AP Reports Young People Use The Internet

prostoalex writes "You read a lot of stories about older generation either adopting or having troubles with Internet. But some people in this world cannot imagine their everyday life without Internet. The kids who went to school during the early days of the Web are now going to colleges and are demanding broadband, downloading music, sharing photos and posting to Web logs, Associated Press says. Most of the everyday tasks, like homework and job search, have migrated to the Web as well. According to the latest data, 188.5 million Americans and more than 1 billion people globally are online."

Comments

Ok...

[krymsin01]

Where's the news in this? A story on slashdot about the fact that there are people out there in the world who can't imagine not having net access? Look who you are talking to here...

Re:Ok...

[adeydas]

ya that's what i was thinking. i mean what is this? people telling everybody that the INTERNET is used a lot... well everybody knows that... what are they going to put up next, what is the colour of bush's notebook!

Re:Ok...

[mordors9]

You overlooked the real news story. There are not alot of 80 year old bloggers..... wait... guess that wasn't news either ....

Re:Ok...

[cayenne8]

Yes, but, I wonder what long term effect some of these blogs might be. For instance...what about future presidential candidates. Heck, you thinks its bad now how they dig things up on you, what about in the future when they can access and gather all this stuff you've posted as a young person. You ideas changes, etc...but, those old rants will be forever out there for people to possibly use against you.

Re:Ok...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm the short guy who was the .5.
Yay for me! :D

Re:Ok...

[dextroz]

bush uses a notebook!? Hell I thought he was still at the "chalk & slate" state!

Blah

[Anonymous Coward]

In Korea, only elderly young people use the internet.

Re:Blah

[elenaran]

In Soviet Russia, Internet downloads you!

I guess it depends on your country

[Viol8]

Here in the UK there seems to be a shift in younger children (not late teens) back to more sporting activities , outdoor games etc and away from the computer/console. Also the use of the computer and internet in schools seems to have been a bit of white elephant as letting kids just surf is no substitute for proper teaching.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Peter Cooper]

Here in the UK there seems to be a shift in younger children (not late teens) back to more sporting activities , outdoor games etc and away from the computer/console.

Yeah, and a shift to loitering around menacingly around council estates and throwing verbal abuse at the elderly, right? ;-)

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Viol8]

At least they're getting some fresh air and keeping fit by running away from the police every night ;)

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

This is because those younger children have always had access to the net, they don't think it is anything special just like the way people who have always had tv don't think that's anything special. However, I'd bet that if the Internet was removed from their lives they'd suddenly find that there was a large hole and they had to find ways to do the things that they did before or else do other things.

Computers in state schools have always been a white elphant due to the teachers having absolutly no technical knoweledge
(I bet you'd struggle to find one in 50 who had ever even written a hello world in qbasic, one in 500 who could do the same in C). Teachers do not let the kids just experiment with the computers like they should (after all computers are just another scientific insturment) becuase the teachers are scared of what might happen - after all it's easy to start a global thermonuclear war when you're just trying to play a game isn't it.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

But they don't run away from the police.

If anything, the police stear clear of them.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Tim C]

I bet you'd struggle to find one in 50 who had ever even written a hello world in qbasic, one in 500 who could do the same in C

And what has that to do with a person's ability to use a computer as a teaching aid? If they're supposed to be teaching computing then sure; if they're just supposed to be *teaching*, though, and are using the computer as another tool, like exercise books and a blackboard are tools, then what does it matter? As long as they *can* use it, they should be fine.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

Hi

Do you have any stats for this, or is it purely anecdotal evidence?
I only ask because I haven't seen kids moving back to more sporting activities - I see the (still) rising sales of the playstation2 & a government concerned over how fat we're all getting..

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Desiderata]

There's a point in the article about the internet taking over hard-copies in research. While this is true for most things (we all love google), a lot of specific information still isn't available on the internet, especially not for free.
Anyway, most teachers require non-internet sources. I find the thought of using the internet exclusively for a major assesment rather frightening- I'd rather use an oldfashioned book by a respected academic than someone's 9th grade essay. It really depends on a lot.
In other news, the country you're in does make a difference. Last time I checked, countries like DR Congo still have maybe a thousand internet users, all of them corrupt goverment officials.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the same as driving a car, but not having the faintest idea how to fill up the tank or washer fluid, or to check the oil etc. If a person knows how a device works then they are less likely to have a problem using it or to be afraid of it.

For example, if teaching electronics and the use of an oscilloscope would benefit your students, is it not advisable to learn to use the device and understand how it opperates in order that you be able to use it more effectively as a teaching aid?

I'm not intending to moan about teachers who do or do not use computers as teaching tools (I fully appriciate computer use is sometimes not helpful for teaching certain elements of some subjects before a certain ability level) but those teachers who don't use a computer when it would be an effective teaching tool.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you not aware there are respected and citable sources of information on the Internet which are significantly better than a 9th grade essay?

For Physics and Astronomy examples (the ones I know the most about) try:
http://arxiv.org/

http://adswww.harvard.edu/

http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/ and http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/sim-fid.pl et al

and now of course http://scholar.google.com/ as well.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

Also the use of the computer and internet in schools seems to have been a bit of white elephant as letting kids just surf is no substitute for proper teaching.

I agree. Back when I was in primary school (~14 years ago), we had a computer brought in. The only thing we we taught was how to navigate a maze using N,S,E,W and add together small numbers. Given that we had long since passed the age where we had learnt to add up and walk in different diretions, we learnt absolutely nothing.

But hey, it was a computer, and it had educational software o it, so it must be good, right?

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Ilgaz]

Here in Korea its same too...

Only old people...

oh damn.. its like a virus in my brain lol!

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[mikey_boy]

It's the same as driving a car, but not having the faintest idea how to fill up the tank or washer fluid, or to check the oil etc. If a person knows how a device works then they are less likely to have a problem using it or to be afraid of it.

no it's not. Checking the oil, filling up with gas etc would be more analogous(sp?) to clearing out temp files, keeping the computer patched, knowing not to run exe files from the untrusted sources, that kind of thing.

Being able to program simple files would be something like changing a spark plug, changing the filters etc. Something that you can do with a little bit of understanding, but really something that most people leave to the mechanic when they get the car serviced.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[jedrek]

Never in my life was I in better shape when I was writing graffiti. Walking to spots, running away from the cops, going to out of way places to take photos. Heck, I was probably doing 50-60 miles on foot every week.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[jav1231]

You're obviously a programmer. Technical knowledge doesn't always equate to programming. In fact, I'd say programming often doesn't equate to technical knowledge. On one of my past jobs, I'd get calls from programmers about an OS issue. I'd askt hem basic troubleshooting questions about their configuration. "I dunno, that's the OS" or "I dunno, that's hardware." I realize that's becoming less the case these days (and UNIX and Linux platform programmers are definitely an exception) but it happens, I imagine. I'd consider my technical knowledge pretty good but I can't program in C or any other serious language.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[mszeto]

You know, although I'm a big computer user, and I've been an avid gamer since I was 13, I don't think I would let my kids (if/when I have them) use the computer as I did. I would sign them up for sports and keep them outside as much as possible!

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[HoldenCaulfield]

While I agree in spirit with what you've said, it's worth noting that for computers to effectively be used in the classroom, we're asking a lot of our teachers. In my mind, for a school to justify using a computer in the classroom as a teaching aid, a teacher has to be comfortable with the tech, realize that a computer crashing isn't the end of the world, and then come up with innovative ways to use a computer, so it's not just a glorified blackboard. In my experience teaching, most schools (K-12) are still at the point where computers (and more tech oriented stuff in general) are just sort of gee-whiz devices, with lots of bells and whistles.

