Like most people if I want to know something I “google it“. Also like most people I use Google Chrome as a browser. It is on both my computers – one is a Mac and the other is a PC with Windows 10. I also have Chrome on my IPAD. It came as a shock when on my Windows 10 laptop I was unable to Google. I could not open the Google Chrome browser. It has been working the previous day. I tried to reinstall Chrome on the laptop but it did not work.
Luckily I could still get into Chrome on the IPAD and the Mac where I could still Google so I googled to find out what the problem was. It was obviously connected to a PC problem with WIndows 10.
Google Chrome no longer working as a result of a Windows 10 update
The latest Windows 10 updates have caused problems with programs installed in the operating system. Google Chrome is one of these and it happens to be the web browser most computer users prefer to use. After the update you may not be able to use Chrome or browse the Internet or even download apps including a replacement Google Chrome.
Windows 10 update problems – for more on this click on link below
Safe Mode allows you to fix problems affecting your system. Not all drivers are loaded and the start up process is shorter and not as many resources are used. Click on the link below to find out more about safe mode and how it works.
Can you put a smart phone into your hand? This seems a strange thing to Google. Recently I watched the BBC drama series “Years and Years” on SBS. Interestingly it tells the story of a family from Manchester over 15 years from 2019 to 2034. Topically “Years and Years” addresses lots of current issues and developing technology is one of them. In this way human microchipping is introduced in Episode 2. Bethany has her phone implanted into her hand and can receive calls and talk to the caller by speaking into her hand. See a clip from this episode which really explains the concept of microchipping.
In addition to the implanted phone there are a lot of other tech advances which will make you think,
Is this view of the future of microchipping humans feasible?
As I was unsure of how close to reality it was to suggest smart phone implants, I googled the topic.
There was a vague idea in my mind that some microchips had been implanted and I knew there was micro tagging of animals. I thought I had heard that prisoners out on licence could be tagged but were these tags implants? However it was a surprise to find what developments there are in human bio implants.
What is currently happening with Human Microchipping?
Background on Implanting Microchips in the human body
In 1998, British scientist Kevin Warwick, became the first human to receive an RFID microchip implant. RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. The acronym refers to small electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The small chip typically is capable of carrying 2 000 bytes of data or less.
However since 1998 development in this field has been slow. But recently there has been more interest in using implanted chips for business security. In 2018 employees at Three Square Market, a technology company in Wisconsin, had a small chip injected in their hands for security convenience. The employees could not log on to their computers without swiping their hand with the chip in it. It still would not let them log on unless they had used the bio-chip to get into the building in the first place.
What do these chips look like, and how and where are they implanted.
Surprisingly they are implanted using a hypodermic needle and placed between the thumb and index finger. One recipient reported that it was extremely painful but the pain passed when the needle was withdrawn.
What other uses do these implants have?
Identification
As well as security for entry into a place of work, they could also be used for passports and visas. You would only need to wave your hand in front of a scanner at the airport or border. They could also hold driving licence information.
Making Payments
You could use your credit card by simply showing your hand to an eftpos machine. Chipped customers can simply wave their hands instead of Apple Pay and other mobile payment systems.
Operating Equipment
With a chip implant you can open doors, start cars and operate home automation systems just by waving your hand.
It was widely reported late in 2019 that chip implants are especially popular in Sweden. “More than 4,000 Swedes have adopted the technology, with one company, Biohax International, dominating the market. The chipping firm was started five years ago by Jowan Osterlund, a former professional body piercer. The Swedes apparently prefer to have a chip which will open doors so they do not have to worry about losing a key.
Medical Benefits
Pacemakers
It has been pointed out by many commentators that heart pacemakers which have long been in used are implants.
Bionic eyes
Bionic Vision Technologies Pty Ltd (BVT) announced medical researchers had successfully restored a sense of vision in four blind people with its bionic eye as part of a clinical trial in Melbourne. Researchers said they were “very pleased” with the progress of all four patients who have had a “sense of sight” restored. All four have a degenerative genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa which causes loss of vision.
Diabetes
New implants could help type two diabetes without the use of needles.
Medical Records
Our medical histories could be put on a chip and could be accessed when we are in need of medical assistance.
Tracking vital signs
Three Square Market estimates that it will be selling chips capable of tracking a wearer’s live vital signs in a little more than a year. However a few other developments will come first. Already Fitbit can log heart rate and produce monthly reports on weight loss. Fitbit is not at present implanted but worn on the wrist.
