80% of kids in USA have access in their home to a computer





Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Discus: Parents Forum: 2004 Archive - Part 2: 80% of kids in USA have access in their home to a computer
By Songman (Songman) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 12:25 pm: Edit

According to Robert Iger, President of Disney. He went on to say that 40% of America's kids own their own computer.

I found both stats to be very interesting. While some will say ,"yeah but there are still 20% without computers so we have to do better",it still might make for an interesting thread.

A new generation of kids that were weaned on computers may slow demand for libraries and hurt encyclopedia sales ( does anyone still sell a hard copy encyclopedia?)...well I throw it out for discussion on this summer day in Boston to see how the intellectual CC posters respond or feel about such a stat.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 12:43 pm: Edit

we have three laptop computers but still use the library quite a bit ( free Wireless!)

"They" also said that ebooks would threaten hard copies. Ya, right.
I live in Seattle in that was recently ranked #2 in literacy ( bookstores level of education etc)Minneapolis was #1. We also have a few computer companies here and I daresay many families that have at least one computer it hasn't hurt demand for books any.

By Songman (Songman) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:00 pm: Edit

My eyesight prevents me from reading e-books. I still like the feel of a hard copy book. Turning the pages and all that. Heck, I am an old guy though and will not change. I must admit I use the library less than I used to though for small research projects.

By Demingy (Demingy) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:04 pm: Edit

That ebooks fear made me laugh too. I have downloaded a few ebooks and have yet to actually read them. I prefer the good old fashioned paper. It's easier on the eyes and there is just something comforting about sitting in a comfy chair (or in bed) and flipping the pages while you read. And of course "new book smell" just can't be beat--and old book smell too for that matter (I love going into those used book stores).

I think it's great that so many kids in America have access to computers at home. I must admit that I'm surprised by that number actually. Of course I must wonder what age group they are using to define "kids" because that number just can't be right if you are including everyone under the age of 18.

By Songman (Songman) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:08 pm: Edit

I will listen to the report again....hold on.... ok he said: for kids age 6 and above.

By Marite (Marite) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:17 pm: Edit

Songman:

Yesterday's CNN carried an article about Internet Addiction being a reason for being excused from military service in Finland! The article's title was "An Army of Wan."

By Songman (Songman) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:38 pm: Edit

There a few CC posters that are addicted to CC I have noticed.

By Marite (Marite) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 01:39 pm: Edit

Only a few?

By Coureur (Coureur) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 02:22 pm: Edit

Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade-name "BOOK."

BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology; no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere, even sitting in an armchair by the fire, yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.

Here is how it works: BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of recyclable paper, each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence.

Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of your finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by simply opening it.

BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting. The Browse feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an Index feature, which pinpoints the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional "BOOKMARK" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session, even if the BOOK is closed.

BOOKMARKS fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKMARK can be used in BOOKS by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKMARKS can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, named: "Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus" -- or -- "PENCILS."

Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the precursor of a huge entertainment wave. BOOK'S appeal seems so certain that thousands of content-creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking to the new phenomenon. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

By Over30 (Over30) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 02:27 pm: Edit

There are times when all 4 of us are on a computer simultaneously. Over the years we've ended up with 2 old slow laptops from my H's job, and have kept every computer we've ever bought, including the Apple from 1983. That one's not plugged in but the rest are. My S got an old one free when he helped a friend install a new one. He found one put out for the trash and asked the neighbor if he could have it) and has bought 2 for a grand total of $20 at garage sales - one even came with a printer. He takes them apart and plays fruit salad witht the parts, put Linux on 1 or 2 of them, and uses them all for something. He's going to have withdrawal problems when he can only take one to college.

No addictions here.

By Calmom (Calmom) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 08:43 pm: Edit

How many people here sometimes have IM conversations with your kids while you and they are in separate rooms in the same house? (Extra points if you have IM conversations on your respective wireless laptops while you are in the same room.....)

