Can We Talk?
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Generations should spend time together and talk about stuff. It's a good thing!
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I think there is partial truth to this notion that devices have sapped many people's attention spans and ability to concentrate, but I don't see this as generation-specific or time-period-specific so much as character-specific. Today's phone zombies were yesteryear's louts and dullards and vapid airheads. Kids today still read; they still talk at length; they still take an interest in older folks. But ~not all of them~ do that, and that's how it has always been. The percentage of the human species that experiences life and consciousness with high awareness, thoughtfulness, and intellectual curiosity has always been, and remains today, a minority. I remember very well being "that kid," the one whose friends were mostly adults and who got teased for showing an interest in the classroom subject matter. I was definitely in the minority in being that way. I would say Fran's gripe is both accurate and inaccurate at the same time: accurate in its observation but inaccurate in its interpretation.
People have been complaining about the younger generations for pretty much the same reasons since at least the ancient Greeks. I'm young and I enjoy listening to interesting and knowledgeable people, regardless of their age. The thing is, the very argument that Fran makes about listening to 'old people' is also often made by people who are absolutely set in their ways. People who reject science and progress because they lost touch with the ravages of time decades ago and started making up their own reality. Not necessarily with nefarious intent, but because they feel overwhelmed by change. Age doesn't necessarily make one wise. I have heard some of the most ridiculous bullshit from people who think their opinion is more important than someone else's just because they are older.
Honestly, I can't confirm that - I host a Maker meet/class once a month for young people, and we now have to limit access because too many show up. And talking is what we mostly do. Young people talk just the way we old ones do, in fact - it's sometimes hard to get them to stop without crossing lines.
I had a neighbor across the street who was a retired electrician by trade. He was a few years older than my father. He and his wife ran an antique business for many decades.
He had two daughters whom were slightly more than 10 years older than I. They were both married and had children. George had an assortment of many things in his garage and two storage spaces built onto the back of the garage.
I remember he once said to me as he handed me a full set of Audels reference books from the 1930s-1940s, in so many words "I want you to have these. My kids have no interest in these kinds of things."
Though those books are quite dated, riffling through them is quite fascinating as there are practical explanations of many types of electrical apparatus.
When I was 19 to 22 I worked in a coronary care unit. The old patients would get bored and needed someone to talk to. This was early 70s. The stories they told me were everything from moonshining to bear hunting to war to natural remedies to people with extraordinary abilities.
Not as bad in rural Alberta small towns but headed that way
In my twenties my Dad had a friend who was a machinist and motorcycle guy who loved Moto Guzzi’s, odd ball Peugeot Diesel cars and First generation Dodge trucks surrounding a Cummins. I loved hanging out with him because he knew so much, was super patient and trusted me enough to tune his own Guzzi’s. He’s long gone, but I’d love to spend more time with him, and my Dad who is also long gone.
I try to teach my kids stuff but they are too distracted to listen and to learn how to work on their own stuff.
As an even older person than you Fran, I have to say every generation complains about the younger ones, who in the end can't change, and in fact end up better suited to the new environments. Telling younger people why they are doing things wrong isn't going to help as it only alienates them. And overall, we can't tell the future, just like us they may be more suited to dealing with what is sure to be some big changes coming.
Young doesn't mean thin skinned either, my fellow older person. I always looked up and looked FORWARD to the end of being a kid or inexperienced young person, finally being acknowledged as an adult or older adult. Also, growing up I picked up the vibe of the moment from those older than me AND I enjoyed having younger friends who sometimes sincerely looked up to me and my experience. The "ok boomer" is just hostility and voluntarily closing the door right in front of you.
