dumbasses. Like the time my mother told me to send an important email to my brother, and said "Oh I hope he's at home so that he gets it ok!" - thinking that the whole process is a bit like a phonecall and you might "miss" an email. Bless :o

    Im just wondering in 40 years what are the things that I will find newfangled, complicated and out of touch with. Time travel or teleportation probably :pac:


Advertisement
Advertisement