New Logo for Our Web Site

Some concerns were expressed regarding the use of a modified version of the logo of Heritage Village Recreation Club (see our first post) . It was intended to reflect the Village content but not to claim "official status" or put burden of responsibility on the Club. A new logo has been designed which could be used in the future for both the Web site and the Community Wifi portal.

For 20 years, the signage at Heritage Village has displayed a galloping horse. Some say it is a rocking horse, some say it gallops on a meadow. Our project for a Web Site and Community Wifi wants the old horse to take flight, into cyberspace to lift our spirits.

Pegasus is the flying horse from Greek mythology, symbolic of knowledge and inspiration. According to legend, the birth of both wine and art occured when Pegasus' hooves unleased the sacred Spring of the Muses. Today he can be seen in the sky as the star constellation Pegasus, and is still the symbol for immortality of the soul.

For Heritage Village residents who feel that a rocking horse is more appropriate for a retirement community, our new logo is also a "rocking horse-fly". Alice met such a mythical creature when she went Through the Looking-Glass. We want to inspire more Seniors to seek the Looking-Glass of their computers, and see the new world of the Internet.

For Christmas: 1 laptop per needy Child

This past month saw the first production run in China of the new educational tool, the " XO-Laptop" developed by One Lap Top per Child Foundation of Cambridge, Massachussetts. Read about it at: http://www.laptopgiving.org/

If you think that education of children is important to bring third-world communities out of poverty, this charitable project may be of interest. Between now and December 31, 2007, you can donate a laptop computer to a child in one of the poorest nations of the world, and at the same time, receive an XO Laptop, to give to a child in your life. The XO Laptop was initially called the "$100 Laptop" but cost over-runs during development drove the price closer to $200. For the Give One, Get One program, the donation of $400 (US) covers the gift to the needy child and the gift to your own child.

Even though it may look like a toy, the X0 laptop is an amazingly capable machine with features not available on any retail laptop. For example, it is "Wifi mesh" capable, meaning it can connect to any other WiFi-enabled laptop within a few hundred feet, and to the Internet through a WiFi hot spot. It is so energy efficient, it can run on solar panels. It is rugged enough to drop from a 4 foot table, having no hard drive to damage, using instead a 1GB flash memory.

Could this educational tool also work for seniors who don't have computers but would like to e-mail and browse? I'm going to find out. Marge and I have donated to the One Lap Top Per Child program. We still have one child in our house looking for a Christmas toy: me.

E-mail and Web browsing without Computers

We are in an age of technological change like no other. Yesterday's purchase is history before we have had time to learn its feaures. Such rapid change in the computer industry and telecommunications is causing many seniors to throw in the towel and just ignore the new opportunities provided by the "information age".

At a time when some seniors are losing their mobility and traditional contact with relatives and friends, they should be taking advantage of new ways to communicate and "see" the world. The World-Wide-Web has opened up "virtual travel" to anywhere for everyone. E-mail and Instant Messaging and video conferencing allows people to interact and even "meet" visually if not physically. Many seniors have embraced such new technology and their lives have been enriched. Others shun it because of the cost and complexity if they don't have a computer geek in the family to set things up. Is there a better way to spread the benefits of the technology revolution? Can seniors without computers and Internet connections participate?

New hand-held devices less intimidating than fully loaded computers can now handle the functions of e-mail and web browsing. Internet access can now be set up as a wireless connection called "WiFi". Out of sight, out of mind: only the computers and cell phones know it is there.

I am currently investigating two devices that have the potential to help seniors communicate: the XO Laptop, a new Wi-fi enabled tablet computer designed at MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a hand-held Internet tablet from Nokia, the Nokia N800. Anyone who has some experience with these devices, please leave a comment.

SeniorNet Computer Learning Centers

Computer training for seniors has been a key purpose for the Computer Club in Heritage Village, and volunteer instructors such as Bob B., Don G., Art MacK., Harry D., Pat K. and others have done an admirable job for many years, under tough circumstances. It is not easy teaching computing in a classroom when the audience doesn't have a computer to play with, or the same technology at home. Training materials must be assembled ad hoc, from scratch, in a world of ever changing technology with limited funds. Is help available? Yes.

SeniorNet is an international non-profit organization dedicated to assisting adults 50+ with computer skills and Internet technology. It has been operating for 21 years and has chapters in most states of the USA as well as Japan, Malaysia, Sweden. I don't see a chapter in Canada but I see the need. Canadians can join or visit their web site at:

http://www.seniornet.org/

SeniorNet has taught over a million seniors through a network of Learning Centers, staffed by volunteers, using proven methodology and equipment. Founded in 1986, SeniorNet grew out of a research project funded by the Markle Foundation to determine how computers and telecommunications could enhance the lives of older adults. SeniorNet provides an extensive curriculum of over 30 courses, delivered by thousands of volunteer instructors and mentors at SeniorNet Computer Learning Centers via a proven ‘seniors teaching seniors’ methodology.