There's definitely still a lot of entrenched teachers who are thinking "Why bother?" when it comes to computers, as there may be relucatnace to learn something new, and also the benefits from bothering to learn it are slim to none - i.e. they've been teaching for 20 years, and it's worked so far, why switch now?

Part of me thinks it's going to take a killer app of sorts for computers to really take off as learning tools - classroom management you already see them being used (worksheets, networked grade programs, e-mail, etc), but as teaching devices, they're not quite there . . .

Anyway, to get back to the original "hello world" example, teachers who can do that, are going to be more likely to take risks and experiment using the technology in the classroom, than the teacher who all they can do is use the internet and office apps. So, there is definitely some benefit to having teachers who are traditional hackers of sorts . . . though it's disappointing sometimes to realize how few teachers are like this . . .

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with what you are saying, but to clarify: I'm not a programmer, but an astrophysicist by traning and my work so far has mainly been on developing new instrumentation (hardware). I used programming as an example as I felt the /. crowd would be familiar it. I was trying demonstrate that having underlying knowledge of a system (just not computer systems but any system, for example the legs - if you want to run as well as humanly possible) gives people a better basis from which to exploit the technology or sytem to their best advantage. This subtlety seems to have slipped past the readers and mods.

I acknowledge however, that I am bias against state schools. I've seen far too many people not achieve their potential due to poor quality, overcrowded schools that don't teach their pupils in enough depth or breath - when was the last time you heard of a state school teaching Latin, despite it being the basis of modern language? The UK government is reported as wanting to stop UK state schools teaching A level Chemistry because it's "too dangerous", Computing teaching has been replaced (not that there ever was very much) by IT teaching. History lessons consist of learning the same things about "the Romans" over and over again. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

There are some good teachers in British state schools, but the administrativia and poor teachers usually cause more damage than a few good individuals can undo.

I attended a state school from the age of 4 to 11. It was a living hell culminating in near suicide. At 11 I joined an independent small school where education was conducted at the pupil's own pace. Classes were not, on the whole, solely constructed on the basis of ability or age, but were inclusive without being restrictive. Each pupil concentrated on the subjects and disciplines they enjoyed the most, without neglecting the subjects pupils should study for a well rounded education. The years I spent there were without doubt, some of the best of my life so far.

When I have children, I will not dream of sending them to state schools and indeed would not have kids if I could not ensure they could go to a good friendly school or that they could educated at home.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Bastard of Subhumani]

I was trying demonstrate that having underlying knowledge of a system (just not computer systems but any system, for example the legs - if you want to run as well as humanly possible) gives people a better basis from which to exploit the technology or sytem to their best advantage. This subtlety seems to have slipped past the readers and mods.

-1 Patronising.
30% Arrogant.
70% Thinks he can read minds via the web.

FWIW, I understood what you meant. I just happen not to particularly agree with it.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[edittard]

I was trying to demonstrate [...] I am biased against state schools

If that's where you learned spelling & grammar, I understand why.

when was the last time you heard of a state school teaching Latin, despite it being the basis of modern language?

I'm Hungarian, you insensitive clod!

I attended a state school from the age of 4 to 11. It was a living hell culminating in near suicide.

No cigar...

When I have children

God forbid!

I will not dream of sending them to state schools and indeed would not have kids if I could not ensure they could go to a good friendly school or that they could be educated at home.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Com2Kid]

• There's definitely still a lot of entrenched teachers who are thinking "Why bother?" when it comes to computers, as there may be relucatnace to learn something new, and also the benefits from bothering to learn it are slim to none - i.e. they've been teaching for 20 years, and it's worked so far, why switch now?

*sigh*

Indeed, WHY BOTHER? For some activities (ie learning a foreign language, typing papers) computers can be GREAT aids, but computers in the classrooms are, in general, a VERY piss poor idea. Seriously, been there, seen that, it does NOT work.

The reason why is quite simple: Teaching consists of the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student. It is a direct and personal interaction (even in a classroom full of students, it is a personal interaction, overcrowding reduces this effect but that is a completely separate story), involving not only the teacher telling the students new material, but also the teacher demonstrating how to use that new knowledge to the student.

Think of a math class.

Now think of a math class taught with Power Point.

Now stop screaming for a minute and come back down off of the ceiling.

In order to be effectively taught, a student must be able to see their newfound knowledge in use. Computers do NOT encourage this, as one thing a computer is EXCELLENT at is having a data set entered into it once, and then recalling that same data set many times over, very rapidly.

Go to a intro level CS class. Draw a stack on the board, explain memory allocation, explain pointers, DRAW the pointers, you will have an educated class.

Go to an intro level CS class, bring up a Power Point slide that shows a stack, have little pointers slide onto the screen, you will have a very CONFUSED class.

I remember back in elementary school using computers to play math games on, completely useless. We just played what we wanted, and the smarter of us just broke into the teacher's option screen and fiddled around, either that or watched the pretty Apple II (whatever model we had) debug screen after jamming enough keys down.

Some of the countries with the BEST mathematics education have the LEAST amount of computer aid.

Heck my math is going to be borked for the longest time because I "merely" used a graphing calculator (TI-89) throughout my calculus class to simplify equations and solve crud for me.

I'd solve it the first few times on my own, but then I'd figure "why do I need to keep doing this, it is so repetitive?

That is the crux of it folks, the repetition IS the learning.

Sure, us Nerds may UNDERSTAND it easy, and we don't see why the instructor spent two days jumping around the classroom over dramatizing some seemingly trivial topic, but, when three or four years later, you still remember the stuff you had to sit (and work!) through day after day of, and you have forgotten the material you just "automated away", well then,

you begin to realize, almost everyone needs repetition in order to learn.

(I even support making T-Charts by hand, not only does it strengthens basic arithmetic skills, it also gives students an intuitive feel for what is going to happen next!)

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[Hognoxious]

Are you not aware there are respected and citable sources of information on the Internet which are significantly better than a 9th grade essay?

True, but there's a also a lot of complete and utter twaddle. What grade would you award for an essay about dangerous chemicals based on this, for example? Sure, it's a spoof, in fact a damn fine one. But there's other stuff out there that's intentionally misleading or just written by downright idiots.

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[RpiMatty]

I agree 100% with this.
My best profs in college taught the old fashoned way, an over head projector, writing the notes as they went along, based off the hand written copys they prepared for themselves. this way if a student had a question they could divert from the lesson plan to answer it.
the teachers who used powerpoint were useless. ever have a class where a "coordinator" makes up the ppt slides to use for all 4 sections of the class, yet he only teaches one. the other 3 teachers have to figure out what is going on, then try and convey that info to the students.
So many times in my circuits class my prof was like "um im not 100% sure why he put that in there, ill have to find out for next class"

my best math teacher, and signals teacher were big fans of doing stuff by hand.
and in signals i got used to having Maple do algebra simplifications for me (no use in doing 5 and 6 term PFE by hand) and now i have gotten slightly rusty at it.

On the other hand computers in labs are great.
using a computer to interact with a microprocessor, but then again it is kinda necessary in that situtation.