In "modern" times I think there's always been a generation gap which, as a term in our vernacular, was pretty much popularized by the Woodstock generation. So there was a disconnect back then too. I know that when I was younger I was hesitant to speak directly with people older than I and some of that was residue left over from being parented as a child. The older generations were somewhat seen as surrogate parents and by my 20s I certainly had enough of that. And it took getting to my late 20s/early 30s for me to finally get comfortable conversing with older people and having a self awareness of everyone basically being on a level playing field. Do we spend too much time on electronic devices. Hell yes. But I see that cutting across generational lines. People need to grow into conversational maturity and setting those devices aside helps. But some people, regardless of age, never have and never will achieve that. We live in a world of communities and that takes work. And for people who never grow into their conversational maturity its tough as there are scores of perspectives and opinions that are best experienced by spoken word and not by the screens of our "smart phones" and computers. And once you realize that you discover one of life's "little enjoyments."
Many young people just can't be bothered with conversing. Some don’t even know how to be nice.
Back from when I was in high school, I hung with the older kids. As an adult, my friends were mostly much older. There is so much to be learned from our older population. Their insight and knowledge is so undervalued. They should be viewed and treated as gems, not as someone to be dismissed because they don't even know stupid TikTok.
Even more so than people walking around with cell phones glued to their heads, bicyclists almost never want to converse. I frequently encounter bikers when I am walking my dogs on the local trails, which are converted former railway beds, flat and easily accessible, so the majority of bicyclists just go zooming by, often coming up behind me at a high rate of speed, without calling out or beeping a horn (I often can't hear them coming due to the noise from my two large feet plu 8 to 12 dog paws crunching on gravel). They rarely slow down and rarely acknowledge that we are there.
Young generations not only have different professions but the whole palette changes and widens. For my profession the school was already lagging, personally I would use that knowledge but not other classmates. Today in TV they speak about professions in universities that weren’t expected by ‘90 to exist: even managerial positions, not only linked with programming. I’m sure I would need some of these brand new jobs in the factory but today I can’t predict them. 😶 To talk with some of them would be seen on the moment when I would see the importance of their job in the field and strategic in the economy. 🤔
I miss the times before smart phones. It’s so weird for me to go to a doctors appointment and just look around and see every single person looking at their phones, from young to old and I’m just sitting there observing my surroundings. I wonder how much of life people are missing by not just looking around them
Not much i think. i keep my phone put up a lot when others have theirs out. I like to take opportunities to do actually nothing. It doesn't make me a better person or anything, just a treat for myself. People used to distract themselves in other ways before smart phones.
God! I just love your brilliant content! I could listen for another 2 hours and it would be well worth the price of admission! How do you _not_ have a million followers? LOL!
I'm 26 and two of my best friends are 41 and 80 year old women! Countless wonderful conversations and lessons learned. Love those two :)
I'm a 69 model. 70s and 80s were fantastic times and the last 2 decades before the world started to go insane, It was a vastly different world than today. And yes the "Plandemic" by design has changed society as we know it. We have people with an attention span of 20secs max.
It's up to us more "mature" generations to keep things alive in society by handing down to the youth - our knowledge. My daughters grew up with real books (remember them} and still avid readers today at 24 and 19. They to will pass on "the way" to children that they may have.
Love ya work Fran stay strong.
-OneLove
I'm a model parent 🤪, at least that's what my son says. 😄
People did "yell at each other" but it was through the "Letters to the Editor" page of the newspaper. So it still happened but it was mercifully buffered by usually at least 24 hours, not instantaneously back and forth with others piling on (sometimes buffered by even a week, in a weekly paper). There were even regulars (that we would now call Trolls) that would comment and complain about everything.
I'll talk to anyone that keeps a random kaossilator in arms reach.
I remember when my great uncle would visit he’d tell stories. Once he said “I remember when sliced bread was invented” and while everyone else in the room seemed bored I was completely fascinated and wanted to hear more! I love hearing the stories of experiences of people in general but especially people who’re older than me from a period in time I didn’t even exist. Anytime you share stories on your channel about experiences in your life I find it among the most interesting of your videos.
"People lived in the real world" Succinct! I miss the days of when we were REAL people and not brainwashed with the ironically named smart device. This new generation is a bunch of entitled shitbirds. Love ya Fran!!!