This doesn't come cheap. There's a startup fee of $6,000 to establish a Learning Center, and an annual support fee of $500 US. Setting up a computer classroom costs about $8,000. But the benefit of an International organization to support volunteer instructors should not be underestimated. The funding level can easily be accomodated through existing government grant programs from Ontario or the Federal government. We only need to ask.

Heritage Village is the best established 50+ adult community in the Niagara Peninsula, at a time when the seniors' population is expanding. Next door we have new bungalows mushrooming into another adult complex. We are ideally positioned to offer a world-class Senior's Computer Learning Center, to our residents, and perhaps to other seniors of Vineland. If we build it, they will come: students and volunteer instructors alike.

We are not alone

This blog is suffering some technology glitches with security settings. Potential bloggers can't get access. You are not alone in your frustration. Stay tuned to a fix.

Meanwhile, talking about being alone: the Internet has allowed many of us to find our clones. Heritage Village is no exception. But it appears that we are the clone, not the original:

Heritage Village in Southbury, Connecticut was established back in 1967 as an adult livestyle community. They now have some 4,000 residents over 55 in 2,580 condo homes occupying 1000 acres of rolling hills with three separate clubhouses. They recently published their memoirs of 40 years of development called "Heritage Village at Forty, a Chronology: 1967-2007" by Lore Jarmul. Their web site is at:

http://www.heritagevillagect.org/

Perhaps we can learn a few things from the "originals".

Seniors on the Internet: A student's View

Why post on the Internet? Here is a blog published by a student at:
http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/

Hi! My name is Sara Hunt and I am doing a college project about trying to slim the digital divide between Seniors who do not use the computer and the younger generation that was brought up with computers. My concern is the amount of Senior's that are left behind. I found your blog and I think it is great! I wondered if I could pass some ideas by you.

My thoughts are not only to the Seniors that are left behind, but also the information that isn't getting out there about this issue, but more so, the information stored in those wise heads that may never be written down. I believe that about 70% of knowledge is stored in people's brains, and the rest is written down. Being that we are in the information age, everything we, in the younger generation, have to say, gets out there---like it or not, because we have access to computers and have been taught to use them. I know there is a large amount of Seniors that do not use computers because either they do not have access to computers or the internet, or because no one has taken the time to teach them how to use a computer, or maybe because they have lived a long time without them---why do they need it now?

But, I believe that Seniors should be using computers, not only for there own needs, but because we need them too. We need that 70% of information stored in those heads to get out there. We need to hear what they have to say and, well, for me personally, I just love hearing their stories. Now that my generation tends to only hear what we see on the internet, I want to hear the older opinion...the wiser opinion. I want to figure out a way to encourage Seniors to use the computer, write blogs, have their own Myspace etc. I know there are some community projects out there that encourage Seniors to learn the internet, but not enough. What other ways do you feel we can get Seniors to computer classes and excite them enough to use the computer. Do you know of any big computer manufacturers that give discounts to Seniors who want to buy a computer? How do you feel about the subject?
Please right back, I would really love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for your time,

Sara Hunt Summerland Key, Fl FKCC student

http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Free_Computers_for_Seniors

Why a Web Site for Heritage Village?

We are seeking ideas for a Web Site now under construction to serve Heritage Village residents and our snowbirds at:
http://www.inheritage.ca/

Some food for thought regarding content:

For Newcomers ?
1. Heritage Village FAQ: Common questions from newcomers.
2. Rules and Regulations and Prevailing Opinions.
4. 20 Year Archive : Best of When, What, Who's Who.
5. What we are: Club House, Heritage Square, Homes.
6. Our Neighbourhood: restaurants, retail, wineries, events
7. What we do: Events, Clubs, Socials, Classes.
8. Introducing new Residents: their biographies & picture.

For Residents ?
1. Hall of Fame: our heros on display.
2. Daily Events: What's on today? Local restaurant menu specials.
3. Annual Events: Who's in charge, who needs volunteers.
4. Inheritage Magazine archive: search on-line for past articles.
5. Talent Gallery: Our best artwork, crafts (searchable).
6. Author's Corner: Our best poetry, recipes, articles, (searchable).
7. Our Business Cards: Available skills in the Village.
8. Contacts: Heritage Club Board, Condo Boards, Inheritage, Clubs.
9. Social Blog: Events this week.
10. Informing us of Residents who have left: their bios & photos.

For SnowBirds ?
1. Inheritage Magazine on-line.
2. Directory of Village resident phone numbers, contacts.
3. Help!: Lists of local House-sitters, Gardeners, Plumbers.
4. Social Blog: What's going on Down South this week.
5. Advice for future-Snowbirds: Mexico, Florida, Arizona, etc.
6. Canadian travel advisories (updated automatically).

Do you want it? Will you use it? Want to help? The goal is an interactive site, with weekly updates and resident feedback. The site should be self-financing and be free to our Village.
To add your ideas and comments , send an e-mail to:
postmaster@inheritage.ca

Or join our Blog at:
http://inheritageout.blogspot.com/

A questionnaire will also be circulated within the Village.

