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.