Im 71 we got our first color tv in 1965 it was a 12 inch screen. When i was growing up we spent more time hiking in the woods or walking the railroad tracks.No mater what it was we were outside.Kids dont explore enough.
People in the future will look back at this time as the beginning of making a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Maybe they already have.
I'm in my twenties and I'd love to have a conversation with you Fran. I'm frustrated with the shift in social dynamics over the recent years as well. I think the pandemic fiasco damaged people a lot socially. If I'm ever in Philly again I'll look you up and get you some coffee. We're not all antisocial I promise!
I have incorporated into my life many of the values my grandfather talked to me about when I was a teenager. I learned so much from him. He passed on years ago, but I think of him, and what I learned from him, every day. He is very much alive in my heart.
One pitfall trap that is easy for old people like myself to fall into is assuming that people less than half my age are likely to know things that I learned as a teenager or in my early twenties. There are things I've known for so long I cant tell you how, where or when I picked up that knowledge or skill, whether it was taught to me or I learned it by accident, by experimentation, by failing at it (extremely likely, in my case🥴), or whatever. We must remember not to assume any such knowledge or experiences on the part of younger folks ---- and not talk down to them because of it.
Well said , Fran. Thank you!
I was always a nerd growing up. I worked in libraries for almost thirty years, read books, learned guitar and piano, played in bands. Since the internet I have used it to broaden my knowlege and study East Indian music (sarangi) over Skype. Things the were out of my reach before year 2000. I admit I do waste a lot of time on my phone but I also gained a lot of interesting knowledge by watching your channel for instance and lots of science, geography and music theory and history.
It is a wonderful tool if you have direction and learn how to use the technology.😊
I totally agree... When I was 14 and into basic programming... One of my best friends lived across the state next to my grandma, and we used to exchange programs, and he taught me allot. I would hang out there, while grandma was working while I visited in the summer. He was like late 50's.
As a young guy in my twenties right now, I would personally love to bump into someone who actually wants to have conversation! It really does seem like it's a thing that's ... going away...
I am so glad, not owning a mobile phone. Even though i am a tech nerd and a youtuber... 2 weeks ago, i was out and about working as an event technician and i had no access to internet for 7 days.. What a joy...I like to stay "grounded" , seeing all this dystopia around me...
My mom was 42 when she "released" me... my dad was 48. I was friends with many of their friends. Kinda feel bad for the younger generations in this age, but we all have our crosses to bear. But really, hard to top the 70's for that sweet spot.
I miss my older relatives. A lot of my friends are older, because I live in Florida, which is still popular for retirement.
Reminds me of the saying, If you don't have a old man around go buy one! LoL KUDOS' Fran I really enjoy your channel you are very knowledgeable and I have many things in common with you or should I say I identify with you on many topics. I've also learned a few things along the way so bonus for me! Keep on teaching and sharing your time and knowledge with the world and THANK YOU! 🙃🎓🌎✔️😎
I think the death of conversation hits all age ranges; unfortunately.
As for old people, everybody sooner or later learns that old people are young people who have been lucky.
That feeling helps me a lot indeed. I'm over 50 :)
People love to listen, even young people. Podcasts and essay videos are all about listening.
very very true, we love learning. atleast some of us. like any generation we aren't a monolith. most of my friends and people I engage with are actively excited by the new and the curious, generations are all the same kinds of people with different flavors, to generalize is really only useful for statistics, any other context I don't see the point.
Maybe it's stronger in america, here in the Balkans it doesn't seem as bad, growing up in a little town and my country generally being tiny it might have something to do with that, I feel conversation/socialising sense is solid here 🤷♂️
I think America has it the worst. I've never left the country but i feel like we treat seniors especially cruelly here. Warehousing them in care homes where we under pay the employees charged with caring for them.
Good points all, Fran. Active listening is underrated. I remember it used to be known as listening. Reading, and older movies are fabulous. I've always been a great fan of technology, but as assistance, not replacement for thinking. Keep the flag flying Fran. Loving your posts.