Invitation to Heritage Villagers

We are seeking ideas and volunteers to contribute to our Website project and a future Community WiFi. We need computer savy graphic artists (e.g. experience with CorelDraw X3?), web designers (e.g. experience with MS FrontPage, HTML experience?), Telecom experts (former ISP, Webmaster?), etc. We also need contributions from all residents with respect to the achievements and history of the Village's first 20 years. If we build it well, you will have a second "clubhouse" (in cyberspace).

To keep this blog secure, we are accepting authors on an invitation only basis. Only residents of Heritage Village, Vineland, Ontario, who have Internet connection or access are being invited.

Leave a comment on the latest message, send an e-mail to:
postmaster@inheritage.ca , or otherwise indicate your desire to join the blog. I'll add you to the list as soon as I confirm you are in our Village, and old enough to drink the local wine. Everyone in the Village, in residence or on the road, qualifies.

To add to this blog, you will need to register with Google and get a free account. After you give up name, rank and serial number , you can contribute to this blog or establish your own. Leave a comment on the latest message and indicate your desire to blog. I'll add you to the list shortly.

To get a free Google account, go to the Google search engine (see picture). Click on "more" under the logo on your own computer (not this page) and then look for Blogger . Sign up for free. You are a Blogger now!




Thanks, for visiting.

Too Old for Computers? Humbug!

Maria Amelia Lopez of Muxia, Spain, is 95. She blogs. So what's your excuse for staying away from the on-line world?

Free the Internet! Free the Seniors!

Welcome, Computer Club members (and others who stumble across this new blog). Everyone inHeritage Village is welcome.

Isn't it amazing how the recent generations have turned generosity into great wealth? Here is this wonderful technology of "blogging", and it is offered free to the public through the giant corporation Google, now a world-wide money-machine. Before them came the Internet, a free network of inter-connected computers that grew through volunteers that shared a vision for connecting academia. Now it connects over a billion people, and has become priceless.

I first got interested in on-line computer communication when the Internet was for geeks. My first website was posted on a university-based server in Toronto, free of charge, including free e-mail. Everyone just paid for their own computers and phone lines. The rest was done by cooperation. Now we don't even need phone lines, with "WiFi hotspots" mushrooming everywhere.

Before the World-Wide-Web (WWW), there were "Bulletin Boards" (BBS's). They were an early invention using the concept of on-line collaboration to creat value. I ran such a BBS for 6 years out of my home. On-line visitors would contribute information, images, articles, etc. which were edited by a SysOp (System Operator). In turn, they got access to the growing archive on the BBS by dial-up modem. The job of SysOp was usually volunteer work - there was no serious money to be made in those early days of the 1990's. Web sites of today follow in the same footsteps - volunteer slaves called "Webmasters" build hobby sites. When the concept has proven value, investors will finance commercial portals. But "free" is the best way to experiment. Some aspects of the Internet will always be free.

One product that fed the growth of BBS's, was the concept of "Freeware" (guilt free) or "shareware" (donations please). Software programmers with more time than money, would develop neat little software programs and let people have them for free. The developer had a vested interest in building a "free" product that the public could enjoy, or find useful. Feedback from users would help him or her to remove software errors or build new features. Freeware made a hobby BBS possible and still adds fuel to the Internet growth today.

"Free" allowed the shareware product to circulate world-wide electronically in a matter of days - no advertising necessary. Once the program became useful to thousands of on-line people, it was time to shrink-wrap a package for sale to the general public. The developer who gave so freely in the early stages of development, became an overnight success story and another dot.com company was born on the stock exchange.

Computer Bulletin Boards are dinosaurs that died when the World-Wide-Web arrived, like an asteroid from space. Yet Blogs, Search Engines and Web Sites are a continuation of the "free" marketing concept. The next billion people will be on-line soon . So contribute to the public good for free - and you will be rewarded by the future value of what you have built - be it an article, or archive; a store front or product; a brand name or reputation.

Our new website, under construction at http://www.inheritage.ca/ , can also be such a vehicle of wealth creation. A wealth of knowledge about and for Heritage Village can benefit all residents in our community: including distant snowbirds and vacationers. It can become the archive of our achievements, and the place to seed new ideas and new friendships. It will allow us to reach out to our neighbourhood and link up to other adult lifestyle communities to share our retirement experience.

Anyone that thinks they are too old to participate, should get guidance from bloggers such as Mariaamelia of Spain (born 1911) or Donald Cowdis of Canada (born 1913). Visit the following websites to get inspired by what seniors are doing with Blogs, Websites and the World Wide Web:

http://jenett.org/ageless/

http://dontoearth.blogspot.com/

So start blogging, and contribute to the wonders of the World Wide Web. If we build it, they will come. Comments and ideas are most welcome, if they are "free" for all seniors.