Dear LPG,

I was wandering through the internet not so long ago and realised how nice it is to be able to do that.  I have been retired for 14 years now and it occurred to me that, back when I was a full-time worker, I never had the time to just spend a bit of it exploring the oddest of online subjects, let alone learning how to use the tablet that allows me to do just that.

I know that the attractions of retirement and all the extra time it allows us can wear off after a while, but I think that there is value in learning a little about how to get the best out of some aspects of new technology.  

The secret is only to learn one thing at a time and make sure it is something that is relevant.  When I say that, I mean only learn what you need to know at the time. That is, make sure that you only learn what you need to do in order to do the things that you want to do on it, and make sure that you take a little time to practise.

I tried to learn about 10 years ago but just could not take to doing anything with the laptop that I was given at the time.  I started by going to an adult class where I was taught all sorts of things that I never really understood and there are only so many times you can ask a question without feeling that you must be more stupid than anyone else in the class, but just asking those who know little bits about what you want to do, when you want to do it, really works.  I now know how to video chat with friends, buy the odd thing online safely, what an email address is, how to browse the world wide web, and even find the answers to the oddest of questions.  It has taken years to get this far, and I still ended up getting LPG to write this message for me but at least I was able to see a copy of it before it was posted, by receiving their email.  

Now, through the pandemic when we pensioners have had even more spare time on our hands, instead of spending so much of that free time with my word search book, my tablet takes me to the most unpredictable of places.

I stumbled upon this quiz the other day when I had nothing better to do and it got me to thinking about all the things that my computer-savvy teachers are too young to have ever heard of.   I got 43 out of 50 but perhaps it proves that I am not so old that I know all about the many gadgets that were ground-breaking in their time.  

I hope you have the time to have a go (both at the quiz, and at learning a little bit more about what your computer can do every now and then).

FB, Lewisham.

FB shares the quiz that got her thinking… 

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