I lived in a time when my phone number was 2 short rings and 1 long ring on a hand cranked phone.
When running water meant having a hand pumped well.
When the studebaker was the car of the day and only the wealthy could afford a black & white TV.
- those were the best days of my life
I am going to collect cassette tapes again. In the 70s, 80s and 90s that was how I listened to music. It was fun making mix tapes to bring to a party or give to a friend. Later I started listening to CDs and when computers got CD writers I would have fun making mix CDs and create album covers to go with it.
I generally agree about the people not wanting to have conversations anymore. But the whole learning facts thing is a tad off, IMO. I remember in school, they tried to push that understanding things is more important than rote facts. For example, it's more important to learn and retain the causes for the Civil War, rather than the exact date it launched on.
When used properly, the internet/phones can be used to look up specific facts you don't necessarily remember, but support your higher level argument. And lets be honest - most people have terrible memories. It reveals itself in the justice system, eyewitnesses are generally terrible about actually recalling the facts about a situation. So these tools are essential for offloading rote knowledge for facts, and giving you more time to think about how things are actually connected in the world.
The problem is that generally, humans are lazy and wish to expend the least amount of effort possible to do anything. It's in our genes to conserve energy after all. So most people won't put in the effort to expand their minds and use the internet/phone as a tool to help expand their thinking. They'd rather just tune out.
I could listen to you all day Fran. And i think we are the same age too.❤
Hi Fran we love you ..Have a drink every time she slaps her legs
Which distillery do you work for again? 😂
😅
Fran, I would *love* to talk and learn from you. I really jibe with what you're saying here - for me, one of my best friends was the 50-yo tech ed teacher at the middle school. He was just a fascinating guy and I learned something new every time he opened his mouth.
I would say I'm just young enough to have grown up with the smartphone, but even still, my folks raised me right and made sure I could function without one. This smartphone is the last one for me; I've had it. Back to a flip phone I go.
It's time to talk again, I've missed it.
I am a shy born in the 50s person. I find that resturant servers are a good audience. I go to the local resturants on a regular basis and talk to the servers. They are usually high schoolers - college kids. I talk about electronics, computers and music with them. Sit at the counter so you can watch and interact. Be nice !
I was the same when I was young. The older people were smarter from experience. As Richard Pryer said..."you don't get to be old , being no fool"
I was in the library much. I would talk to electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. My Christmas presents were models, chemistry sets, microscopes and wood burning kits.
I was in high school in the 70's, which did have the best music. Good video, thank you
I'm 63 and you're right Fran, we just lived. I was an avid surfer and swimmer and gravitated toward the beach life. Fast forward 30 years, I work in IT for an humanitarian organization. Sometimes, I just want to detach from all of the technology and want silence. My outlet is old movies, especially Film Noir. I LOVE this genre of movies. I really don't find it hard to talk to younger people, they are just in their own world at times. But my best buddy at work is a guy that works in the UK with cerebral palsy that is sometimes hard to understand but funny most times. I believe he is about 29. The BEST partner ever working with, even when he is in another country.
Fran, you're awesome with my coffee in the morning :)
Thank you for sharing.
You are right 👍👍
Regarding how people lived before the internet, I honestly don't remember everything. Yeah, I remembered how we used maps. I remember buying the Chilton manual to repair my car. I remember using a trip tick to cross the country LOOONG before GPS. But recently, I was wondering how I found a sandwich place I used to go to. It was between my home and my place of work (about ten miles from each). For the life of me, I can't figure out how I found that hole in the wall. I think it was a combination liquor store and sandwich shop. It had to have been word of mouth. I suspect someone told, "There's a really good sandwich shop at some exit. About a quarter of a mile on the right in a small strip mall." and that was enough to find it and try it out. No Yelp. No Google Maps...just a short description of how to find it.
Relativism has wrecked the foundation of Western enlightenment. Keep going Fran ❤👍
Thanks Fran.
