Hey, Apple! Want a great story line for a new ad?
I stopped over to visit my mother and sister, Bonnie, in our family’s old WWII-era Kahala home, tucked away between two generations of late arriving McMansions along one of the old streets in the neighborhood.
They had just gotten back from a trip to the bank, so my timing was perfect. We talked for a bit about the news of the day, about my recent flu, the phone problems they’ve been having, Bonnie’s thoughts on a new laptop, and news of my nieces and nephew on the mainland. At some point, I took out my iPad just to check my email and review any pending blog comments.
My mother, who had her 98th birthday in May, looked over from her favorite chair, where she sits like a pilot in a crowded space capsule, surrounded by genealogical research materials, recent mail, the day’s newspaper, financial records, and who knows what all!
“What’s that,” she said, pointing at me. “It’s an iPad,” I said, not sure how much more she wanted to hear.
“What?”
Her hearing is terrible, even when she’s got her hearing aids working.
“An iPad,” I repeated, a little louder and a little slower.
“What does it do?”
“Well, I said, it’s like a little computer. I can check email, read newspapers, write letters….” I trail off, now not sure where this is going.
It took a minute for her to process her next question. This time she looked at Bonnie.
“Could I read those genealogy messages you were showing me?”
Bonnie apparently was displaying messages in several genealogy forums, where people can ask questions about ancestors and families, and others can provide answers, clues, evidence, documents, etc.
Both Bonnie and my mom are way deep into genealogical research, scanning family history spanning many generations, a number of states, and several countries.
I think we must have both rushed into the offered space with the same answer: “Yes, of course you could use an iPad to read those.”
My mom now looked very interested. We’ve talked to her about getting a computer for years, but she could always find a reason not to do it. So we’re both excited about pursuing this opening.
So I asked: “What’s one of the family names you would like to check?”
It only took her a few seconds. “Fitzgerald.”
So I did a quick Google search for “fitzgerald family forum”, and came up with a long list of possibilities.
![[text]](http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/395999_3333849625144_887195050_n.jpg)
Choosing one, I then went over and handed the iPad to my mother.
I leaned over her shoulder, and clicked on one of the forum links. Then I showed her how to click on any one of the messages, see what was in it, and then click to go back to the list.
She tried it, hesitantly but interested. She peered at the screen to read the message.
“How do I go back?”
I pointed to the little “back” arrow again.
She tried it again, then looked up.
Then came her next question.
“How much does it cost?”
Let me interject here. My mother is cheap. Frugal is probably the better word. She prides herself on being able to do more with less. She loves touring the neighborhood garage sales on Saturdays, always finding little treasures. She knows which supermarket has sales on the items she needs this week, and avoids buying those things if they aren’t on sale.
I wondered about sugar coating the cost of an iPad, so first mentioned that we could maybe get “last year’s model,” an iPad 2, for a discounted price.
Bonnie and I both jumped to look up the current prices on both new and reconditioned iPad 2 models.
But then I realized this might be her only computer. Why insist on saving that last $100?
So we made it a joke, but said a new iPad of the current model would cost $500.
“Would I need anything else?” she asked. “And how do I get to that Internet?”
Bonnie explained that the iPad would get its information without wires from their existing Oceanic broadband connection.
My mother doesn’t really get how that works. But she can see that it does work. She was satisfied.
“Where can you buy one?”
I think she was a little disappointed to hear that there aren’t really competing sources of iPads complete with price competition. But driving the half-mile to the Apple Store at Kahala Mall is pretty easy to do.
I think we’re going there tomorrow, or, at worst, before the end of the week.
And I bet she’s going to have fun exploring the reaches of the Internet on her new iPad. At age 98.
As my sister says, “Never let it be said that one is too old to learn new tricks.”
Thank you so much for this posting – I will print it out and try to use if to convince MY mother (who is 79) to try one! (I have to print this out to show her because of course I’m too cheap to buy an iPad for myself – but I’d gladly buy one for her.)
The Aloha Chapter of the DAR has a wonderful little jewel of a genealogical library in Makiki- right next to Hanahauoli School. We will reopen to the public in Sept. on Saturday mornings (we had mold last December and have been closed during the cleanup). We also have a new computer which will be loaded with lots of genealogy software. For more info, please e-mail me.
My mom used to volunteer at the DAR library, so knows it well!
Though our late mom said she would give it away quickly when we suggested acquiring a computer for her, I know of folks more than 10o who use them. A lady who used to live at Hilo Lagoon Centre took computer classes sat UH-Hilo at age 101 on something like that.