Boost memory
Other research, suggests chip implants can provide stimulation to the brain. This could assist with Parkinson’s disease. It could also boost memory function.
But back to our key question:
Can you put a smart phone into your hand?
Are implanted smart phones feasible?
This is where we came in. Could a chip implant offer the convenience of embedding a smartphone in your body?
An Allure.com article gave a clue.
Chris Harrison is a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human=Computer Interaction Institute and works on similar themes. He noted that people wanted to do more sophisticated things on mobile phones and thought bigger screens could be part of the answer.
He then moved outside the box and said they should forget screens and use the skin, Instead of a three and a half inch iPhone why not use the 20 inch arm bone?
As a result Harrison created OmniTouch in collaboration with Microsoft. This is a device worn on the shoulder but will project the interface onto your palm not the armbone. A depth sensitive camera picked up where and when you tapped on you skin so the projection reacted with it.
Experts say embeddable “phones” or devices that are implanted in the body that use wireless technology could be commercially available by 2023. This is a heading from Cnet.
The mobile phone of the future will be implanted in your head – CNET
A Few Good Privacy Questions
Obviously Bio Microchips cause concerns about privacy issues with many people and ethical concerns with religious groups.
Consequently most of the same questions that surround cybersecurity and privacy in other disciplines apply to this microchip implant topic.
Click on the link below to see a listing of the benefits and downsides of implanting microchips.
Undoubtedly it could happen and importantly benefits to my family would be fewer lost phones. fewer cracked screens and fewer phones dropped in concrete or the Wild River.
Train your brain? Can Alzheimer’s and dementia be prevented?
There is a lot of concern about the number of people with dementia in Australia today. If you train your brain will it help keep dementia away.
Unfortunately, there are estimated to be over 447 000 Australians living with dementia. Moreover this is expected to rise to nearly 600,000 by 2028 and over a million by 2058. In 2018, dementia was estimated to cost Australia more than $15 billion. Inevitably this cost will only increase. For more statistical information click on this link https://www.dementia.org.au/statistics
Emotional Cost
Obviously the financial cost is only part of the problem – the emotional cost of seeing a loved relative develop dementia and turn into a different person cannot be over estimated. We have recently seen and heard on TV horrific accounts of how elderly people with dementia in some nursing homes are abused by staff. Can the onset of dementia be prevented? Of course, none of us would like to think it will happen to us.
What can we do – there are encouraging signs
Fortunately there are other things we can do besides waiting for a cure all drug. Recently promising research shows that you can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias through simple but effective lifestyle changes. So you can look at your personal risk factors and maximise your chances of lifelong brain health.
Evidently there are several factors which influence brain health or as it says on the guide to preventing Alzheimers there are six pillars
Mens sana in corpore sano
As you would expect exercise and diet are important – as the Romans said “Mens sana in corpore sano” – “A healthy mind in a healthy body”.
Interestingly, the brain is capable of producing new brain cells at any age, so significant memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. But just as it is with muscle strength, you have to use it or lose it. Whatever your age, there are many ways you can improve your cognitive skills, prevent memory loss, and protect your “little grey cells”.
How to boost brain power at any age
It is apparent that a good memory depends on the health of the brain. Whether you’re a student studying for a qualification, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there’s lots you can do to improve your memory and mental performance
You can teach an old dog new tricks
Yes you can!!!
It is an old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. However when it comes to the brain, scientists have discovered that this simply isn’t true. Furthermore the human brain has an astonishing ability to adapt and change—even into old age. This ability is known as neuroplasticity. With the right stimulation, your brain can form new neural pathways, alter existing connections, and adapt and react in ever-changing ways.
Train your brain with a workout
By the time you’ve reached adulthood, your brain has developed millions of neural pathways. These pathways help you process and recall information quickly, solve problems, and perform daily tasks with a minimum of mental effort. But if you always stick to these well-worn paths, you aren’t giving your brain the stimulation it needs to keep growing and developing.
Memory, like muscular strength, requires you to “use it or lose it.” Additionally the more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. The best brain exercises break your routine and challenge you to use and develop new brain pathways. See our blog on developing mental maths skills – Improve mental agility
What is a good brain-boosting activity
It teaches you something new. No matter how intellectually demanding the activity, if it’s something you’re already good at, it’s not a good brain exercise. The activity needs to be something that’s unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone. For this reason to strengthen the brain, you need to keep learning and developing new skills.
It’s challenging. The best brain-boosting activities demand your full and close attention. However it’s not enough that you found the activity challenging at one point. It must still be something that requires mental effort. For example, learning to play a challenging new piece of music counts. Playing a difficult piece you’ve already memorized does not.