"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?" (Beatles, 1966)
My best way of getting into contact with youngsters is to start with asking them a question relating to one of their own interests. Never start talking about yourself, like a lot of elder people tend to do, even in conversations with their peers.
It's always been like this Fran. But there is and always been a segment of youth that is begging for the knowledge that elders provide. To remaster an old adage: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear". When they are not ready, we are like mosquitoes.
Funny you mentioned Dillsburg; I was there a week ago.
I wish I had been able to have such conversations when I was younger. Unfortunately in the Scranton region I ran into a lot of attitudes against younger people that took the form openly expressed animosity. I was the youngest by 20 years in my first few jobs and rather than sharing information my coworkers used that to dump the work they didn't want to do, even directly saying that they didn't care what that meant for after they retired because "it won't affect me."
It was a big part of why I moved away and never felt that the place where I grew up was "home" rather than a place full of bitter souls awaiting death. I have tried hard to be different as I hit half a century on this earth.
Growing up as an amateur classical musician, I made a lot of friends from community orchestra who were much older than me. I do feel comfortable around people my age (20s), but I've always been grateful to have friends from older generations.
It's not just you Fran. You are right, the latest generation has not learned the art of conversation.
Good Woodstock comparison 👍
Lol. I didn't have a sense of direction! I got lost. At the d**n time.
(I'm only very slightly younger than you, Fran)
You're right that we all need to talk more but maybe a little hasty to write off young people.
Me casually playing scrabble against mum while shes down stairs
Absolutely Fran. If you talk to someone who's raised in the former communist block you find out that they were living even more like people. And yes us babyboomers are a dying race.
BTW as a kid I had multiple such older people who I admired for their trade skills. One black smith an electrician, the plumber, the butcher who prepared our rabbits and sheep and of course the TV service guy. I used to hang out with them during their work most of my time. Helping the electrician even earned me the first money. These times will never come back
Funny, i was out for coffee with friends and we were talking. A quick look around showed younger generations occupying booths but playing on their phones or computers, no verbal intercourse. Sad really. Great video. 👍❤️💪
I also see 45+ couples seated on terraces for an hour and watching smartphones only without having one tiny talk with each other.
Im just here to listen your stories
And I'm in my mid-30s, I'm not supposed to notice these things yet.....the generational decay is THAT bad.
Spot on!
It is hard to get people to listen for sure. The other skill is understanding one another. That is hard too, but when we try, we get along better.
Keep trying.
I've always carried the belief that if you want to be interesting to someone, you need to be more interesting than an App.
It isn't that we don't have kids who cannot talk, it is that we have kids who have had their dopamine levels hijacked by swiping left. In many ways, our technology has come full circle to isolate us in an age where we never have been more connected. When you also add in the fact that so much of electronic communication has lost the personal factor, the emotional connection is just not something people are used to - their interactions are all robotic, lacking the breathing soul and warmth of another. It's all just text on a screen, on a pad.
Why contain knowledge when knowledge is so easily accessible? I commend anyone who is eager to learn, and learning it from online is better than Aunt Betty telling you something wrong and you believing that for the next 20 years. I think that the reality is that we just haven't really challenged the newer generations with anything - all they see is a future that is bleak. What do they have to look forward to? A dying planet. Trash everywhere. Unbreathable air. Genocide at Earth sized scales.
If you want the younger folks to open up, you have got to get into their heads and see it from their point of view. If age has taught us anything, it is that we are to be the sheppards for the next. That's all you can do.
As an elder millennial, I remember the time before search engines and turn-by-turn directions. I still insist on driving without GPS running wherever I can.
Now wait for AI to make us regress further.
I was thinking that too
We live in a retirement community with many activities. I’m amazed how few boomers engage in conversation, and especially on the listening side! When I start a conversation, they usually will open up, but never respond in kind asking about me! I find it bizarre.
Oh Fran, thank you for putting it down as it is.
