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Showing posts from December, 2012

Dinosaur Me: An Attitude from the Past

The first developers of IBM PC computers neglected audio capabilities (first IBM model, 1981). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley December 10, 2012 Deadline January 2013 Issue Dinosaur Me: An Attitude from the Past “Dude, you’re like a dinosaur of the PC era. PCs aren’t cool. We only use them to create phone apps.” My students declared me a dinosaur after I suggested they should experiment with more software and programming tools on their personal computers. What about playing games on PCs? When I was in college, serious gamers assembled impressive PC systems. “Consoles are better. Who wants to mess with computer hardware?” I asked about the Web. “Dedicated apps on smartphones are better. Use the Facebook or Twitter app on your phone, not some cluttered Web page. Dude, seriously, you’re a PC dino.” When a student calls you a dinosaur, even in jest, it seems like a good moment for reflection. As the classroom emptied into the foggy night, I