It’s a skill you can build on. Look for activities that allow you to start at an easy level and work your way up as your skills improve —always trying to stretch your capabilities. When a previously difficult level starts to feel comfortable, that means it’s time to tackle the next level of performance.
It’s rewarding. Rewards support the brain’s learning process. The more interested and engaged you are in the activity, the more likely you’ll continue doing it and the greater the benefits you’ll experience. So choose activities that, while challenging, are still enjoyable and satisfying.
Think of something new you’ve always wanted to try, like learning how to play the guitar, make pottery, juggle, play chess, speak French, dance the tango, or master your golf swing. Any of these activities can help you improve your memory, so long as they keep you challenged and engaged.
Mental stimulation
Those who continue learning new things and challenging their brains throughout life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In essence, you need to “use it or lose it.”
Enjoy strategy games, puzzles, and riddles. Brain teasers and strategy games provide a great mental workout and build your capacity to form and retain cognitive associations. Do a crossword puzzle, play board games, cards, or word and number games such as Scrabble or Sudoku.
My mother lived to 97 and still had “all her marbles’. She kept physically active in her retirement. A ballroom dancer into her late 80’s she was always learning new dances and routines. She even taught other pensioners aerobics! Mum played lawn bowls as well. She did lots of crosswords and liked Sudoku. Every Sunday she went to visit my brother and family and they always did crosswords together. Social interaction and mental stimulation together with a good Sunday lunch!
Mum in her late eighties with daughter in law Eileen and the Sunday Express crossword
When I last visited her in England in 2011, I had an IPAD with me and she took to it straight away playing a Sudoku app. As usual she was willing to try something new and challenging.
Apps that stimulate and train your brain
Do not underestimate the power of apps to give your brain a work out.
For a start, there are apps for learning languages, learning how to draw, for doing crosswords and jigsaws.
Letters and Numbers App
Notably our Letters and Numbers App gives the opportunity for “Cross Brain Training” as it involves letter puzzles and number puzzles and combines them. If you practise you will improve. There are different levels to strive for so it meets the criteria we saw above.
Challenging
A skill to build on
Rewarding
Enjoyable
In conclusion, give it a go! It is available for IPhone, IPad, Android phones and tablete. You can try it for free to see if it is for you.
Below are the links to the app on App Store and Google Play Store
Making mobile apps was what I decided to do as I like living in Far North Queensland and love the Atherton Tablelands. Not wanting to move to a big smoke but keen to get into the forefront of technological development and opportunities, I decided to “get into” writing apps.
This was something I could do and stay living in Herberton in the hills.
View from my verandah
Computer sales and repairs have been my livelihood for twenty years but It would be good to do something more challenging and something that could bring in more money. I first went into computers because I wanted to do computer graphics and programming but got a bit side-tracked with raising five kids and family life. When my youngest child Abby started school, I decided that now was the time to get into app development. I could not afford to give up the day job of travelling the Atherton Tablelands and solving computer problems. I called the new app writing business AppMum. Click on link for AppMum website.
Making mobile apps with AppMum
Hurdles and Hoops
It is over three and a half years now and the learning curve has been steep.
Xcode
The first hurdle was to learn the programming language for Apple Store Apps. At the time you had to write apps in what was called Xcode (objective C and then Swift). Xcode could only be done on an Apple Mac computer so I had to get an Apple Mac computer. I had done coding and programming when I was at James Cook University in Townsville but I was a bit (or a lot) rusty. I did a lot of on-line tutorials (only the free ones) and produced some basic apps after a few months.
Graphics and Sound
As well as programming I needed to learn how to produce good graphics and images so I trained myself on Photoshop and Illustrator and did some work on animation. The first app was an “Australian Matching Game” where the player had to turn over cards to find two the same. There were animals, flowers and places. Abby who was four at the time said the words to match the images. We had to learn about recording and reproducing sound.
Apple’s App Store
Making mobile apps was just the first step. The next big hurdle was getting the app on the App Store. This was like jumping through a hundred hoops. Progress seemed to be being made but then Apple announced something was wrong or in their words “there was an issue”.
Registered App Developer
You have to be a registered developer which again costs money. You have to sort out GST if you are selling in the Australian Store. Because children are likely users of an app you have to have a Security and Privacy Policy. These things have to be submitted to Apple.
Bugs
Once the app is on the store and people start using it, you find there are bugs in the program and a revision is needed. All of this is time consuming and often frustrating.
Some Success
I did produce a few apps which had some success. I did a Homework Helper mainly because getting my son James to do his homework was a pain. The Homework Helper tested the weekly spelling lists he got from Herberton State School and also tested his times tables. This meant he could do his spelling and tables on my phone or on an Ipad when he was in the car or on his way to footy practice.
Another app was for use at Livestock Auctions. This calculated the price of beasts when the price per kilo was entered and kept track of purchases. I did this app for overseas countries as well which meant using imperial measures for the USA. I also had to adjust for local currencies which meant using exchange rates.
The app I spent most time on and have developed into a sophisticated app is one based on SBS’s Letters and Numbers or Countdown as it is known is the United Kingdom. The game tests spelling and numerical skills and uses anagrams and conundrums. You can play against your own device, or other people or compete against the world.
Google Play Store for Androids
I decided to try to get Letters and Numbers onto the Google Play Store as well as Apple Store. This was a whole new ball game. Google Play Store operates in quite a different way to the Apple Store. Lots more hoops to jump through.
Social Media
For both stores it is necessary to publicise your app as much as possible. You have to use Social Media to get people interested. Your web site needs to be professional and attract as much traffic as possible and one of the ways to do that is to write blogs. Then you have to know what keywords you should use and what keywords people type in when they are looking for information. If you get this right more traffic comes your way.
I attended a Google Seminar at the Cairns Convention Centre in early April and all the pitfalls were outlined. It was beneficial but Google emphasised the importance of paid advertisements. I will advertise and pay for an ad but not until I am sure the app is working and is bug free.
Making Mobile Apps – what now?
Is it worth it? It is for me because I love the creating of something people enjoy playing or find useful. I wish I hadn’t left it so long before getting back to what I started so many years ago at Uni. So is it worth it. It is for me and I am still hopeful that I can eventually make a steady income from developing apps. At least I am expanding my horizons and can still work in an area I love. I work from my home in Herberton and also from my mum’s place which is between Tolga and Atherton. This is one reason why we want to stay and run the business from its present location.
looking east June 1st 2019.
Dawn looking towards Mount Bartle Frere from mum’s place.
Below are some of the fauna we have seen from our office – it is certainly not Silicon Valley.
Computers for all ages was something I thought about after a conversation with an electrician. The tradesman came to my home to fix an electrical fault and asked, “How is it you know so much more about computers than me?” He continued with, “You are if you don’t mind me saying a lot older than me?” Indeed I am a grandmother with ten grandchildren. When he visited I was working on developing a database. This would keep track of the sire and dams and grand sires and grand dams of a Wagyu beef herd.
My reply was that I was in the right places at the right times.
First Right Place – Teesside North East England
The first place I was in at the right time was Teesside in the north east of England. The first computer I ever saw was in 1966 when I was 21. My first husband Tom was working for Teesside Survey and Plan. TSSP had offices in Stockton on Tees, over the Fine Fare Supermarket.
This was a transportation study on Teesside to work out the best development of the road and rail network in the area. Naturally, there were lots of traffic surveys and data analysis was very important.
The best way to do that was by computer. However computers were in their infancy in the mid 60’s. Notably developments had taken place during the second world war. Computers were used to help in doing the myriad calculations needed to trace the trajectories of rockets. Teesside Survey and Plan did not have a computer. Very few businesses did then. They hired computer time on the large main frame computer at ICI Billingham.
The first computer I ever saw
Lots of businesses wanted to use the computer at Billingham. Sometimes TSSP could only get one or two hours in the middle of the night. The computer at Billingham was enormous. It filled a whole large room. Despite its size it was not as powerful as my laptop is now. Punched cards were the means of putting data into the computer. There were quite a few punch card operators in those days. It must have been a boring job punching holes into a card. The holes and not holes represented binary code. TSSP employed its own punch card operators and information collected in the surveys was punched into cards.
There were hundreds if not thousands of cards which had to be punched and fed in the right order to the computer. I occasionally went with Tom to ICI in Billingham in the middle of the night. I was working at Billingham Campus School and we were living in a flat in Middlesbrough within a stone’s throw of Ayresome Park where Middlesbrough FC played from 1903 to 1995.
Early difficulties in computing
As you might think there were many hitches to running programs. The output was on long continuous computer paper with perforations at the side to hold it firm in the printer. Sadly the program did not always run. The message “Program aborted due to error” was similar to the “blue screen of death”. When this happened it was back to the drawing board. On one occasion I remember a member of the team, an American called Ernie was rushing into the ICi building. He wanted to make sure he got the full hour paid for. Unfortunately he tripped and dropped his box of punch cards which went everywhere so no run that night.