Us "Old People" know what real life is Fran! I hear you about the disrespect and lack of comunication when dealing with the younger generation. My 28 year old son in law for instance. I think school taught them how to be narcissists and generally rude with defiant behavior. Update your living trust to accomidate them appropriately...
Due to circumstances, I have had the chance to be around people of all ages, and from all over the planet. I am a nerd into science fiction fandom, have worked maintenance at a college and hospital....I met a very wide variety of people ( also worked at Disney World for a summer) in my life, and consider myself very fortunate overall.
The " Mental Map".... you're very right. I went on major " away missions" on a bicycle as a teenager in the '70s...I got lost from time to time, but found my way back.
In the '80s, going to the mall was a social event. You went with friends, saw a movie, talked about it, went to the bookstore, and just " got outta the house" for a day...
I think telephone party lines would break the brains of the cellphone generations.
I'm 26 and all my friends are +50! i went into the trades very young and focused on skills and education. I gave very little priority to socializing and drinking with other people my age very similar to you, there's not much to learn from in younger generations specially these days when all they want to do is smoke and destroy their futures.
People complained how the invention of printing was going to make things bad. I remember seeing old "ads" how reading newspapers in trains would stop us from talking to one another (I think that was late 1800s) and more recently how smartphones make us dumber and less literate etc. This is not true in my opinion. I state with full confidence that the use of smartphones makes the generations that grow up with them and use them a lot MORE literate and more informed, not less.
I think the willingness to talk with a stranger outside, on the street, in a store, depends on the personalities of the people involved, not on the age. For example I think (I know) being neuro divergent can affect this a lot in a negative way. People regardless of age are more likely to act kind of uncomfortable especially when a neuro divergent person tries to have a conversation. For reasons that take too long to describe here and aren't malicious or bad.
Yes, Fran, I'm 73 and no one is listening to me. Okay, well, my niece listens :)
Start with asking interesting questions, it helps!
The longer I live, the more I've learned to really consider whether someone's full of crap or not. It can take a while to figure out someone is actually wise or talking nonsense. To top it all off, these may be very kind and welcoming people - that doesn't necessarily mean their advice is any good.
I'm teaching my grandchildren how to be receptive to knowledge and think critically while having the confidence to make the right choice. Hopefully social pressures do not wear them down into blind consumers in perpetual debt like I'm seeing now. Like you, I want to share the lessons learned from life's experiences to make their journey less bumpy.
i blame the way public school system segregates ppl by age and how the only adult interaction most kids have outside the home is usually with a lame or bent school teacher that exhibits as much disdain for the child as they do their job
My whole life I always connected better with the older generations. Maybe some of that had to do with the way my peers treated me growing up. My best friend when I was between 8-10 years old was my next-door neighbor who was a retired bricklayer. He died when I was ten and I leaned at an early age what it felt like to lose my best friend.
I was even more attracted to older women, and still am, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that older women dressed better and took pride in how they presented themselves. They seem more feminine and ladylike. These younger generations have no class.
And because I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, have no tattoos or body piercings, etc., people my age or younger usually find me quite boring. I mean, who wants to talk about collecting vintage bandage tins, etc.?
15 years ago, phones got smarter & people got dumber.
People also got smarter, it just seems otherwise because of our vapid pop culture and the fact that everyone has phones.
I'm 38 and I've been noticing more of the younger people who are just blank, don't talk, and it's pretty creepy. (Especially the ones working drive-thrus, retail)
I would say it's not everyone though. I work as a music director with a lot of schools (musical theatre and chorus, sometimes band/orchestra) and thankfully a lot of the kids in the arts are just as vibrant as ever!
I do like to try and tell the kids what life was like before smartphones, cell phones, the internet but they don't always seem to be that interested. 🤷🏻♂ I've always been fascinated by history myself and old technology, so here we are!
At 70 one doesn't necessarily feel old, but comparatively speaking it is.
LOL, I've never heard "oldies" believe it or not, but every technology has brought change....my grandmother was born in the 1890s and grew up on a farm - she lived through the invention of automobiles, airplanes, radio and freeways. She lived to be 100 so she saw the moon landings, the personal computer and the coming of the web and cell phones....
