"The Generation Gap in Computer Usage"

MEETING DATE: July 15, 2011

Remember being on the young end of a generation gap? Remember being the rebellious ones, willing to try new ways, new technologies? Remember when the PC and the Macintosh were cutting edge technology? Remember first getting on the internet very slowly (AOL, Prodigy, CompuServe)? Do you remember?

Well, now most of us find ourselves on the other side of the generation gap. Smart phones, tablet PCs, iPhones and iPads and iPods – oh, my! – become more popular than desktop PCs and even laptops. Fiber optic, G3/4 and satellite networking. The internet morphs from dominance by the World Wide Web, bulletin boards, chatrooms and email to the new kids on the Net: FaceBook, Twitter, Youtube, other social media and Cloud applications and storage.

Most people of a certain age have either not adopted these new ways or approached them with trepidation. But people a generation or more younger have embraced and popularized new ways, or even tried and abandoned some new ways. The times they are changing. Really fast.

Two geeks from different errors but deeply immersed in practical computer technology will talk about the technology generation divide at the next BCUG General Meeting this Friday evening, July 15.

Representing the seniors will be Lee Maxwell, while August Culbert will represent the juniors. They’ll present their shared view of changing computing technology usage by people in both age groups, what both groups embrace and what one group uses while the other shuns. They hope to lead a discussion about why different generations like or dislike what they do.

August Culbert is vice president of Anders Technology Services, a Fair Haven-based startup IT firm offering “IT Solutions at the speed of done.” His partner is Brian Ericson, president of the company.

“From his earliest memory,” states the information about August posted on the firm’s website, “[August] has been fascinated by computers and technology. He is instinctively skilled and has an insatiable appetite to learn more. “Over the years he has worked with many systems, be they computer, network, or audio visual. User friendliness, understandability, reliability, and efficiency are all of the upmost importance to him. He has worked in information technology for the Fair Haven Board of Education, studied Cisco networking and general computer science, and competed in national FBLA technology events, ranking first in Computer Problem Solving.”

Lee Maxwell is owner and sole proprietor of Dr. Gladmax Macintosh Services, a computer, graphics and network troubleshooter and consultant who has operated his own business for 14 years, after leaving journalism as a career and breaking into computer graphics by working at a local graphics service company. He specializes in Macintosh computers and computer graphics (both print and web), but he also troubleshoots Windows PCs and works with various distributions of Linux. He also teaches computer graphics courses for the Monmouth County Vocational School District to adults in evening classes. He also is past leader of the MacWaves Mac user group, a BCUG workshop, is the editor of BCUG Bytes and once served as a BCUG trustee.