Tom went on training courses to IBM in London to learn Fortran a computer programming language. He became very interested in computing and used them a little in his work as a Town Planner. After TSSP finished he worked at GLC London and for Lancashire County Council in Preston Lancashire (my home town).
Second Right Place – Port Moresby Papua New Guinea
Surprisingly the next time I was in the right place at the right time was in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea in 1980.
Port Moresby and Hanuabada Village on the water
I was Staff Development Officer at Police Headquarters in Konedobu. My job was to see that civilian staff in the Police Department got the necessary training. People were using computers more and more in business and the academic world. The University of Papua New Guinea began to advertise computer courses. One of the research staff attended a course in learning BASIC programming. She told me the lecturer had said that it would not be long before people had their own home computers. This seemed an amazing concept at that time especially when I thought of the huge ICI computer back in Billingham.
Wang Word Processors
I was in charge of the secretarial staff at Police HQ. The WANG company approached the department about buying WANG word processors. We went to a demonstration which showed their potential. This was the first time I had seen a word processor. An operator typed text via a keyboard onto a screen and the operator could edit and change the document. This was a great development for the administrative world.
Third Right Place – Atherton Far North Queensland
We left PNG to come to Australia in 1981. Tom was starting his own consulting business. He decided we should get a WANG computer which we did. We set it up on and close to the dining table in our home in Tolga. It had a monochrome monitor and this and the keyboard were on the table and the WANG was on the floor close to the table.
The WANG was the size of one of the old tower PC’s. Strangely in comparison to today’s machines the WANG had no hard drive. It had two 5 and a quarter inch drives and the system disc went in one and the data disk in the other. It seems very primitive now but at the time to produce save and print documents and edit them was an inspiration. I worked on the WANG for three years and then we got ambitious and decided to move onto a new computer. Tom wanted to be able to do spreadsheets and databases for his town planning consultancy work.
An IBM computer
Tom did some research and decided on an IBM computer and we went to see an IBM computer at System Services in Cairns. We committed ourselves to buying it there and then. It cost over $10 000 dollars which was a huge amount. Compare that to what one can buy a computer for now. This was the first time I came across Microsoft Programs and learnt Word word processing and Multiplan spreadsheets. Tom was involved in Home Ownership Schemes for Papua New Guineans.
Software Experience
I developed quite a sophisticated spreadsheet for calculating the viability of home ownership loans. This linked the applicant’s salary to the interest rate on mortgages offered by his bank. There were five or six banks offering mortgages and the macro I developed looked up the name of the bank and inserted the interest rate and then calculated repayments.
Borrowers could spend unto 25% of their disposable income on repaying the loan. This is unlike the situation in the US which caused the Global Financial Crisis when people were allowed to borrow far more than they could pay back. I also developed a database of the home ownership blocks of land using Dbase 111 Plus and also developed an accounting package using the same database program. So again I was in the right place at the right time and had a practical use for the computer software I learned to use.
Fourth Right Place and Right Time – Far North Queensland
Again I was fortunate that in the early 1990’s there was a demand for computer courses. However, there were few people with the knowledge to teach computing. Johnstone College of TAFE appointed me to teach computer subjects first in Ravenshoe and then Atherton, Mareeba and Cairns. Because TAFE were hoping to establish themselves in Ravenshoe we ran a Business Administration Certificate III course. The course was in the classrooms of what had been St Barnabas Boarding School. These are now part of Ravenshoe High School.
Main St Ravenshoe
The computers were old monochrome models. Atherton Skillshare donated them to Ravenshoe when they got new computers. These machines had WordPerfect word processing, Lotus spreadsheets and Dbase lll plus. In the days before Microsoft cornered the office market, this meant each of the programs we used was very different in appearance. Whereas with the office suite of programs the menus and screens are quite similar.
Snakes Alive
I remember teaching a computer class one afternoon, when I saw a large black snake slither through the slightly open sliding glass door. Calmly I told the class about the snake and chaos followed with people screaming and climbing on desks. I phoned the Police and then the Government agent for help and advice but only got their answering machines. The site was being developed to be used by Ravenshoe State School and there were a lot of builders around and one of them came to our rescue! It was all very different from Stockton on Tees but not Port Moresby. I had once found a black snake curled up inside a desk at Port Moresby High School.
After a couple of years TAFE installed new computers in Ravenshoe. They were 486 computers with colour monitors and had the Microsoft Suite of Programs and I began to teach Word, Excel, Access and Publisher.