It would be cool if teachers could recreate colonization and wars using some RTS game.
imagine being able to see the wars happen in real-time?
maybe after class let the students try their hand at being a general and commanding the troops, see if they are any better than the real life ones.
thats just one idea for bringing computers into classrooms

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[HoldenCaulfield]

This thread is a bit outdated, but I thought I'd reply. The points you raise are generally valid, but that's why I mention the idea of a killer app of sorts. Maybe someone someday will come up with a way that computers can effectively be used. There are definite niches in which they can make things easier. Labview software in chem labs can make titrations much easier to execute, explain, and understand. And I've seen some excellent uses of Geometer's Sketchpad in the classroom as well. Same thing with graphing calculators.

And moving beyond the lecture model, computers offer tons of potential - distance learning, online classrooms, time-shifting of teaching, adaptive lessons, and perhaps other uses that aren't even dreamt of yet etc etc - but none of this is to the point yet where it's generally superior to established methods.

As for repetition being key to learning - I've got to disagree, since repetition doesn't usually help with true understanding, but instead encourage rote memorization - i.e. in calculus someone may be able to apply the power rule or the quotient rule, but that doesn't mean they understand a derivative, or why they're using the quotient rule. Technology can easily show a student this, leading to deeper understanding.

In my mind, it's attitudes like your post that make it harder for teachers to implement tech in the classroom - we need people who are experimenting and trying new things to make classrooms better . . . though perhaps the biggest change we need is to move away from our traditional teacher/student/lecture/classroom model and become more adaptive to students' needs in general . . .

Re:I guess it depends on your country

[abb3w]

Also the benefits from bothering to learn it are slim to none

They may also have an instinctive understanding of Robert Glass's sixth Fact: "New tools and techniques cause an initial loss of productivity/quality." Admittedly, he was talking about software engineering, but the principle is far more generally applicable.

Duh

[Roger Keith Barrett]

"Young people use the internet" ==
"Old people yell 'get off my lawn!!'"

Re:Duh

[LiquidCoooled]

Don't be silly, Old people use email.

Re:Duh

[Zorilla]

Old people speak in complete, lucid sentences;
Yng ppl spk n br0kn sms sp3k bc its kewl bbl kthxbye.

Re:Duh

[LiquidCoooled]

Subject: Damn Kids (Yes You!)
To: Zorrila
From: Old Git

OI Kid,
Speak up sonny, I can't hear you.

Mr Git.
[Image:WalkingStickAnim.gif]

ps, Get Off My Lawn!!!

Re:Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

> "Tony Hawkza mother$&%*er Vulcan liar" -Don Vito, Viva La Bam

Your sig is wrong, he clearly said "fucking liar."

Re:Duh

[Zorilla]

You still aren't getting a cookie for this yet.

Here's a torrent for the entire season 2 of Viva La Bam (wish I could find the individual Mardi Gras episode). Check out the subtitles for yourself. You're persistent enough to follow me around; I think you can spend a few hours downloading 1.5 GB.

But as you can see, Don Vito doesn't say much of anything "clearly".

Re:Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

Old people speak in complete, lucid sentences.

Like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Give me five bees for a quarter", you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah - the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones

Re:Duh

[Zorilla]

I first took a fancy to Mrs. Bouvier because her raspy voice - reminded me of my old Victrola. Oh, it was a
fine machine with a vulcanized rubber listening tube which you crammed in your ear. The tube would go in easier with some sort of lubricant like linseed oil or Dr. -- *sssh* Oh, sorry!

Re:Duh

[0zzy]

I could give a rip about my lawn... "Get off my wireless connection! All you young people are good for is lagging out my counter strike connection with your illegal music and pr0n."

Re:Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

Only in Korea..

Re:Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Whippersnapper,
Get the hell off my lawn.

Thanks,
'Ol Fart

Poll

[xtracto]

What is the most sensless news post that has been posted in /. ?? any votes?,

One for this!

Re:Poll

[Zorilla]

Here's a laundry list.

Re:Poll

[Depili]

Well, wait for a few days and we will see a dupe of this story...

Related Links

[Anonymous Coward]

prostoalex

demanding broadband, downloading music, sharing photos and posting to Web logs

latest data

The Internet whitepapers

Best deals: The Internet

More The Internet stories

Re:Related Links

[Anonymous Coward]

Bill? Is that you?

kids use the internet

[dncsky1530]

whats next? a large news outlet discovers blogging

Obvious

[bobbagum]

That's an appropriate use of the Obvious tag for once. Hang on a minute... Oopse, Wrong site...

Re:Obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

Oopse? OopsE? Since when did "opps" have an 'e' at the end? Arte thoue taslkinge ine olde Englighe?

Re:Obvious

[Fig, formerly A.C.]

Since when was "oops" spelled "opps"?

And oopsie needs an "i". :P

Re:Obvious

[corbettw]

And oopsie needs an "i". :P

I think the gpp was using the Middle English version of "oops"....

Re:Obvious

[Fig, formerly A.C.]

Agreed, I was just muddying the waters (as evidenced by my feeble attempt at an emote there at the end).

young savviest ...

[foobsr]

Young people are now the savviest of the tech-savvy,...

Yes, from my point of view, especially those who have failed to learn their native language ...

CC.

News for /.

[oexeo]

The dictionary called, it wants its definition of redundant back.

In Soviet Russia...

[EmagGeek]

Internet uses young people!

Holy Captain Obvious Batman!

[chadpnet]

In other breaking news:

• We landed on the moon
• We pulled out of vietnam
• Reagan won his second term
• stay tuned as more develops, I'm going to go figure out how to program my VCR...

Re:Holy Captain Obvious Batman!

[Roger Keith Barrett]

Did ya hear about the new dual deck VCR?

Instead of one clock blinking "12:00" it has two clocks blinkinb "6:00"

Ahahaha

Re:Holy Captain Obvious Batman!

[rishistar]

Are you using VHS or Betamax?

I'm going with Betamax, its a superior technology, and its *sure* to win out.

Re:Holy Captain Obvious Batman!

[cozziewozzie]

Hahaha. That's the most horrible joke I've heard in weeks. Well done! :)

I'm confused.

[teamhasnoi]

Which of the internets are the old people having trouble with? The wood one?

They should really restart their monitor. That usually fixes it for me.

In all seriousness, can you even get the internets when you're old? I know my old people are still using Toltec Bead Messengers. Those guys can run like crazy (at least 22 hertz an hour), and you have a nice little belt when you're done checking your news-groups.

Re:I'm confused.

[Viol8]

Instead of trying for cheap laughs you might want to bear in mind that some of the old people out there actually built the internet that you're using right now. Check out the history of (D)ARPA. Anyone who was over 30 in the late 60s is a pensioner now.

Re:I'm confused.

[Anonymous Coward]

> Anyone who was over 30 in the late 60s is a pensioner now.

So anyone who was old in the late 60s is still old?

Re:I'm confused.

[stanmann]

"The Internet" should be capitalized so that it is not confused with internets, which make up the Internet. There are several public internets(AOL/Timewarner, Earthlink, (D)ARPAnet, various of the .edus, etc) Thank you for your time and for putting up with my pedantry.

How... uh... prophetic?

[ebbomega]

From the article:
AOL's Bird predicts that teens will be among the first to embrace new, Web-based video technology. "You will very soon be able to shoot video messages and play those video messages on your blog that your friends can go to," Bird says. "So your community, your scheduling, your friends, your holidays - all of this stuff will live in an online environment."

