The Curmudgeon Speaks

It is snowing here today. As I was walking out of the door to walk back across campus to my office, I met a coed at the door and she said  “watch the ice”.

My first reaction, possibly because I am defensive about certain things, was – she must think I am an old man and there is some probability I will venture out and break a hip. It did not look that bad. Snow is typically easier to walk on than icy side walks. Then I stopped looking at my feet and looked out a bit.

Students were walking toward the building for class. The first one hit this spot and went down. Students pop up quickly and are seldom damaged. If you look closely, you can see she left her chap stick behind. The other students kept coming. All had difficulty crossing without another fall.

It occurred to me that this was a great example of what I just talked about in class. I was describing the Invisible Gorilla study as an example of selective attention. One of the lessons of the invisible gorilla has nothing to do with selective attention. It is the observation that you can explain to people a known human limitation and they refuse to believe you. They assume that what you describe could not possibly be true of them.

Hence you see the ice coming, but you assume that the situation presents no particular danger to you. Others will slip and fall, but you are sure footed. Sometimes you see it coming and it still doesn’t matter.

I walked through the snow and off the sidewalk knowing that I am an old guy. No pride before a fall for me.

A CAPTCHA is defined as a test a human can pass but a computer cannot. Hmm. Is this supposed to be one of those logic problems? Mark cannot pass this test, therefore Mark must not be human.

I give up. I have been trying for 15 minutes. I am not going to start all over, enter my name and email address so I can get a new puzzle. How many options could we possibly have here.

Not mokler and not mokier. Maybe mokjer.

I have to admit the phrase “digital native” annoys me. It conveys on individuals with far less technology experience or understanding than I expect of my colleagues and myself a special status.

It is not the fault of these young people that their proficiencies have been misrepresented. They make no such claims and frequently admit not to know how to handle the online tools we expect them to use.  What was Pres. Reagan’s line – “I will not hold your lack of experience against you.”  The problem is the misguided perception of those who have popularized this phrase, but who also have encouraged others to believe that growing up after digital technology was widely used provided some special understanding. This representation puts students in a difficult position. Educators would do well to ignore the press releases.

I am thinking this perception of competence was somehow perpetrated to encourage adults who did not happen to be into technology to make the effort to develop their own  skills. These skills are important. However, there is nothing in the water or some critical period that anyone over 25 somehow missed that accounts for who knows what.

My latest frustration with the “Facebook generation” and their skill in taking responsibility for the functioning of their devices (BYOD does assume the user knows their own D) involves student use of an online learning environment I developed. The system generates data on student performance and to assure that students are given proper credit for their activity the system tracks their work based on a their login ID. The system has worked just fine for years and this year I started to receive a common complaint. “I have to log in again every time I go on to a new page. Can you fix it?” It seemed to assume the problem was with my software. I tried the system from several of my own computers, from my iPad, from my phone, and from computers in the department lab. Absolutely no problem. I had students with the problem connect from my computer or from a computer in the lab. No problem. I started to think this might be a scam.

After thinking about this problem it occurred to me that this sounded like a problem that involved cookies (the way the server helps your browser keep track of things). I am guessing some browser release (I am just guessing IE) comes with new security defaults involving cookies.

Now, how do you get these technology experts to fix their own equipment? I tried to explain about security settings and cookies. I think the “cookie” thing was throwing them off – perhaps they thought I was suggesting they accept a second dessert at the cafeteria. I finally hit on a different solution. I told them to download any browser that was different from the one they were using and if they were unable to do this on their own to ask someone in one of the computer labs to help. I gave them some suggestions for options. This approach seemed to fix the problem in every case.

I also suggested if they were concerned about security, they only use the new browser they downloaded for the task I assigned. I know they did not set the security on their preferred browser in the first place, but I thought this would keep me out of trouble for recommending dangerous computing practices to digital natives.

What have I become is one of those big questions of life. Often, there is a realization that you have become your parents. This is supposed to be sobering and indicate your assumption that you were going in a different direction has not been realized. I could do far worse than become my parents. My father was a very intellectual, selfless, and calm person. My mother very caring. These are all great traits.

Actually, I think I am becoming one of those characters in Grumpy Old Men. My sudden interest in ice fishing seems to fit with this assessment. It could be worse. I could see myself becoming a character in On Golden Pond.

Anyway, if you find a rotting perch in the back seat of your car, it may have been me.