Fifth Right Place and Right Time – Far North Queensland and the start of the Internet
The next time I was in the right place at the right time was in 1995 when there were the beginnings of the Internet and Computerised Bookkeeping packages. My daughter Catherine moved back to the Tablelands in 1995 and set up a Computer Business in Robert Street, Atherton. I went into business with her and when we needed an accounting package we bought MYOB(Mind Your Own Business) and I learnt this along with Catherine.
The Internet was also developing at this time and I was taught a lot about it by my daughter who had a computing degree from James Cook University in Townsville. Towards the end of the decade there was a demand for people to teach accounting packages and introduction to the Internet courses and again I was well placed and taught evening and day classes at both TAFE and Outcomes in Atherton.
Sixth Right Place and Right Time – Far North Queensland – GST and accounting packages
In 2000 Australia introduced the Goods and Services Tax. I was working full time for Outcomes as a Training Consultant. FarmBiz was a government initiative. Outcomes participated in FarmBiz. This was to introduce local farmers to the concept of computers. The Computers in turn would help them in their business. I organised courses to introduce them to computerised bookkeeping to help them in record keeping and making their GST returns.
Again I was in the right place at the right time. I spent two years running courses and visiting farms. As well, I taught MYOB, Quickbooks and Quicken for GST purposes and the Tax Office’s own spreadsheet program. Interestingly I did two trips to Karumba. We had Farm Biz clients in Mount Surprise, Forsayth, Croydon, Normanton and Karumba. There were some very interesting businesses and characters. Near Forsayth I visited an alluvial gold miner. On his gate was the sign “Trespassers will be shot! Survivors will be prosecuted!” He could only use his computer in the afternoon when he started his generator.
Websites
Working for Outcomes, the Training people until 2010, I was in charge of computers and the computer room. We were allowed a lot of latitude to develop our ideas and I was able to produce a website for Outcomes using Dreamweaver. I could also work at home a lot and upload documents to the main server. This allowed our staff in Cairns to access all documents and software which meant another big learning curve for me but gave me more confidence in computers.
Seventh Right Place and Time – Atherton Tablelands – iPads, Tablets and Apps
Shortly after I retired in 2010 I bought an IPAD. A friend of mine had been one of the first to buy an IPAD and when he demonstrated it for me. I had to have one. Soon I was in the world of talking books on long car journeys, playing Bridge and doing Sudoku. I improved my Swedish with the Babbel app. In 2011 my youngest granddaughter Abby was born and I and my second husband Leif looked after her a lot so that my daughter could work. Her company was a delight and she loved the IPAD.
Computers for all ages – the young
She started using the IPAD when she was four months old. The app on the screen is the first one we got for her. When she tapped on the flowers the petals moved. When she tapped on the apples on the tree they fell to the ground. The bee buzzed around and a flock of birds flew past. It was intuitive for her to use the tablet. As she got older she did jigsaws and puzzles and learnt all her letters and numbers from Sesame Street and Peppa Pig apps.
Yesterday (April 28 2019) I heard on TV that parents were advised not to let children spend more than one hour at day watching tv or using an IPAD. I am not sure how long Abby spent on the IPAD as a toddler. We did lots of other things – painting, jigsaws, walking at Tinaroo and Lake Eacham. I think the early IPAD days were good for her. She could read and write before she started school and is interested in many things today. She likes computers and is Cath’s latest trainee.
A few years ago Catherine decided she would like to learn how to produce apps and asked me to be part of this new business. We both got Mac computers as these are the only machines where you could develop xcode projects which you then needed to do apps. Cath has gone on to do much more advanced app development whereas I have concentrated more on graphics and writing. I have learned to use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Animator. I have written books which I have published as e-books. Cath has written quite a few apps some both for Android and IPAD and IPhone
E-books
I wrote a book for Abby about the time a carpet snake fell down my chimney. It was largely illustrated by photographs which I had turned into drawings using Photoshop. Cath decided to use the book as a basis for an activity book. There are jigsaws and crosswords, word searches and spot the difference. Abby loves it but then it is about her. The first app we produced was an Australian Matching Game and we got Abby to say the words for the images. It is lovely now to hear her three-year-old voice saying “Echidna”.
Computers for all ages
Computers have been part of my life for a long time and I have got so much from them as well as many frustrations but they have kept me active in the work force for so long and I feel I still have something to contribute and being able to work with my daughter and grandchildren in this endeavour is wonderful.