They already can, there's already a subculture based around it, and Maddox has already made fun of it.

over 1/2 billion insecure windows machines

[Anonymous Coward]

"over" as-in "well over"

Film at 11

interesting

[pretzelsofwar]

30-40% of Internet use at work is not work-related

You mean getting to your site from ./ at work...

Re:interesting

[Zorilla]

You mean getting to your site from ./ at work...

Slashdot's an ISP now? (OSTG broadband jokes aside)

Old people think internet==satan

[Anonymous Coward]

"Are you kidding? She would never get an e-mail account," Johnson says, laughing. "I think some older people still think of it as the devil - like it's kind of evil."

anyone else notice

[Anonymous Coward]

Has anyone else noticed that is becoming cooler to be a nerd? I have, seriously far out, if someone needs help with their computer they come to you. Back in the day, they probably would have been the person that picked on you.

Re:anyone else notice

[Anonymous Coward]

Has anyone else noticed that is becoming cooler to be a nerd? I have, seriously far out, if someone needs help with their computer they come to you. Back in the day, they probably would have been the person that picked on you.

Next time they ask you to fix their spyware infested box, tell them to fuck off and to do it themselves, then see how "cool" they think you really are.

Re:OMG!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Er, well, reviewing that after the post-heat-of-the-moment, I also feel the need to add that she was alive and consenting. Just in case there was any doubt :).

In America...

[Major Hazard]

In America, Only Young People Use The Internet

Linux usage

[Anonymous Coward]

so there're a thousand million people online, and about ~1% of web users on Google are on Linux. Considering Linux users probably do more web searches than the average internet user, this means there're probably approximately 7 million Linux users.

Back in 1999, the number of Linux users was being estimated at about 7 million. Like it or not, Unix is not conquoring the desktop.

Thirteen?

[Ex-Cyber]

Time to make it thirteen, I guess.

Re:OMG!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know which scares me more, that you had to clarify she was consenting, or that she was alive!

The kids...

[Oligonicella]

"who went to school during the early days of the Web are now going to colleges and are demanding broadband, downloading music, sharing photos and posting to Web logs"

Then discovering, to their sorrow, that these services are not free, but were provided to them by their parents. Grow the hell up.

Re:The kids...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is one point I never see brought up when people rant about the RIAA and alike; people are paying ~60USD per month for a service they never used to have (ADSL/similar) to amongst other things download music. Now I don't know about you, but I didn't spend 60USD/month on music before Napster/Kazaa/ACMEp2p, so people now spend more money on music, but the RIAA are annoyed. Have they not realised that companies like AOL/TimeWarner are better off with people buying their connectivity services than buying media containing music?

The music on p2p networks and others actually provides a use for a service that's being sold. If that use wasn't there, far less people would subscribe to broadband Internet connection services and companies like AOLTW would be much worse off.

Re:The kids...

[Anonymous Coward]

And they only pay $1000 per month to stay in the dorms (not incl. tuition), those kids are so greedy. Oh wait.

Re:The kids...

[Beyond_GoodandEvil]

Sounds like it is time to change Oligonicella's Depends brand adult diapers and change the channel to Matlock.

Re:The kids...

[gcaseye6677]

That's because Oligonicella is a fucking douchebag, and people like him are the reason the foes list was invented. If you haven't added him to yours, I highly recommend it. Look at his posting history, and see what I mean. Every single comment is just him being a dickhead and is completely uninsightful. Hey Oligonicella, you don't know everything! Take your pompous-know-it-all attitude and shove it up your ass!

Re:The kids...

[elhaf]

Right on. This whole copyright issue OUGHT to be about changing business models in recognition of this fact, but is instead about armies of lawyers.

Re:The kids...

[kalmite]

This is a funny quote, because those that went to school during the early days of the web are now well out of college to include graduate school... about 10+ years out of school.

Re:OMG!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but he didn't mention that by female he meant choir boy.

Plz post a new story!!!

[xtracto]

Please please post a new story for the homepage! it is a shame to see this as the first story in the Definitely-tech-geek site... can you imagine if someone enters and see what we "geeks" are talking about lol

Re:Plz post a new story!!!

[me at werk]

is it still september?

Re:Plz post a new story!!!

[lav-chan]

lol ya i aggree w/ him ^

kind of nice to see that all the hype

[museumpeace]

about the internet "changing everything" had some truth to it. The dot com euphoria got me into [and just as promptly out of] several jobs at startups that were funded because even smart [ok, greedy] people believed absolutely everyone would be shoping on line, be in constant contact with all their friends and so on...
I know booking air travel is largely out of the hands of travel agents so a few business activities are pretty much dominated by internet. But other activities like watching movies are more representative of the reported internet-demanding demographic...and sure enough: the video stores, even chains like Blockbuster, are closing in my area or running nearly constant sales and promotions to compete with the downloads...kinda unfair to those who still dial up for internet and pay for movies. [did you sell your AOL/timeWarner stock yet?]

Re:OMG!!!

[stormi]

oh hello. just so slashdot knows, females do read this lovli page =) i wish i were half as smart as all of u, and i 3 geeks. it's so sad that alot of u dont get enough luv. i luv u all =)

-stormi

erm...whose everyday tasks?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most of the everyday tasks, like homework and job search.

I would say that for most people, homework and job search are not every day tasks. Maybe I'm just not perpetually unemployed and "in school".

Re:erm...whose everyday tasks?

[oexeo]

"Everyday" is the same as "every day":

Everyday -- Commonplace and ordinary; "the familiar everyday world"

Re:erm...whose everyday tasks?

[oexeo]

> "Everyday" is the same as "every day":

I meant to say: ' "Everyday" is not the same as "every day"'

188 million americans eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats alot of americans online.

According to www.census.gov the current population of people in the world.

U.S. 294,915,774
World 6,404,645,282
07:19 EST Dec 06, 2004

Re:188 million americans eh?

[pjt33]

I was more intrigued by the simple conclusion that fewer than 20% of people online are from the US. How is this reflected in /.s user profile? Is the "most /.ers are Americans" line in the FAQ now well past its sell-by date?

Importance of "connectedness" overemphasized

[dannytaggart]

It's the old story: college campuses are becoming more and more connected. Students are getting more "internet-savvy" as they do everything online. There seems to be an overemphasis on the "connectedness" of colleges - this doesn't necessarily translate into a good educational environment. Take a look at the America's top connected universities and compare to the best universities. Two different lists.

Re:Importance of "connectedness" overemphasized

[Anonymous Coward]

One difference, though... A college can purchase connectivity. Being the _best_ requires more than funding.

homework ??

[phreakv6]

...like homework..

yea.. so u can outsource it to bangalore

News Flash: In fast breaking news today

[Anonymous Coward]

there will be weather occurring all around us!

Seriously, I'm 54 and can't imagine working without the 'net. How would we coordinate Software development without?

You tripped my pedant mode

[Anonymous Coward]

1 Hertz = once per second
22 Hertz = 22 times per second
22 Hertz per hour = 22 times per second per hour = an acceleration not a frequency

Is this a good thing?

[cozziewozzie]

For the longest time, I thought that the free exchange of information that the Internet brings would ensure that good ideas get spread, and that the overall knowledge of its users would rise as a result of being exposed to better information. What seems to have happened, though, is that people who use internet got stupider. Nobody can spell anymore (it's considered 'cool' to screw up even the most orthographically simple words). Arguments on internet boards (with a few exceptions) are getting stupider, and people who would get a good spanking IRL are turning into the most obnoxious flamers. Instead of using the vast amounts of information available to them to reexamine their views, people seek out only the articles and sites which support their already cemented opinions, with little regard to critical thought.