Sometimes I just feel the need to turn off the realities of the world and escape. I cannot watch any more CNN. More information will not bring understanding to events that cannot be understood from a sane perspective. I am closer to understanding the actions of a mad man than of those willing to put weapons in his hands.

The position of the NRA is not rationale nor is it patriotic – surely elementary school teachers or children could not be expected to pack fire arms. The delusion that citizens have a right to offensive weapons has not been an argument of substance for more than a century. Guns do not kill people, people do? Perhaps, but assault rifles certainly increase the speed of the process.

Time for lawmakers to act based on conscience rather than on concern for their re-election coffers. Two years now to take some meaningful action on this and other matters.

Me – I have had enough for a few weeks.

The end of the semester is approaching and all profs hear many excuses. I encountered a unique explanation for a missed exam today and I am inclined to believe this one is credible.

So, I was in the middle of University Avenue heading off to administer a different  examination. I student spotted me.

Student: Dr. Grabe, Dr. Grabe, do you have a minute?

Me: Sure – just let me get across the street.

Student: I missed the exam yesterday.

Me: Really

Student: I got arrested.

Me: Oh, really. (pause for deep thought) I am going to be back in my office in an hour or so. Can you take it then?

Student (with a look indicating I must be somewhat dense): I can’t take it right now. I haven’t had a chance to study.

Me: (puzzled look)

Student: I have been in jail!

Me: (with the fog clearing) Oh, OK. How about the next day then?

This is not the first “I was in jail” excuse I have encountered. You do this job long enough and all possible options are exhausted.

Thanks to all for recognizing my birthday. Evidently, when Facebook was new, I created an account and included my birthdate. You all evidently know much more about Facebook than I and have received some notification that has prompted you to contact me with birthday wishes.

Allow me to respond.

1) Thank-you – this particular birthday was not that big of a deal, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Do not get me wrong. I am quite pleased that this birthday happened. By the way, the next birthday will be more significant (unless some opportunities I am expecting are regarded as entitlements I should be able to put off).

Please do not expect that I will reciprocate when your birthday rolls around. There must be some Facebook feature I do not know how to turn on that would tell me when a greeting would be appropriate. Know that I wish all of you the appropriate greetings and value you as a friend (used in the actual rather than Facebook way).

I am seriously far over my limit for social media and Facebook is not one of my priorities.

2) To respond to your queries regarding how I am doing – both Cindy and I are doing well. We are both still employed and both think this is a good thing for now. We are in good health. I, at least, find that being older brings some freedoms I did not recognize and probably did not have at a younger age. Within reasonable limits we pretty much do what we want.

The elections are past and is time for all of us to refocus. For me, this will be a good thing.

I do have one more thing to say. At a time when “leaving a better country and world to our children” received a lot of political play, it seems strange that global warming and sustainable energy were ignored. This bothered me. There were plenty of ads from big oil and clean coal (they keep saying this, but it should be cleaner coal). There was big money behind the ads and a focus on the economics of low energy costs. Then there was that “I am an energy voter” campaign.

North Dakota owes the relative prosperity of the state the emerging oil industry (and Canadian shoppers). However, it has the potential to be an energy leader in other areas. The problem is that the oil industry is immediate and easy money. Alternative energy will not be immediately competitive but it has extremely important long term potential. Politicians in tight contests want to appear fiscally responsible discouraging vision and a long term view. Why back anything that is risky and costly?

I am frustrated that developing wind energy – an obvious opportunity to anyone who has spend time outdoors in North Dakota – received little attention. Despite the focus on jobs, jobs, jobs – the failure to encourage growth has resulted in job loses in this energy sector (LM Wind, DMI Wind).

Energy storage and transmission are obviously inefficient and expensive. I am assuming these are problems that science can address. However, you cannot solve such problems if you ignore them. I have long been a fan of Tom Friedman (see Hot, flat and crowded for his view of the future – $10 on your Kindle). He suggests that clean energy be the “man on the moon” program of our generation. Why not take on this challenge for the same reasons President Kennedy “chose to go to the moon” – not because it is easy, but because it is hard. It is a challenge we need to accept.

UND would be in a great position to drive this agenda. We have an energy research center and quality engineering programs. We are well positioned to take advantage of the wind and there is money in the state. We should start by erecting a wind turbine on campus. What a great opportunity to encourage a STEM focus.