Older people’s use of the Internet is growing, according to the April issue of AARP Bulletin.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 92 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 use the Internet; 85 percent of those 30 to 49; 72 percent of those 50 to 64; and 37 percent of those 65-plus.
Jeffrey Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenburg School for Communication in Los Angeles, notes that older folks are attracted to social networking sites.
Older users are less interested in Facebook and Myspace and more interested in communities with such online activities as chess, bridge, poker, Scrabble or dealing with the physical and emotional toll of a disease.
“Whatever the pretext,” says the article, “community has a pull that isn’t limited by age. More than 90 percent of users on both sides of 50 say that online community is “somewhat” to “very” important, and 100 percent of over-50 users report benefiting from their online communities.”
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The magic of "renew"
I don't usually quote myself, but this time I'm going to make an exception. In launching a discussion on the reboot social network (http://rebootyou.ning.com/) I posted these thoughts about the word "renew:"
I just looked up the word "renew" at Dictionary.com, and here are some of the synonyms:
Restock. re-create, rejuvenate, regenerate, reinstate, mend.
Renew, renovate, repair, restore suggest making something the way it formerly was.
To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor: to renew one's enthusiasm.
Renovate means to do over or make good any dilapidation of something: to renovate an old house. To repair is to put into good or sound condition; to make good any injury, damage, wear and tear, decay, etc.; to mend: to repair the roof of a house.
To restore is to bring back to its former place or position something which has faded, disappeared, been lost, etc., or to reinstate a person in rank or position: to restore a king to his throne.
OK, I'm not suggesting we restore a king to his throne, but don't you feel a freshness and energy in that list of words? Especially this sentence: "To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor."
Rebooting is all about renewal. I think in some or many ways we try to renew something every day, whether we think about it or not. Even if it's just getting enough sleep to wake up with a sense of "freshness and vigor." (Don't tell me that's not how you wake up in the morning.)
Even if you're sleepy, a new day is a new day. Having one is better than the alternative. And a new day is a good day to reboot!
I just looked up the word "renew" at Dictionary.com, and here are some of the synonyms:
Restock. re-create, rejuvenate, regenerate, reinstate, mend.
Renew, renovate, repair, restore suggest making something the way it formerly was.
To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor: to renew one's enthusiasm.
Renovate means to do over or make good any dilapidation of something: to renovate an old house. To repair is to put into good or sound condition; to make good any injury, damage, wear and tear, decay, etc.; to mend: to repair the roof of a house.
To restore is to bring back to its former place or position something which has faded, disappeared, been lost, etc., or to reinstate a person in rank or position: to restore a king to his throne.
OK, I'm not suggesting we restore a king to his throne, but don't you feel a freshness and energy in that list of words? Especially this sentence: "To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor."
Rebooting is all about renewal. I think in some or many ways we try to renew something every day, whether we think about it or not. Even if it's just getting enough sleep to wake up with a sense of "freshness and vigor." (Don't tell me that's not how you wake up in the morning.)
Even if you're sleepy, a new day is a new day. Having one is better than the alternative. And a new day is a good day to reboot!
Friday, April 4, 2008
"All Kinds of Different Moves"
Scott Simon, Saturday host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, Peabody Award winning journalist and accomplished writer, has written a new novel, his second, a political murder mystery set in Chicago and entitled “Windy City.”
In San Francisco today on a tour to promote the book, he was interviewed on KQED Radio’s Forum program by Dave Iverson, sitting in for regular host Michael Krasny.
After an introductory discussion about the book, Iverson asked Simon: “Is there a new book spinning around in your head?”
“Oh yes,” Simon said. “I have a lot of ideas, a lot of novels I want to get written. I like writing novels. It’s fun. You exercise different mental muscles and you’re not repeating yourself…
“I think the important thing is to keep challenging yourself, to do new and different things, so you don’t thread yourself into the ground. This refreshes you for everything. I think it makes you a better artist, which is important for me. I think it makes me a better journalist, for whatever time I spend as a journalist. I also think it makes me a better father and husband, because I’m learning new things.
Iverson: “How so?”
“You’re learning new things. You’re opening yourself up to a wider world. You’re trying new things. You’re keeping yourself flexible and maneuverable.
“Great lesson I learned from the ballet, which I love, and it’s one of my favorite sports, is you can’t keep doing the same moves over and over again without those moves breaking down. You have to do all kinds of different moves to build the whole muscular structure, because that’s what supports you in the moves you want to do.