Sadly, it seems that, while the Internet was ready to face the challenges of global information exchange 20 years ago, we are not nearly at that stage yet. Simply providing the tools hasn't helped the society as a whole to improve our level of communication, or to expand our knowledge through the availability of information (fringe groups like scientists excluded). Because of this reason, I'm wondering whether Internet in schools will serve the purpose I originally believed it would serve, or if it will simply produce a new army of AOL and MSN Messenger trolls.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[snap-hiss]

The internet, like anything else is what you make of it. You could choose to watch American Idol if you like, just as you can choose to go to moronic sites and engage in idiototic arguments online.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[cozziewozzie]

The internet, like anything else is what you make of it.

I only partly agree. The internet is very unlike anything else. On the other hand, it IS what you make of it. I was hoping that most people would be able to make more of it, that's all.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[snap-hiss]

I'm with you, but then again I have come to never expect too much from the majority. When you expect people to make smart decisions you'll always be disapointed.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well it depends on if you want to read something new and challenging, or if you just want to read stuff that you agree with. If you really want to learn, the internets are great. Great I tells you!

Re:Is this a good thing?

[Xenophon Fenderson,]

Well, duh. Technology cannot change human nature. It acts only as a catalyst, speeding up or amplifying what is already there.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most people are stupid, will remain stupid, and ubiquitous computing will never change that.
In other news, the sun rose in the East.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[David Gerard]

When television was invented, they thought this would finally be the invention to educate the masses.

As long as stupid people use the internet, it will be used stupidly.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[Illserve]

It's not that people using forums are getting stupider, it's that stupider people are joining the forums.

It used to be that the internet was the domain of the intellectual elite, but it's growing to include a larger percentage of undereducated people. So people aren't getting dumber, you're just no longer shielded from them.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[SenorChuck]

Yes.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[geekoid]

of course people often seek what is familiar to them.
The new generation has a lot more chance of being exposed to amny different view points because they haven't been entrenched in there view points.

It will happen, open informaitn has always lead to a better world overall.
The printing press opened up a lot of minds, but there has been a lot of crap printed.
Much like this AP article...

Re:Is this a good thing?

[Mooncaller]

Your view is as limited as your knowledg. Also note, spelling is NOT that important. The standardization of written english is moronic. There is no correct or incorrect spelling as long as what is written is understood. There is only conformance or non conformance to a poorly designed standard. That is all.

Re:Is this a good thing?

[_13th_Victor]

I think that like you there where people in the late 1930's on through the 40's who thought being able to share all of man's vast knowledge over television wave would make us all smarter and spread enlightenment. Instead we get cow eye eaters on "Fear Factor" and complete crap like "American Idol 2" The radio was/is a great way to share information and news, people turned into "The Lone Ranger" or "Howard Stern", television was/is a great way to share information and news, people tuned into "The Honeymooner's", "The Simpson's", and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" thus the internet was/is a great tool to share information and news, people go to www.joecartoon.com and www.homestarrunner.com And I am not trying to dog any of these shows or sites, entertainment is fun and we all need it, but what I am trying to say is technology is not a end all, having the tool does not mean you will be smarter or instantly obtain knowledge, but using the tools available and having a desire to learn is the key. As far as the parent...I don't have a lot to say...an article (regardless of how screwy the stats) that states the internet is used by the younger generation, is like saying energy bars are eaten by predominantly athletic people, or that the older generation seem to be the predominate market that buys and drinks Ensure its just a blah parent, and I am not funny enough yet to have a sig

s/Internet/telephone/

[jejones]

...and how much of the article would you have to change to get something that probably appeared in print fifty or so years ago?

Re:No sh*t, sherlock

[Clete2]

That's my exact thoughts when I first read this.

Sweet...

[Anonymous Coward]

so when do we see the report that AOL users are stupid?

i am so waiting for a newspaper to validate that.

We need more stories like this!

[untaken_name]

Let me suggest a few, AP.

Many Roadway Users Drive Automobiles

Sleepers Using Beds Now More Than Ever

Old People Not as Young as They Used to Be

Study Reveals Phone Usage Common Among Americans

Re:We need more stories like this!

[snap-hiss]

haha

Re:We need more stories like this!

[Mir322]

Or, "Having unprotected intercourse on a regular basis is the leading cause of children"

---

Re:We need more stories like this!

[untaken_name]

That reminds me of my favorite tagline ever:

Studies show marriage is the leading cause of divorce in the United States.

Re:We need more stories like this!

[narcc]

Old People Not as Young as They Used to Be

In Korea, only old people aren't young...

What about the next big thing?

[bigtallmofo]

Does this make anyone else wonder what the next big thing is going to be that we'll be too old to figure out but the younger generation will be all over?

I guess then we'll know how our parents and grandparents felt about the Internet and computers in general.

"These kids today"

[RealProgrammer]

More generally, each generation is more adept at using the technology it grew up using, and less adept at using what its forebears had.

My grandfather's generation toasted bread on a stove or in an oven, usually burning wood. They got electricity in their homes so they could go hi-tech and use a toaster. Well, they needed lights, too, but perfect toast was a big draw.

I'm a tail-end Boomer, born in 1963. My dad's generation could do trigonometry on a slide rule; I need a calculator.

Dad knew FORTRAN and BASIC. I know many computer languages.

I got my first computer, a TRS-80 Model II, in 1977. I learned BASIC and a little Z80 assembler. I needed to learn programming just to use the machine.

My kids have had, as long as they can remember, at least one computer in the house, usually networked together and with Internet access. They don't know any programming languages; they haven't needed to learn any to use the computer.

To my generation, computers were nerdy. To theirs, computers are more like TVs or toasters: part of the furniture.

Recently I gave my 16-year-old daughter, who's not a nerd, a new computer, running Linux. I told her it was different, but that it was Free. Being an idealist, she thought that was Just Totally Cool. A day later she told me proudly that she had her CD collecton "programmed in" so that it had all the information about the tracks and artists for all her tunes.

It's just part of the furniture.

Re:"These kids today"

[Anonymous Coward]

didn't think trs 80 model II's were around in 77

Re:"These kids today"

[RealProgrammer]

(reply to sibling)
That was a typo: it should have said "TRS-80 Model I - Level II". My machine got the whopping 16K expansion, and later a couple of disk drives.

Inspired by Moria under PLATO, I wrote a wire-frame 3D maze game in BASIC. It generated a randomized bitmap according to some reasonableness rules, then saved the dungeon to tape for loading later. About all you could do is wander the maze, so it wasn't much fun. It got unwieldy, as all BASIC programs tend to do.

Re:"These kids today"

[Spy der Mann]

"Monday, October 6, 2014. Today a terrorist attack left a hundred schools without internet access. Four suicides have been reported. The police is assisting those who had a nervous crisis. So far the situation is stable, since the students were told they would get back their internet access for tomorrow."

I just hope situations like this don't become real. Sheesh...

Re:"These kids today"

[Lost Race]

Heh, I did the same thing on my CoCo. I guess all us TRS-80 kids did that....

Misuse of the internet

[eneville]

It is not just the children or older generation, but also middle aged people who go seeking porn on the intarweb.

Re:Misuse of the internet

[snap-hiss]

Someone had to bring up the true driving force behind the internet.

I am part of...

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

the older generation you insensitive clod!

This had really started much sooner.

