Interesting Issue...................

As most of you know by now, I am over 50; 56 to be precise and have made my living on the internet for the past seven years. My computer skills are not really up there with most of you, as I am self-taught but learning more every day.

This leads to some interesting results and problems.

First, as my skills grow and I become more involved with the net, I have less and less to talk about with people my own age . Their eyes glaze over at the merest mention of computers and the 'net. They are dull and uninteresting and have no fucking idea what is really going on in the world!

I mean, they act so FUCKING OLD and set in their ways!

I've got three boxes running all the time, build the occasional box for friends, do repairs and maintainence for them, use a projector for one box just because I can and have no idea what those other people DO!

I have a 70 year old motorcycle and a couple of 80 year old cars because they are COOL, NOT because I want to go back in time 70 or 80 years!

JEEZ!

Try to discuss the ForeEx market with them!

They don't even know what it is although one guy once asked me what they did with the foreskins of cattle!

Online stock trading?

They write letters to their brokers!

One of the results of this is that most of my friends are much younger, chronologically, than myself; GFs included! (Now THAT part is just FINE with me!).

I mean, gals around my age want to talk about their GRANDCHILDREN!

I don't have grandchildren and most likely won't so I certainly don't need theirs!

Fuck!

These people are like, "It'll never replace the horse!"

Shit.

Nice part is that when they ask me what I do, I just hand them a business card that gives them my name and the statement "Internet Consultant" and since they have NO idea what that might mean, they are too embarrassed to ask! Saves as lot of basic education!

I took a tip from John P. MacDonald who wrote the "Travis McGee" series of mysteries and also had some printed up that say "Certified Guarantor", like the ones his buddy Meyer has. No one knows what a "Certified Guarantor" is and again, they are too embarrassed to ask but it saves time.

I've thought about doing some up like the character in the old NBC Mystery Movie, "Banacek", which simply give the name and underneath, "Restorations".

They will never ask what any of that means!

The funniest one that I heard from a guy around my age was, "I have a computer but I don't have the internet because that's where you get those viruses."

He actually has NO internet connection!

WTF?

He has a three grand MAC and he does nothing but PLAY GAMES on it!

WOO HOO!

I go to the bar and take my laptop! The other guys are all talking about feetball, beseball; which be berry, berry good to them but after a while there's always some gal who wants me to check her MySpace profile or look up something on Google and well, you know how it goes!

Anyway, it is very interesting to see how technophobic most people are!

Try to discuss current music with these people and it's like, "Who?"

They are all listening to Yee-Haw Bass-Ackward Country Fuck music while I'm going for Indie!

Shit!

Anyway, it's kind of a neat thing but really frustrating at times.

By the way, my avatar IS my dog; I took the pic about four months ago when he only weighed about 85 lbs. He is now up around 125-130 and stands 37" at the top of his doggie skull, which means that he can steal shit off the table without much effort. As we are having a snowstorm here, he is sleeping under Computer Station 2 as I'm not using that one right now! He is larger than his daddy and over twice the size of his mommy!

Yes, he is part wolf.

Anyway, just a few observations on our society, I suppose.

..... whats the point, your not a normal old man? You pick on a 22 year old and think thats mature? this seems so spammy BTW.

xXKingdom_SEOXx said:

..... whats the point, your not a normal old man? You pick on a 22 year old and think thats mature? this seems so spammy BTW.

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You just don't "get it" do you?

WTF do you know about maturity, less than 24 hours ago you were throwing your toys out of your pram having a hissy fit in the "I'm Desperate To Be A Mod" thread.

As most of you know by now, I am over 50; 56 to be precise and have made my living on the internet for the past seven years.

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Ha ha! I'm only 55

I know exactly what you mean, I too have seen their eyes glaze over with confusion when you mention internet marketing LOL

You mean I'm not the only 50+ yr old member here?? I figured there was no way anyone else here was that old here.

Maybe we should start our own Antique Hat forum? LOL

Yeah, it's kinda funny that there is such an underground network of people whom the public thinks should not be where they are!

I mean, I do use a vacuum tube power amp on my stereo setup as the sound IS superior to digital and still have not one but two functioning turntables, again because the sound produced by vinyl is better. Period.

People do not yet realise that brick and mortar biz no longer propels the economy and will come to that conclusion too late for them!

I have repeatedly said that anyone who has a retail brick-and-mortar retail operation should close it immediately and move to the net unless they own the building, have no property taxes, have free maintainence for the structure and have a niche market which no one, I repeat; no one, can threaten.

No one has such a thing but can indeed create such a thing on the net and be profitable.

When I shut my last box retail biz, I gained over three grand a month income, simply by closing the doors!

It is interesting, isn't it?

Man, I'm about 30 years younger than 50 lol, and I'm already experiencing that, with friends and such.

I'm getting the impression that I need to move somewhere even more urban..

This is funny. My father was a blackhatter wayyy before either he or I had any idea there was a term for it.

Around '97 or so I convinced him to take his business online and he flourished. He was on top of the SERP's for almost 7 years or so. He began his online presence when he was 60 and he's still going strong ... although he has to fight a bit harder for SERP position these days.

Nice post, UptownBulker.

Best,
Sine