So, my assumption is always that kids today are far more technologically savvy than past generations, and I still believe that to be true. However, we were back at my parents' for Christmas, and my nephew got a laptop to play games (just a nice laptop - not one of those custom-built Alienware things). He is 13 years old and his older brother is almost 16. They spend ALL DAMN DAY on their phones or tablets or playing XBox or Playstation. Most Christmases, I will play video games with them because my brother (their dad) doesn't enjoy them.

Anyway, because of that relationship, my younger nephew asked me if I would help him set up his laptop and download some games, etc... and wow, was it eye-opening. He didn't know a goddamn thing about a computer, nor did his brother. To make this short, I'll just list a few highlights:

- He had never heard of an ethernet cable, and he actually wasn't even aware of hard-wired internet.
- Once he understood the concept of hard-wired internet, he then mistook the power cord for the ethernet cable.
- He had no idea what a router was (I tried hard-wiring him so his games would download faster)
- He didn't know to click the start button to see his applications
- He asked me if him being on his cell phone would mess up the games we were downloading? I still don't even know what he was getting at there.
- His computer wouldn't turn on so he thought something was wrong with it; however, he just hadn't plugged it in for hours
- And the list goes on

I swear both my nephews are smart kids - both in advanced classes. Is this common? Did the advent of smartphones and tablets make certain-aged people completely ignorant of how to use an actual computer, or is it just these two?

Also, for you tech guys, do you foresee a future in which businesses don't use "computers"? I can't, but I'm no expert. My company piloted tablets for some of our field employees, and the feedback was awful. They have to be able to type and maneuver quickly.

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I would say they are not the norm in regards to computer knowledge.

They appear stupid to me.

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At least Matt had the manners to say it nicely.

That said, I pretty much agree.

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Are they your nephews from your side or your wife's?

Either way, hillbilly or Polish. No wonder they got rocks in their heads.

I said they were my brother's sons. I guess being Ukrainian ain't much better.

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Bet he knew where to find porn, though.

Guaranteed both knew

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Not shocking, my 3 and 6 can't understand that not everything is a touch screen.

I doubt they will ever use a hard wired connection.

my good deed for today is to not make a "Question about kids and oncology" thread

They could find it on an iPad, but are too dumb to even plug in a computer to find it on the web.

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Yeah, my 2 year old tries to swipe the TV screen when my Playstation is on.

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This might be slightly more normal than you might think. I have had to explain email to some students in the past couple of years because they had never used it in their lives or they set up an email account in fourth grade and never used it.

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Do you teach at the remedial school?

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i've had to explain what dysentery is to some kids because they never played Oregon Trail

leash, its pretty common

i bought my bro a $2500 computer in 2004. this was a full on, custom built (by me) monster. it had everything. it played any game with ease. it was a dream machine

my bro was 12, and living at home with mom with all his siblings grown and out of the house. i felt bad for him, and thought a nice rig would get him into computing (by virtue of playing games)

this worked for me.... when i was 15 and dad got a real computer for the first time (win95), i spent all day every day on it, just downloading stuff, trying games out, playing movies... it was so much fun. i learned everything i know about computers by just messing around with them.

now my bro is 25.. and i thought by now (i bought him that pc when i was 23) he would be well versed in computing. nope. he barely knows what an ethernet cable is, has no idea how networking works, doesnt know excel or anything like that.

but he does know how to play games really well...

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Boy there are a lot more stupid people around than I thought.

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Another thing I forgot to mention (this one's not as bad) was that he was amazed that he couldn't get internet in the car on their drive back home. My brother explained to him that he could use the computer and that it just wouldn't have internet. He responded with, "The internet IS the computer." To us, that sounds ridiculous, but kids that age have never not had internet. To them, electronics and the internet are basically the same thing.

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seems too old to be that clueless.

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I bet they were putting you on. Right now they're laughing @ you.

This is what I'm thinking.

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Yep.

Leash got conned.

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I'm definitely dumb enough to fall for something like that, but these two couldn't orchestrate it. They're too beta to try. The 16-year-old hasn't even been laid yet.

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Your nephews are morons.
I'm sorry I had to tell you that.
But it's best for all of us.
And...
You asked.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

IDGAF. If they don't stop being betas, I'm gonna disown them.

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Poor leash gets trolled by everyone he lets into his life

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

No wi fi in Onieda yet?

No wi fi in Onieda yet?

It's not that uncommon for people of all ages not to know how to work with computers. There are kids and many adults who are unaware of all sorts of things in the world.

I worked at a tech call center for a short time and people would call in with some classic lines: "My whole system's down" and sometimes it was something very simple. The thing about computers and other things in life is that you have to have a desire to learn those things and sometimes you have to learn them on your own.

The scarier thing I think is the younger people who don't read and who don't understand the Constitution of the United States and the idea of the first amendment.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

Gateway
Dell
Sony

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-- source