[Firehawke]

This really isn't much of a surprise. I was on the cutting edge as early as eight or nine years old, doing BBSes back in the 80s. I even ran one for nine years. Most of my BBS friends who were of equivelent age range (+/- 3 years) went right to the net in 1994 when it became more widely available and had already started the process we're seeing now.

The only reason we haven't seen this sooner is that the BBS world wasn't quite so accessible to your average kid-- you had to know a lot more to get online than you do now.

Re:This had really started much sooner.

[jkubecki]

The only reason we haven't seen this sooner is that the BBS world wasn't quite so accessible to your average kid-- you had to know a lot more to get online than you do now.

Based on my memories of BBS'ing in the 80's at 300 and 1200 (WHOA, that's fast) baud, "you had to know a lot more" meant you had to know:
1. The phone numbers of BBS's
2. that weren't busy all the time
3. and had decent content for YOUR system (C64, Apple, TRS-80, Coleco Adam. Yes, Coleco Adam. Shut up.)

Re:This had really started much sooner.

[Firehawke]

Not to mention how to hook up the modem properly, obtain a copy of the terminal software of your choice, and somehow get the first BBS number so you could get others. Back before there were actual useful BBS lists, it could be somewhat difficult to get started.

I'll rephrase it as "The barrier to entry for the casual user was a bit steeper".

With ISPs being a mostly commercial venture, they're more inclined to provide enough support to get you started even without knowing someone already in the loop.

The news is their stats are fucked up

[tomhudson]

The news, according to their screwed-up stats, is the big decline after next year, from 1.7 bln in 2005 to 1.21 bln in 2006:

934 mln people worldwide are online in 2004. 1.7 bln will be online in 2005, 1.21 bln by 2006, 1.35 bln by 2007.

Either they forgot a zero before the 7 in next year's stats, or they believe we're headed for a global war that will kill off half-a-billion net users in 2006.

This was not news to anyone. This was not stuff that matters. This was just a shill piece by Clickz Stats - and you gotta kind of wonder about their reliability, since they can't count or proof-read. They're probably a Diebold subsidiary, or angling to become one.

Re:The news is their stats are fucked up

[salvorHardin]

War in 2006... reminds me of a book I read a few years back, where the author was predicting the third world war would break out in, guess what...? 2006!
Guess it was wrong of me to laugh at him, afterall.

Re:The news is their stats are fucked up

[tomhudson]

While we're at it - another misleading stat:

10% of under-teenagers have their own Web site

According to this http://esa.un.org/unpp/index.asp?panel=2, world population by age (original figures were in thousands, so added 3 zeroes:

Year:2000
0-4 617,204,000
5-9 606,072,000
10-14 604,898,000 (so, split in half, say 302,449,000)

Obviously, there's not 1.5 billion web sites for kids under 13. It's only when you click through the link that you see this:

Grunwald Associates finds that 10% of children ages six to 17 in the US have their own Web site.

So, 2 more flaws. The "stats" are US-only. And, lLast I looked, kids between 13 and 17 were not "under-teenagers".

#ifndef CLICKZ_STATS
#define CLICKZ_STATS

#ifndef FALSE
#define FALSE 0
#endif

#define CLICKZ_STATS_FACTS FALSE
#define CLICKZ_STATS_BRAINS NULL
#define PATH_TO_CLICKZ_STATS_RAW_DATA "/dev/urandom"
#define WHERE_TO_FILE_CLICKZ_STATS_STORIES "/dev/null"

#endif

Monday morning. It figures.

Re:The news is their stats are fucked up

[WaterBreath]

Obviously, there's not 1.5 billion web sites for kids under 13.

No, but (600M + 600M + 300M) * 10% = 150M, not 1.5B.

But that's still more than half the population of the United States, and about 2.5% of the population of the world. And I find it hard to believe that the % of children with websites is so high in the US, Europe, and the modern regions of Asia that it can make up for Africa, South America, and the non-modern regions of Asia.

So yes it's still hard to swallow, even without the quote from Grunwald Associates, which is being unabashedly misused.

Re:The news is their stats are fucked up

[tomhudson]

Thanks for pointing out the *10% bit - that's what I get for posting first thing Monday morning from home instead of the office (not an excuse, just an observation :-)

Maybe we should sic SCO on them - don't they have some sort of prior art for pulling stats out of their ass to make the news?

how about a President that uses a computer daily?

[Anonymous Coward]

Just how many decades do we have to wait until we get a President that is savvy enough to be using a computer? How about DAILY use of a computer?

In other news

[deanj]

In other news, driving a car quickly makes the passengers go faster! This and other AMAZING stories from AP.

Re:how about a President that uses a computer dail

[snap-hiss]

At least ten years. Or maybe never the way our country is voteing for any random idiot.

More from the Department of Redundancy Dept.

[pteaxwa]

n/t

Wow....

[natsmith9]

Depend on the AP to point out the obvious...

Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[Vo0k]

No, these aren't "essentials". You can easily live without them. Sure they are nice, but they aren't something you really miss when you're "cut off".

What you miss is information. Plain and simple, google for answer for a question at hand. Be it Bloody Mary recipe, method of calculating 15^17, tomorrow train departure, retail price of a phone your friend offers you as "real bargain", people's opinions about a bank you're going to choose, any of hundreds or thousands daily questions, that required significant effort before Internet. It's like an extra limb or extra sense, something you do instinctively, "But what a problem, this is obvious?" you say surprised to a person who's not net-savvy, who thinks some question will be hard to answer. And without access to the net you feel very helpless, just like missing a limb or a sense, when you need a chip datasheet, address of a public service office, map of some other town, when your ISP cut you off or something like that - you're used to that data just being there, and when you can't access it it feels just as bad as if you forgot something very important...

Re:Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[t_allardyce]

Totally - Before the net people used to have recipe books, know basic calculations and be able to use a phone book to call various places for timetables or even go out and ask someone. Now we have become a generation who doesnt even know how to buy hardcore porn from the top shelf of the local shop! i don't think ive ever phoned a cinema to find out a film time, i dont think ive ever even opened the offline yellow pages! And in my entire life, ive never written and posted a letter!

Re:Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[fbjon]

Most of that is a 'win'.thing, but a handwritten letter is something that can't readily be replaced with newer technology.. It matters what paper you use, how much detail you use for the letters (the "font", if you will), and the layout of the page can easily be designed into something more meaningful than left-right up-down blocks of text. Until accurate touch screens with a surface with good writing properties (slippery plastic sucks), that are lightweight, can reproduce various bump-mappings appear on the market, a handwritten letter wins. And don't forget that smell plays a part too (say, rose petals). Try it! It's infinitely better than email, and will be for decades.

Re:Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[Hesperides]

"And will be for decades."

Out of curiousity, do you think the practice of handwritten letters will eventually die out? I agree that they're far more personal than email, but could this be only because the computer hasn't yet been fully integrated into society (mostly, but not fully)? I don't think we'll ever forget or stop appreciating things that are "handmade," but I do believe that our definitions of that descriptor will expand to include creative methods we do not consider as such now (ie: those that are computer/technology-based). This includes all art -- I believe that most people still see more intrinsic value in a painting than a digital print, because the painting took "more work" and is "more real" -- but as computers become more and more a part of everything we do, will those judgments remain?

