RE: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?

Subject: RE: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?
From: Fred Ridder <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com>
To: <sharon -at- anthrobytes -dot- com>, <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:27:40 -0400


But the posting from Daniel Ng that both you and Gene are responding to wasn't talking about people not knowing how things work. What he talked about was about how people "find it hard to talk or describe how they use" technology. He wasn't talking about people not knowing how a watch works; if he had been talking about watches, he would heve been talking about people not knowing how to describe how to keep a watch wound (but not overwound) or how to set the correct time. He wasn't talking about people not knowing how a car works; if he had been talking about cars, he would have been talking about an inability to describe things like operating the climate control or unlatching the hood.

-Fred Ridder


> From: sharon -at- anthrobytes -dot- com
> To: techwr -at- genek -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?
> Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:52:28 -0700
>
> Why should we need to understand how shrink wrap technology works? It
> matters not at all to me *how* my car works, so long as it does. In a
> specialized society, we have experts who know how this stuff works and how
> to make it work again.
>
> Most people have no idea how to construct clothing, for example. And why
> should they?
>
>
> sharon
>
> Sharon Burton
> MadCap Software Product Consultant
> 951-369-8590
> IM: sharonvburton -at- yahoo -dot- com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
> Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 7:25 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?
>
> Nothing has changed.
>
> The first portable timepiece was built in the 1600's, the pocket watch
> followed
> in the 1700's and by the 1800's watches had become sufficiently affordable
> to be
> common. Do you think the average watch owner of any of those periods could
> have
> explained how the mechanisms inside their watches kept time?
>
> The earliest instance of something commonly used that could not be explained
>
> technologically or scientifically by its average user was probably fire.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Daniel Ng" <kjng -at- gprotechnologies -dot- com>
> > When it comes to day to day communication about technology, for perfectly
> > functional adults, people can use technology but find it hard to talk or
> > describe how they use it. Most don't even know the program they use. As a
> > person who writes and instructs about technology, this makes an interesting
> > read.
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?: From: Daniel Ng
Re: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?: From: Gene Kim-Eng
RE: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?: From: Sharon Burton

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