“And I think that’s true in life, too.”
Profound and muscular thoughts from a very talented individual.
In San Francisco today on a tour to promote the book, he was interviewed on KQED Radio’s Forum program by Dave Iverson, sitting in for regular host Michael Krasny.
After an introductory discussion about the book, Iverson asked Simon: “Is there a new book spinning around in your head?”
“Oh yes,” Simon said. “I have a lot of ideas, a lot of novels I want to get written. I like writing novels. It’s fun. You exercise different mental muscles and you’re not repeating yourself…
“I think the important thing is to keep challenging yourself, to do new and different things, so you don’t thread yourself into the ground. This refreshes you for everything. I think it makes you a better artist, which is important for me. I think it makes me a better journalist, for whatever time I spend as a journalist. I also think it makes me a better father and husband, because I’m learning new things.
Iverson: “How so?”
“You’re learning new things. You’re opening yourself up to a wider world. You’re trying new things. You’re keeping yourself flexible and maneuverable.
“Great lesson I learned from the ballet, which I love, and it’s one of my favorite sports, is you can’t keep doing the same moves over and over again without those moves breaking down. You have to do all kinds of different moves to build the whole muscular structure, because that’s what supports you in the moves you want to do.
“And I think that’s true in life, too.”
Profound and muscular thoughts from a very talented individual.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Just Fooling Around
Happy April Fool’s Day. Or Silly April Fool’s Day. Or Playful April Fool’s Day. In any case, have a Fun April Fool’s Day, because that’s what the day is all about.
Here are two links with some historical (hysterical?) perspective on this auspicious day:
http://www.april-fools.us/history-april-fools.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html
Here’s an excerpt from the explanation at the first link:
“The current thinking is that (the observance) began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25-April 1 (new year's week) to January 1.
“Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1. These people were labeled ‘fools’ by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on ‘fool errands,’ sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a "poisson d'avril" or ‘April fish’ because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.
“This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way.”
So the foolish message of the day is: Rebooting is not a fool’s errand! And that’s no April Fool!
Here are two links with some historical (hysterical?) perspective on this auspicious day:
http://www.april-fools.us/history-april-fools.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html
Here’s an excerpt from the explanation at the first link:
“The current thinking is that (the observance) began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25-April 1 (new year's week) to January 1.
“Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1. These people were labeled ‘fools’ by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on ‘fool errands,’ sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a "poisson d'avril" or ‘April fish’ because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.
“This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way.”
So the foolish message of the day is: Rebooting is not a fool’s errand! And that’s no April Fool!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
RebootYou social network launched!
Back on Nov. 12, I asked in this blog if rebooters constituted a community. Defined in Wikipedia, a virtual community is:
… a social network with a common interest, idea, task or goal that interacts in a virtual society across time, geographical and organizational boundaries and is able to develop personal relationships.
I said I hoped to jump start such a community, and asked readers to let me know if they had any ideas on how to do it.
Well, such an idea is now at hand. I’ve started a social network for rebooters at http://rebootyou.ning.com. Ning is a platform for social networks, currently hosting thousands of virtual communities in many walks of life.
I invite you to visit the new social community and join in. It’s easy to do – just click and sign up. Hope to see you there – and back here as well!
… a social network with a common interest, idea, task or goal that interacts in a virtual society across time, geographical and organizational boundaries and is able to develop personal relationships.
I said I hoped to jump start such a community, and asked readers to let me know if they had any ideas on how to do it.
Well, such an idea is now at hand. I’ve started a social network for rebooters at http://rebootyou.ning.com. Ning is a platform for social networks, currently hosting thousands of virtual communities in many walks of life.
I invite you to visit the new social community and join in. It’s easy to do – just click and sign up. Hope to see you there – and back here as well!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Helping pro athletes reboot after their playing days are over
Great story in this week’s New Yorker about former Mets and Phillies baseball star Lenny Dykstra, who is launching a new magazine aimed at pro athletes called The Players Club.
With the magazine as his main vehicle, he wants to encourage athletes in their prime to set aside a half-million dollars a year in a customized retirement account to insure their financial security for later life.
“There are all these hard luck stories (about former athletes),” said Randall Kane, editor of The Players Club. “We’re going to educate these guys to take advantage of this windfall. ‘Keep Living the Dream,’ that’s our working slogan.”
It’s a fun article about a true character who says, “I’m forty-four, with a lot of mileage, dude. A lot of mileage… You get to a point in your life where, yeah, I loved baseball, but baseball’s a small part. I’m going to build something that can change the ---- outcome of people’s lives.”