Learning has no age bounds nor should it. Congrats to your mother.
I’m working with Oceanic Time Warner and the Mayor’s office here on the Big Island to get internet and computers installed at the new Pahoa Senior Center.
If they can assist with that… I offered to volunteer to teach a weekly computer class for the seniors.
I only wish that somewhere in the digital world I had memories of what my grandparents use to share with us.
My son just emailed to be certain that I read todays column. He and his brother have been pushing an Ipad for mom…maybe it is time to update!
my mother (in 70s) is already an addict.
potentially uncurable.
My Dad is 88 and has been using a desktop PC to feed his genealogy addiction for years. But the thing is prettty cranky (like most PCs) so maybe I need to push him toward an iPad; he seems to love my sister’s.
On your third to last paragraph, you wrote “But driving the half-mile to the Apple Stare at Kahala Mall is pretty easy to do.”
Apple Store. Not Stare.
Thanks for the edit!
Please explain why people want to know about the past since there are no rewind buttons in life.
Personally, I have no interest whatsoever in finding out anything about my ancestors who lived hither, thither & yon whenever.
I’d much rather spend what time I have left before I shuff off this mortal coil in dealing with climate change or educational change or economic development change. That could possibly make a difference in the life of someone who’s going to be born in 2112
So you’re saying a 98 year old woman is wasting her time trying to put her life in order, or at least in perspective? And to the extent your question applies to those of a younger age, are you suggesting that the study of the past holds no clues to the future? Seriously, do you think that history has nothing to contribute to identifying the precise causes of climate change and how best to address them? Educational change? Economic change? If so, then you have way bigger problems of your own to resolve before you worry about those born in 2012.
Seriously.
Or, as George Santayana put it, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And what is genealogy but family history and a way to learn the history of the times in which they lived? And a way to avoid making the same mistakes.
Amen.
CWD, I recommend you start your own blog so you don’t have to put up with these horrible time wasting things like genealogy and dogs and cats and sunrises.
How can we be so self-absorbed when our planet needs us?
Good for you, good for them. Everyone thinks about their legacy, though differently in each case. It is possible to be active in environmental issues and secure your genealogy for future descendants. Especially with an iPad. As always I recommend a good case that adds a handle of some sort or stand to prop it up on the table.
Wow, this one got out of hand, didn’t it. On Youtube there is a guy who records 78 rpm records and puts them online http://www.youtube.com/user/cdbpdx?feature=watch
So far he has more than 4,000 dubs of these frozen moments of time. Just sayin’.
ohiaforest3400:
First of all, I said “someone who is going to be born in 2112″ not 2012
I am only saying what applies to me, not to anyone else. My question was not directed to Ian’s mother but to all the responses.
I like to read history books and watch documentaries about lives in the past, but I certainly would spend never spend the little amount of time I have left looking up what my great-great whatever did 150 years ago.
Instead, I am taking the time to try to make the world be better for people who will be living 150 years from now .
Why don’t you get down off your high horse? Its great that you are “trying to make the world better” but where do you get off criticizing people for doing what they like to do?
DJ – what does “get off a high horse” mean? I’ve never heard that phrase before.
And where did I criticize other people?
However, now that I think about it, how many people are not willing to spend three hours a week reading to children at a nearby library or volunteering to work on a community clean-up or delivering meals to home-bound elderly folks because they’re too busy looking up what someone four generations back did in Nowhere, Nebraska.
The same thing could be said about people who “live” on Facebook or or watch tv regardless of what the program might be.
CWD, I thought of you this morning (7/4) when NPR’s “Talk of the Nation replayed” an earlier show featuring Skip Gates and what he (and his PBS show) have found through genealogical and DNA research, namely, that such research debunks alot of myths and shows that we all are much more alike, much more closely related, than simplistic, surficial indications like skin color or nationality would seem to indicate. I think even you and I could agree on that. Try go here and listen: http://www.npr.org/2012/05/08/152273032/henry-louis-gates-jr-a-life-spent-tracing-roots
If you don’t know what it means why don’t you take a break from wallowing in your own self-righteousness and look it up yourself?
Ian, this is wonderful. I’m so proud of your mom. Thank goodness Steve Jobs didn’t listen to the naysayers and went ahead with developing a simple, lightweight, touchscreen tablet. It breaks the fear barrier for so many people. My 82 year old father included.
if you can’t even figure out the definition of “get off a high horse” i’m not wasting time with cwd. i’d sooner argue with my narcissist cat.
(and please look up the definition of “narcissist” if need be.)
Strange dudes have invaded here. Some have no life and, worse, have no hope for finding one.