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News & ArtsThursday, December 17, 2009
Teh Internets The Saddest Twitter Story You Will Ever Hear
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 5:06 PM
This grandma can't quite get the hang of Twitter, so she writes out her messages, FAXES them to a company called Celery, which then posts the messages to her Twitter account. Now her family can know that she's all right! Even if they didn't really care whether she was all right or not. And she can keep in touch with her family! Even though her family doesn't read her Twitters because they have un-followed her. Sigh. Thanks for trying, Grandma.
1
Wow. Just wow. Celery, huh? What an awesome business. I'd make more fun if I hadn't seen my dear own sainted mother, who is neither blind nor stupid, stare hopelessly at a computer screen for an hour, trying but failing to see the mouse pointer AT ALL. "There, it's right there, see it? I just moved it up an inch. See in now? No? Look, I'm shaking it. FUCKING FUCK GOD DAMN IT IT'S RIGHT THERE!"
She never even got as far as Solitaire.
She never even got as far as Solitaire.
3
Why do you say the kids unfollowed her? Was that supposed to be in the video? Or are you just being mean?
4
Sounds like the grandma is the one who doesn't care about her family, not the other way around.
I don't usually write to my daughter that much because she talks too much.
5
Fnarf, same with my mother to a degree. And my mother speaks about 5 languages (2 fluently with out accent) yet she can't send an e-mail. I marvel.
7
Glad my mom isn't as bad as that. Granted, she's probably at least a few years younger than Fnarf's mom (mine's 70) but she can send email and shop online, which of course is the whole reason for owning a computer.
Still, don't try to explain to her how to watch TV when you're using a sound system. That's when her eyes get that panicky look. It's as bad as trying to program a VCR.
Still, don't try to explain to her how to watch TV when you're using a sound system. That's when her eyes get that panicky look. It's as bad as trying to program a VCR.
9
@1 & 5, my mom too. She managed to figure out TV and the telephone, but the computer just escapes her. She cannot comprehend what she is looking at, cannot grasp the concept of scrolling, and can't hold the mouse and click it simultaneously. And yet she can drive a car! My dad, on the other hand, bumbles his way through and has a great time.
My partner's parents are similar; both 70-ish and he is always on the computer while she can barely handle email. You'd think older women would see the computer as liberating, like driving a car, but they don't seem to.
My partner's parents are similar; both 70-ish and he is always on the computer while she can barely handle email. You'd think older women would see the computer as liberating, like driving a car, but they don't seem to.
11
When I moved out of state, my grandma asked me for my new email address. I told her it doesn't change like a street address does... no matter where I'm living, I'll always have that same email address. She couldn't grasp it, it was completely bewildering to her. Finally, I just gave her a different email account of mine and told her that was my new address.
12
I never could get the hang of using fax machines. Do you think someone will setup a service so I can use my twitter account to fax things?
13
@7,
I'm with her on the sound system. My sister has that, with the necessary seven different remote controls. I couldn't figure out how to turn the sound down. And figuring out how to turn off the TV was torture.
I'm with her on the sound system. My sister has that, with the necessary seven different remote controls. I couldn't figure out how to turn the sound down. And figuring out how to turn off the TV was torture.
14
@6 so true -- mothballs and vinegar, i hear ya, give a shout out to my tweets!
http://twitter.com/pukie
http://twitter.com/pukie
15
@12 - there are many services/programs that allow you to send and receive faxes via email. If you work in a business that still uses fax (as I do), they're a sanity-saver.
16
That dude really (REALLY?) used the word "traditional" in context to twitter?! Fuck that, I'm real. Viva paper.
18
This woman is a genius. The Marshall McLuhan of her senior community.
But all she needs is an I-Pen:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sk…
19
When my grandma moved, she asked us to bring her old television because the one at the new place in the next town had everything on different channels. She also still says, "So, your home, then" whenever she calls my cell phone. Forget about computers....
20
Lazy grandchildren: print out that photo or whatever, stick it in an envelope, and mail it. Honestly.
21
This thread reminded of of the following reddit thread:
"Hey Reddit, what's a technology that your parents (or grandparents) can use with ease, but that you struggle with?"
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/commen…
"Hey Reddit, what's a technology that your parents (or grandparents) can use with ease, but that you struggle with?"
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/commen…
22
@8: VCR killed the CED Videodisc. Evidently, consumers wanted to record things, too. How excessive of them.
(Despite playing video from literally a vinyl record, I remember the video quality being much, much better than VHS tape. But it still looked "different" from watching a movie from a laserdisc, which of course looked different from DVD. Our neighbour had a CED Videodisc payer, and we watched a few movies. The white cartridge meant mono, and the blue ones were stereo — or maybe the other way around. Seeing one skip a groove was pretty strange, though. I remember seeing Annie and The Empire Strikes Back that way. Crazy days.)
(Despite playing video from literally a vinyl record, I remember the video quality being much, much better than VHS tape. But it still looked "different" from watching a movie from a laserdisc, which of course looked different from DVD. Our neighbour had a CED Videodisc payer, and we watched a few movies. The white cartridge meant mono, and the blue ones were stereo — or maybe the other way around. Seeing one skip a groove was pretty strange, though. I remember seeing Annie and The Empire Strikes Back that way. Crazy days.)
24
I almost signed my grandparents up for Celery so they could "talk" to my mom when, due to ALS, my mom could no longer talk on the phone. Gram just started crying when I had her attempt to type on a computer. Gramps however, managed to do okay on the computer, so I didn't have to use Celery. Gramps bumbled his way through the computer, so Gram would just tell him what to write. I forgot to explain scrolling though, and my mom didn't write short missives, so I got a call from Gramps on day 2 and had to explain the scroll bar over the phone to him. That was not easy.
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