By Avoidingwork (Avoidingwork) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:13 pm: Edit

lol. I must admit, we have had IM conversations while in the same house. (although not in same room). My 15YO son takes great pleasure in having blocked me from his IM.

The real height of absurdity was when he IM'd me a goodnight. I walked upstairs and told him I wanted to say goodnight the old-fashioned way - face to face

It was however great when my other son was in Spain and could IM me to touch base.

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:47 pm: Edit

Marite writes: "Only a few? "


By Dmd77 (Dmd77) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:49 pm: Edit

My kids deleted Instant Messenger from my computer. They called my use of it "Instant Nagger."

Now I send them emails. Often from downstairs to upstairs, and occasionally to tell them when dinner will be ready--as in "10 minutes."

By Valpal (Valpal) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 01:36 am: Edit

Coureur, I LOVED IT! Made my day---well, very early morning---LOL!

I too, dispite my frequent use of the World Wide Web, prefer good old fashioned books, and my blood pressure immediately falls once I step inside a large bookstore. There's an independent bookstore in Atlanta (Oxford Books, I believe it's called) that I visited during the one and only time I spent there, which didn't close until midnight. Even then, because I hoot with the owls, I wished it would have stayed open longer.

Nope, as long as there are people like me, who get high on the smell of bookstores and their cafes), the internet will always be seen as a poor substitute.

By Alwaysamom (Alwaysamom) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 10:39 am: Edit

Valpal, I agree totally that the internet will never replace books for those of us who love books. I can't resist books, I always have at least two going, I have piles in my 'to read' list, and yet I still buy more! I usually go on reading binges a couple of times a year where I zoom through them like crazy so that I reach the bottom of my pile. It's a sense of accomplishment to me (I'm weird that way-I also am one who loves to cross things off to do lists!) I've been in many bookstores that I could have lived in forever in our travels over the years. A few, in particular, that I loved were in New Hope, Pa., Vineyard Haven, Cape Cod, Ma., Sonoma, Ca., and Williamsburg, Va. I do love the internet for many things but books will always be books to me. :)

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 10:54 am: Edit

I must admit that I recently bought a palm and read an ebook on it while camping that I enjoyed very much. No need for a book light and I can hold it with one hand and turn the pages. Plus it's light!
I suspect that I will wish that I had an ebook version of Kirsten Lavansdatter ( 1000 + pgs) my next book group book.

By Over30 (Over30) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 02:11 pm: Edit

I've always liked the smell of a library or bookstore, and I still use the library a lot. I go through several hundred dollars worth of books every month, free of all but late charges.

Growing up I used to read our encyclopedias (the white ones with green and gold on the cover.) To this day I can remember the smell of those pages. I opened one recently at the library and the memories came flooding back. I do regret that I never bought a set for my boys, but I don't think they would have used them. Will the next generation have any associations with books other than school textbooks?

Several years ago I became interested in our memory associations with smell. This is from Science and Nature: Human Body and Mind

"What is not in doubt is that smell is a powerful sense. The olfactory system, the apparatus responsible for our sense of smell, has a pathway in the brain closely associated with the limbic system. The limbic system contains the amygdala and the hippocampus parts of the brain which are closely associated with emotion and memory respectively."

No wonder opening an encyclopedia makes me smile.


Report an offensive message on this page    E-mail this page to a friend
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.

Administrator's Control Panel -- Board Moderators Only
Administer Page
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/83352.html
www.collegeconfidential.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2014-10
29988
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:HQM2NDZ3TCDD3EF4ILK4PCF5MMV7Z254
<urn:uuid:07940c6d-2504-4766-97cf-4e29d729cd9e>
2014-03-08T12:01:24Z
165.193.85.178
sha1:S2ZOV6W7GZOO5IN5BYYEBWQQZB2M3BTN
<urn:uuid:964a09c0-d967-467c-88d1-ddd1f2a42f10>
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/70/83352.html
response
<urn:uuid:9fdbe8b3-8fe9-4313-9951-9072da292df7>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2014-10
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for March 2014
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf