Can technology help?
We spent most of the afternoon today walking
around St Ives. On the way back to the car we
decided to take a break to take in the views from
the cliffs above the beach. Whilst sitting and
enjoying the sea crashing on the beach I noticed
an old gentleman sat doing the same as us. He
looked a little sad though as he sat there dosing
off every now and then. Just then a Seagul flew
down and rested on the railings just in front of
him. After a few seconds the man shuffled quickly
inside his trouser pockets and after a bit of a
struggle he eventually revealed one of those
cheap disposable cameras. He then tried to frame
a picture of the gul, but by the time he had
taken control of the camera the bird flew away.
Over the next 30 minutes or so I continued to
watch the man as he fumbled to take two more
pictures of resting Guls on the Railings.
I wondered if this was now the old man's daily
routine, spending the hours wandering and resting
around the streets of St Ives trying to take
pictures of the local wildlife, whilst sneaking
in a quick nap here and there. This got me
thinking; if only he had a digital camera and
even a photo printer how easier this task might
be for him. He wouldn't have to worry about
wasting film and could take hundreds of shots on
the hope that just one would capture the subject
as intended. Having the small photo printer may
also work out cheaper allowing him just to print
out the best shots without the worry of having to
pay for developing the whole film roll.
The problem with this scenario though is that
even if the old man had a digital camera and
printer he probably would not be able to use it.
It makes me wonder just how much easier the lives
of our grandparents would be if we could spare a
few hours to show them how to use technology and
help build their confidence in using it?
The above photo was snapped using my iPhone.