Re:Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[fbjon]

Not for a long while. Sure, snail mail will cease to have it's current (main) function eventually (which could also take a while), but that will also make a HandMade(tm) letter all the more attractive. Or perhaps archaic... or maybe all-out oldskool. Anyways, I'm pretty damn sure that handwriting will take eons to disappear, if ever, and that pretty much seals the survival of handwritten letters, it's just so basic. Now text&keyboards on the other hand might not survive as is.... Supposing we uplink our brains directly to computer systems in the future, yeah. So what's the topic now..... Young people! Right, so young people in the future might be totally net-ified, but as long as senses other than the visual also play a part, there'll be letters, that's the point.

Re:Music, blogs, photos? No. Information.

[Vo0k]

Heh, and I'm planning to run the christmas postcards through the printer so my relatives and friends wouldn't have to suffer my UGLY handwriting :)

Goodbye credibility

[oasisbob]

But the Internet also has produced many unexpected benefits. Stern, for instance, notes that the Web provides an anonymous outlet to troubled young people who want to talk about everything from suicide and self-mutilation to eating disorders.

You've got to be kidding me. This article wasn't that great to begin with, but phrases like this kill me.

There's no way you could consider anonymity an "unexpected benefit" of the Internet. Forget it. It's one of the most obvious features you could imagine.

Anyone else remember anon.penet.fi? It made great use of the anonymous nature of the Internet for many purposes beginning in the early 90s. Not the first use of anonymous communication on the Internet, I'm sure... But a very popular one for the time.

This just in!

[SubKamran]

This just in: HUMAN BABIES BORN! I know, I can't believe it either!

This story is...

[slimyrubber]

Almost 10 years old. It has to be some kind of record.

Writing a 'hello world'

[weierstrass]

in visual basic, or even C would be more like owning a working car, yet building a rollerskate out of matchsticks in your spare time.

Users are not programmers. That's why programmers have jobs.

You don't have to know how to internal combustion works (or even what it is) to change your oil and maintain your car.

heh

[compro01]

the news in this is, that stupid people just figured this out!

That depends...

[nathan s]

...on exactly how old we're talking about.;-)

If senility sets in, "lucid" wouldn't exactly be the word I'd use to describe the sentences.

this is called news?

[SilverStreak]

look at the title: "AP Reports Young People Use The Internet"
is this some kind of joke?

worst.....story.....ever

I think I can say with 100% certainty

[Anonymous Coward]

Hemos only posted this so that we could all make hundreds of "In Soviet Korea" jokes and giggle.

Re:No sh*t, sherlock

[Anonymous Coward]

I think this whole fucking article is Redundant. Must be a slow news day.

ahhh the Internets

[DGregory]

I'm not sure what the purpose of this /. story was other than to make us late 20-somethings feel old. (and 30-somethings even older).

Back in high school (1992), I cheated on a report for history class, copying a bunch of material off of an encyclopedia cd-rom, printing it on our dot-matrix printer, and coloring the graphics in with colored pencil. I kind of felt like a tool when the teacher held the report in front of the class and said "This is the best report I've ever seen, you all should learn something from it!" Do something on a computer with graphics for a class now, and that's the normal expected thing to do. Even color, no need for colored pencils.

Late 1994 I started college and heard about this thing called "email". I asked around, searching high and low how to get to use this email thing, and they finally told me that I had to go to the library, fill out a form, watch a video on how to use it. And lo it was beautiful. Pine, all text. They had an IRC that was the lively hangout for the email-elite.

And then, the discovery of the BBS... which quite a few ancients still hang out on: ISCA. Used to be a hangout of college kids. Now chock full of a 25+ crowd, and not a teenager to be found anywhere.

Back when MUDs were the big time-waster, there was speculation about graphical MUDs. And how slow and cludgy they were. WHo would have ever imagined Everquest and the like, back then?

TO go back in time, back pre-spam, pre-spyware/adware, back when we were all innocents. That would be cool.

Re:ahhh the Internets

[geekoid]

haha, you are young. I was on BBS's long before you were in high-school.
haha sucks to be you!...oh wait.

morons. it's funny. laugh.

[Anonymous Coward]

obviously this wasn't posted on /. to make you say "gee wiz look at that!" and if you read the subheading of the post it says that it's "from the breaking-news dept".

shouldn't it be apparent to all of you savvy readers that it was posted because it was funny? just because monty python's foot isn't slamming down to the right doesn't mean you can't laugh.

On The Downside...

[Etherwalk]

This is having a negative impact on the reading habits of a generation.

Wow!!!11one

[dep01]

Also in the AP, smoking leads to health problems, sex may cause pregnancy, and driving without a seatbelt may increase the risk of dying in an automobile accident.

Re:you "three" geeks?

[Anonymous Coward]

good job!

you get a gold star

So last week...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear AP,

Last week called. It wants its article back.

Anybody had any luck with this?

[BlueThunderArmy]

Most of the everyday tasks, like homework and job search, have migrated to the Web as well.

When I graduated and was planning on moving to a new area, I did about the most thorough internet job search I can imagine. It came up with very little of relevance to anything I wanted to do. I applied for a couple horribly boring jobs, and thankfully didn't get them. I ended up getting the job I have now by plodding around in the January frost looking for places I would like to work.

Of course, now that I have a job and learn about other interesting-sounding places, I've realized that you really just have to look at the web pages of specific companies, which might be hard for graduates without a good frame of reference (i.e. already being in the industry) to locate. On the whole, I've found sites dedicated to job searching to be utterly worthless.

AP Reports Researchers Are Slicing Bread.

[SCSI-Wan]

AP reports that researchers in Banglaturkistan are now slicing bread. This astonishing turn of events opens a wide realm of possibilities including toast, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, and a new integrated circuit medium that could potentially increase the processing power of the Celeron processor by as much as 10 fold.

Lead researcher Helmar Ackmedsteinski states, "though the possibilities are endless, we are at least 10 years away from any viable toasting technology".

Though toast may not be in our near future, rumors have surfaced that new Celerons are on the way and will be in stores in time for Chirstmas. They are calling it the Celeron T.

Oh MY FREAKING HECK

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously though. I think a lot of us are now in what is called a LOVE/HATE relationship with this. If I stop reading slashdot, I miss out getting important industry news that is actually worthwhile. However, the chances of any giving post being relevant these days is getting smaller.
AP Reports Young People Use the Internet???????
Please.
I don't need to waste my time on useless obviousnesses. Good grief. I've submitted articles that had more relevance which got rejected, mind you.
I'm about to give up with this. Why can't we vote on stories? This story I think would have been moderated down.

Three things.

[Anonymous Coward]

One: Yes, this is fucking ridiculous. I assumed right off the bat that every post in this article would be "no shit, Sherlock" -- hell, even michael knew it. (from the breaking-news dept.) This is why I'm wasting time dicking around replying to your post instead of to the story.

Two: I believe kuro5hin lets you mod stories. (Sorry, don't know if it's inappropriate to mention kuro5hin on Slashdot...? Posting AC just in case. ;-))

Finally: Did you just say "heck"?

Re:OMG!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I love you to!
spreading love can always be funz0r! u 1337 female u.

Who knew?

[kponto]

"...188.5 million Americans and more than 1 billion people globally are online."

And here I thought I was the only one!

The importance of Hello World

[nick_davison]

>> I bet you'd struggle to find one in 50 who had ever even written a hello world in qbasic, one in 500 who could do the same in C

And what has that to do with a person's ability to use a computer as a teaching aid? If they're supposed to be teaching computing then sure; if they're just supposed to be *teaching*, though, and are using the computer as another tool, like exercise books and a blackboard are tools, then what does it matter? As long as they *can* use it, they should be fine.