He describes critical decision points in life as “like the one-one count.” A baseball metaphor, it means that “some moments, and the choices they bring, are more fateful than others (i.e., the next pitch makes all the difference)… If a batter falls behind, one ball and two strikes, he’s in a hole from which, the statistics augur, he will not recover, even if he is Barry Bonds; and if he gets ahead, to two balls and one strike, he wrests control from the pitcher and takes charge of his own destiny.”
Maybe you weren’t able to “set aside a half million dollars” for your later years, but the game is not over. Lenny might say you’re at the one-one count. What decision will you make about the rest of your at bat? A reboot could make the count two and one in your favor.
With the magazine as his main vehicle, he wants to encourage athletes in their prime to set aside a half-million dollars a year in a customized retirement account to insure their financial security for later life.
“There are all these hard luck stories (about former athletes),” said Randall Kane, editor of The Players Club. “We’re going to educate these guys to take advantage of this windfall. ‘Keep Living the Dream,’ that’s our working slogan.”
It’s a fun article about a true character who says, “I’m forty-four, with a lot of mileage, dude. A lot of mileage… You get to a point in your life where, yeah, I loved baseball, but baseball’s a small part. I’m going to build something that can change the ---- outcome of people’s lives.”
He describes critical decision points in life as “like the one-one count.” A baseball metaphor, it means that “some moments, and the choices they bring, are more fateful than others (i.e., the next pitch makes all the difference)… If a batter falls behind, one ball and two strikes, he’s in a hole from which, the statistics augur, he will not recover, even if he is Barry Bonds; and if he gets ahead, to two balls and one strike, he wrests control from the pitcher and takes charge of his own destiny.”
Maybe you weren’t able to “set aside a half million dollars” for your later years, but the game is not over. Lenny might say you’re at the one-one count. What decision will you make about the rest of your at bat? A reboot could make the count two and one in your favor.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Speaking of brains, how fit is yours?
I’ve just come across a fascinating company and website – SharpBrains, at www.sharpbrains.com. They’ve got what looks like some really good news.
SharpBrains is a research & advisory firm devoted to helping individuals, companies, health providers, investors, and policy makers understand and participate in the emerging brain fitness field through a variety of market-intelligence products and services.
The company says that brain fitness may grow one day to become as widespread as physical fitness, and brain fitness centers or "brain gyms" may complement today's gyms.
SharpBrains has just released its inaugural report on the emerging Brain Fitness Software Market, the first to define the brain fitness software market and analyze the size and trends of its four customer segments.
Highlights from The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 report include:
• 2007 was a seminal year for the U.S. Brain Fitness software market, which reached $225 million in revenues – up from an estimated $100 million in 2005.
• Over 20 companies are offering tools to assess and train cognitive skills to four customer segments: consumers; healthcare and insurance providers; K12 school systems; and Fortune 1000 companies, the military, and sports teams.
• More than five programs have shown results in randomized controlled trials. Cognitive functions that can be trained include: visual and auditory processing, working memory, attention, and decision-making.
Some day soon, while you’re checking out the latest running shoes, heart monitors and iPod carrying cases to use while exercising, you may also find yourself looking over some nifty products to improve the condition of your brain.
Try to get your mind around that!
SharpBrains is a research & advisory firm devoted to helping individuals, companies, health providers, investors, and policy makers understand and participate in the emerging brain fitness field through a variety of market-intelligence products and services.
The company says that brain fitness may grow one day to become as widespread as physical fitness, and brain fitness centers or "brain gyms" may complement today's gyms.
SharpBrains has just released its inaugural report on the emerging Brain Fitness Software Market, the first to define the brain fitness software market and analyze the size and trends of its four customer segments.
Highlights from The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 report include:
• 2007 was a seminal year for the U.S. Brain Fitness software market, which reached $225 million in revenues – up from an estimated $100 million in 2005.
• Over 20 companies are offering tools to assess and train cognitive skills to four customer segments: consumers; healthcare and insurance providers; K12 school systems; and Fortune 1000 companies, the military, and sports teams.
• More than five programs have shown results in randomized controlled trials. Cognitive functions that can be trained include: visual and auditory processing, working memory, attention, and decision-making.
Some day soon, while you’re checking out the latest running shoes, heart monitors and iPod carrying cases to use while exercising, you may also find yourself looking over some nifty products to improve the condition of your brain.
Try to get your mind around that!
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