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Why some older people are rejecting technology.

14/1/2021

Despite increasing numbers of older people accessing the internet a digital divide still exists. And may become more problematic as more vital services move online.

Following interviews with older adults, researchers discovered resistance to technology is not primarily rooted in accessibility issues.

Some older people see online tools as arduous and time consuming. They feel online services are placing a burden on them to be experts in lots of things.

They are concerned about security, and getting things wrong, putting their savings at risk.

But most of all they worry about the negative implications these technologies may have on their communities.

They worry that online shopping takes business from local shops, threatening town centres. And they fear that if they don't use the bank or post office people may lose their jobs.

Some older people also reject online shopping because they value the social aspect of shopping in person, as it helps prevent loneliness.

This suggests that getting older adults online is not a matter of tweaking a few apps or websites.

It will require addressing wider societal implications of technologies.

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An important message for the children of Toowoomba

6/3/2020

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Here is an important message for the children of Toowoomba.

There is no doubt that you are the future of this country. Most of you are connecting with your friends through technological devices like your smartphone and tablet, and one cannot even begin to imagine how technology will evolve into the future.

Even though these days we tend to take this technology for granted, did you know that in your grandparents younger days these things did not exist?

While young people are very quick to pick up how to use this technology, your grandparents, even with their years of experience, are not so fast at learning the technology.

They need someone with great patience who will go at a slower pace to teach them the benefits of digital literacy.

That is where I come in. Since early 2014 I have been going around to senior citizens homes to teach them how to use their computers and technology.

Often times young people don't have the time to sit down with their grandparents and show them this stuff, as you are most probably using your devices to connect with your friends. This makes your grandparents feel isolated and alienated.

I am sure a lot of you young folks could run circles around what I've experienced in my 35 years of working with computers. Mind you in my day I didn't see my first computer until I was aged 16. It was for a computer art course at TSHS.

So I urge you to tell your grandparents about me and what I do, so that they too can enjoy the same benefits of technology that you are all used to.

Dave Fredericks

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A Case For a Radio Telescope - Toastmasters Speech

28/9/2019

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More funding for regional Queensland space projects

20/6/2019

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Queensland is the only state of Australia that does not have an operating radio telescope facility.

Regional universities such as the University of Southern Queensland would benefit immensely in their active space and astronomy research if there was a radio telescope facility built in regional Queensland.

As you know the visible light spectrum is only a minute part of the overall electromagnetic spectrum, with radio waves being the most easily transmitted through the Earth’s atmosphere.

There is so much of the universe to discover at radio wavelengths, it really brings with it a whole new epoch of discoveries and allows us to better understand the structure and size of the universe.

With regional Queensland scoring the highest for the reigning coalition government during the last federal election, I see no reason why it cannot be rewarded with some funding for a new radio astronomy station.

Somewhere on the Darling Downs near Toowoomba would be an ideal location for this new project, were it to be funded.

[Article submitted to International Space Investment Initiative: design consultation at the Australian Space Agency - 20/06/2019]

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Australian University Funding

20/6/2019

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Australia needs to look seriously into the way it funds universities.

Many gifted students are put off going to university because of the skyrocketing tuition fees, which for some courses at universities like USQ are in excess of $10,000 per year.

Those who do take the plunge and go are left with a crippling student HELP debt which is paid back after they graduate and for many years into their working lives.

It is no consolation to students to know of the egregious salaries of university vice-chancellors, whose pay is in excess of half a million dollars a year. What are they doing to help relieve the burden of skyrocketing costs?

It is my firm belief that university education should be free for the student, and for the universities, which are essentially major enterprises, to be funded by the taxpayer through a progressive taxation system.

Maybe there should be a higher education levy for high income earners, like the Medicare levy. That would help with the cost of funding the universities, public and private throughout Australia, and relieve the burden on students, many of whom can only dream of earning a decent income once they graduate.

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Why some older people are rejecting technology.

An important message for the children of Toowoomba

A Case For a Radio Telescope - Toastmasters Speech

More funding for regional Queensland space projects

Australian University Funding

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