We're going through a similar revolution now. It's hard to imagine things changing to the extent our grandparents witnessed, but who knows?
That's about the only thing I could tell young people: enjoy life to the fullest - in ten years it'll probably be different.
life experience come's from living and listening. Not staring at there phones and only believing in the all knowing cloud .
100% Correct. 👍👍👍
I always made better friends with my friends’ parents, growing up. They were just more interesting and relatable than my peers. In terms of scope of knowledge and depth.
You speak The Truth.
This is definitely a triggering assessment for many across the age spectrum and the older we get the deeper and more entrenched the longview becomes. That said, as a borderline boomer/Gen X'r with 3 kids born in the 00s I can certainly relate and commiserate with your societal take Fran. It seems that even us older folk can be counted among those whose social skills have atrophied along with everyone else as we continue to circle the drain. All one can do is remain positive and connect with people of all ages in the best (analog) way we know how while there's still time left to enjoy it..
I would say social life devolved into detached interactions about the time that online chat rooms and messaging apps began to take prevalence... then they migrated to phones and detached social interactions became worse.
I still make mental notes where I'm at when driving. GPS doesn't have all. Also reading maps while driving takes your attention away from driving. I miss maps and sometimes find myself talking to the GPS voice and say SHUT UP, I'm not going that way today.
There are younger people who can listen and learn, but there may be fewer of them. By working alone you are more isolated and insulated from inquisitive "youngsters". (I'm 70 so I can use that term for almost everyone!) The pandemic has definitely been an inhibiter for intelligent interaction.
We did much of our social & mental development before the internet and came to it with our personalities and thought processes already well established.
You mentioned documentaries and I recall "Particle Fever" - it's about the people at CERN doing the search for the Higgs particle. It's on UA-cam, highly recommended.
I think that finding good conversationalists is rare regardless of age. There are plenty of old and young who lack curiosity, don't care about anyone but themselves, and cannot engage in interesting conversation for extended lengths of time. I don't think this is a new thing, as you admitted you avoided your age group when you were young for the same reasons. It has nothing to do with internet or phones, good conversationalists are rare and nothing has changed.
We could talk. We're not far in age. Mine is eclectic industrial and not all that important, but a hack this here & a hack this there... hay-wiring & just making it work... but I liked fixing it so the next mechie could make it work again.
Listening to conversation... autism. It's not easy. I need a sentence at a time. I need tolerance that I'm really paying attention to you while I'm doing something. If I point toward the sky, just wait... I will think... wait. When I say something, I've processed it.
These days I have the computer as a tool to help my electronics. I'm working on a miniature, not so powerful, miniature (a little bigger than Barbie Doll Size) metal detector that can detect a jar lid (simulated mine) before a sapper gets to it. It's a miniature version because all I have are 500 ma 24 VAC transformers for power supplies. However, it's a PI circuit and it can be scaled way up, so it'll be worth the LM350's. LM317 on steroids if the Readers don't know.
You can learn something from most anybody. Even if it's what _not_ to do. Learn from their successes, yes...but learn from their mistakes as well. You cannot possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.
Seek out those who know more than you. Then listen. There is very little to learn by talking.
Is it better to be wise or smart? What about _shrewd?_
A wise person knows everything, but a shrewd person knows _everybody._
Which is better?
I love Fran's vibe!
i'm 33 and down to talk whenever! experimental musician and artist too! feel free! you rock! 33 might be older than what you're referring to! LOL
i noticed in my early 20s how weird i felt when i got an iphone :/ was a strange compartmentalized sensation. i also had deep friendships with my early best friends by messaging on AOL instant messenger :/ that was notably kind of strange! conversational skills are important. adhd is also so common these days....i've got that!
You're so goddamn right
I think I'm becoming that old story-teller, and that's OK. 🙂
I miss the Fran Lab jingle.
❤🎉
Which one?
Agreed