In my day, we had to make our own blackboards before we could teach, then go out to the chalk cliffs and hew our own writing materials from the rock face. We had to cut down our own trees, shred them, soak the fibers in water, dry them and bind them if we wanted books. Then our ma and pa would beat us to death with a broken bottle and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.

The down side was we never had any time to learn about the subjects we were meant to be teaching but we sure as hell understood how a blackboard worked.

Tell young'uns that today and they won't believe you.

hey!

[geekoid]

1998 called, they want there article back.

Next up:
A whole generstion of people have been raised around automobiles, or as the kids call them 'cars'.

Re:hey!

[Lord Pillage]

Automobile.... is that supposed to be some sort of horseless buggy?

Savviest my ass

[0racle]

This is bullshit, using AIM and typing 'OMG LOL!!!!111!1' does not make anyone tech savvy. They might not be as afraid of the computer, but they are no more cluefull then any other average person.

Re:No sh*t, sherlock

[edittard]

young people use the internet? who would have thought?

Well, according to TFA they use internet. Apparently it became an uncountable noun, twice, while nobody was looking. Anyway, I'm nipping out for a breath of an air and a drink of waters.

Worse in Universities

[gad_zuki!]

There are some other faults with the networked/digital classroom.

Powerpoint. I swear, PPT presentations make me more ignorant of the material. Professors just go wild with them, adding little obnoxious photos and animated borders, yet the entire "presentation" is about a page of text. Worse, most profs seem to do this for the sake of technology, as if having a projector in the room means they have no choice but to make useless powerpoint presentations.

Some even abuse it, treating powerpoint as their personal publishing house with terrible results. There's a reason why they won't publish your textbook, ya know.

The digital campus gets a bit ironic in a way when students have to print out all these files from various locations thus getting even farther away from the so-called paperless solution.

When I first went to school we had books, lectures, notes, and labs (depending on the class). Now I have to print out all sorts of powerpoints, which are considered notes, take notes on the "notes," watch teaching skills fly out the window as profs just click the mouse and repeat bullet points like marketing execs, bring a laptop with me if I want to do anything productive, etc.

I'm sure there's a good middle ground, but right now it seems computers in the classroom are still in the gimmick stage. The real advatages are outside the classroom, like websites with class info, grades, etc. Inside, its a mess.

In other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

Bears shit in the woods, according the the AP.

demands of college kids these days

[rtphokie]

broadband okay, web logs, perhaps, downloading music & sharing photos shutup and study.

Your Kidding!

[Anonymous Coward]

Really?

I'd never have guessed!

Stone the crows - young people use the Internet!

Shouldn't we be telling someone?

Run for the hills!

(etc)

Hello... Mr. Obvious?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello. Mr. Obvious? Long time listner first time caller. I think there is something in my sink drain...

In Other News...

[joNDoty]

Breathing remains a popular pastime for the majority of today's youth.

Re:In Other News...

[ShinGouki]

in still other news, scientists have discovered that trees are made of wood

Makes homework a lot easier

[Anonymous Coward]

"Most of the everyday tasks, like homework and job search, have migrated to the Web as well."

Writing papers is a lot easier now that I can just download finished versions from the internet.

webcam?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Recently I gave my 16-year-old daughter, who's not a nerd, a new computer, running Linux"

please tell us you got her a webcam :)

THIS was modded up? Funny?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's nothing but a purely ad hominem flame; Slashdot should worry that folks like gcaseye6677 feel free to spew this kind of shit -- without first logging out. Especially when gcaseye6677 clearly has a lower IQ than the poster he insults.

Sorry about those minimum wage jobs, gcaseye! And, you're right, those standardized test scores don't mean anything...

Re:THIS was modded up? Funny?

[gcaseye6677]

Nice try Oligonicella. We see right through your AC post.

Re:OMG!!!

[stormi]

it was supposed to be i heart geeks but it takes the carrot part of the heart as html.... grr... i thought it wouldnt since i dont have another one... oh well. but yah ur all wonderful ^_^

AP Reports Young People Use The Internet

[Atilla]

No shit?

Re:Desktop punishment revisited...

[symbolic]

Reminds me of the horrendous results often had by sitting someone down in front of an early model Macintosh, with a LaserWriter parked right next to it. "Cool....12 fonts on a single page!" It made me appreciate the role that typesetters/layout designers play in the world of written communication.

Of course now, many of them have usurped the computer screen (especially when it comes to the web), mistakenly believing that it's a direct substitute for the printed page. No matter where you look, there's a lot of "punishment" going on...and the culprits range anywhere from relative novices, to seasoned professionals.

using the internet and websites A Rant.

[fmhuff]

Hi, All I've been a techie almost my whole life. I'm 54 and have been tinkered with just about everything. The only thing I don't have a heavy interest in is bio-med (Not likely anything I could tinker with);-) My grandmother grew up in Oklahoma and moved to Washington State as a young woman. She saw the world change from horse and buggies to landing men on the moon. She was smart and alive. She had seen wars, dust bowl OK, fashions, the depression, the new deal, paradigm shifts and people come and go. She drove a truck during WWII and quit driving after that. It just didn't interest her. She was her own person and refused to be manipulated by pop culture or others opinions. Myself, I've worked on computers since "core memory". Back when as a tech you had to know how to use machine code on front panel switches to boot up a down system and write in assembly language to fix a utility. I've raced sailboats, flown bush planes, and made all forms of radical and some dangerous devices. I used to race my motorcycle at speeds that make people wet themselves, ski extreme moguls, rock climb, etc. I did all the excess, extreme and stupid things you could imagine. I found Jesus at 26. I have almost been killed five times (that's just the times I progressed into unconsciousness) and didn't think I'd live to see thirty. All this is just to say I didn't sit on my butt my whole life. I also enjoy the Internet. I have created programs in basic, COBOL and FORTRAN not to mention in assembly language. When I was hot and heavy in the mainframe business, I used to get so burned out on tech that I would only wear an analog self-winding watch and refused to do my math with a calculator. Those were the days of sailing and skiing, etc. We choose what we can endure. It is true that a lot of older people don't really have an interest in spending hours upon end in video games. My eight-year-old even has a threshold (a high one). Computers only became popular when they became Internet appliances. The tech is going to go places you can only imagine. I've seen all the promises and watched real progress. We use TV to live vicarious lives wishing if only. Some people use computers the same way. But what I see for a few is using Internet appliances to experience real life. You ever been surfing in California? Imagine your wireless wrist pda with retinal write sunglasses. Anything any time your way. Broad band everywhere. You could be on your board waiting for the next good one and while your digital satellite link is analyzing the wave sets, you're talking to your girl friend. You could be snowboarding in Colorado giving your buddies live feed and bragging rights for a rad ride. I remember my first digital watch. It was possible to tell time using both hands instead of one (had to push the button). Now they come with GPS. When devices and services reach the point where they become intuitive and machines conform to us versus the other way around. When technology becomes invisible... Until then it's going to be the domain of us techies with others holding on for their lives. It is interesting that in Kenya many of the Masai tribesmen who left village life (some even getting college degrees) returned to their tribal ways. They felt more of a sense of being alive following traditional ways. It's really a kick seeing mud huts primitive weapons, livestock and children running around naked and the biggest kick knowing these peoples backgrounds is seeing traditional tribal dress on the men and them wearing modern electronic wrist watches. Cultures and individuals that are wise pick only the things they regard of value and ignore the rest. Rant finished, fmhuff