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Seniors and tech, horse-drawn internet, poetry and mosquitoes, and photos of Worcester
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Tech-Savvy Seniors
New research from the Nielsen Norman Group shows what we've known in WISE for a while. Seniors use computer technology more often, more comfortably, and more safely than previously expected.
Nielsen Norman is a consulting firm that assists companies with their product designs. As a result, this video provides guidance for programmers and system designers, challenging them to think differently about the ways that older users have incorporated computers into their daily lives. In brief, seniors are quicker to adopt new technology, are more attentive to issues of security and privacy, and have used computers for a lot longer than previously expected.
Nielsen Norman highlighted an FTC survey that discovered that people over the age of 70 were less likely to fall victim to online scams than did millennials. This is good news, showing that we are rightfully suspicious about suspected fraudsters. A cautionary note, however: while younger people appear to be more susceptible to online trickery, people over the age of 70 are apt to lose much more money.
Enjoy, but be careful, particularly with some of the newer forms of mobile payments, such as Venmo and Apple Cash. As one AP reporter discovered, such payment methods are more like cash and have fewer protections than credit or debit cards.
Jessamyn West, whom we profile in the next article, alerts you to the Seven Scams and How to Avoid Them.
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Down by the Old Bit Stream
 Last month, I mentioned Jessamyn West, a librarian in Randolph VT, who'd written about MacMillian's plan to limit access to newly-released electronic books. West is an advocate for access to library and internet resources, particularly for those in rural areas.
The 21st century faces challenges similar to the 1930s, when rural electrification was major national undertaking, The photo to the right shows a horse-drawn cable installation project.
In addition to her regular library duties, West coaches people on the best uses of computer technology. She gives lectures, writes a lot, offers tips and stories on Twitter, and holds drop-in sessions sessions where people bring their tech questions and leave with answers.
You can read more about bringing the internet to rural Vermont at Bridging the Digital Divide.
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The Poetry of Science
 Many of us have heard of, and perhaps took, a course titled "Science for Poets" or something like it. The goal of such a course was to present an overview of science for non-science majors.
An article in Forbes flipped the question, asking "Why Do We Teach 'Physics For Poets' But Not 'Poetry For Physicists'?"
Usually when we think about presenting information for the purpose of teaching, we imagine a verbal presentation, such as in a classroom, or prose, such as an article. Sam Illingworth chooses a different path. He explains his science in poetry.
In the morning you check your cotton cage for holes,
Shifting silently beneath the sheets
As you perform these daylight inspections
Like a hushed and fading holy rite.
Creeping from beneath your net
You throw open the door and sunlight cuts
Thorough the residual creases of night.
A breath of cool air that casts out the shadows
Forcing them onto the streets,
Where they wait for you to pass.
Illington is writing about mosquitoes and malaria. Supplying rural Africans with long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) has reduced night-time transmission of malaria to nearly nil. While mosquitoes are primarily a nocturnal threat, they do bite during daytime. Even if nets were universally available, more than 10 million cases of malaria would still occur because of daylight transmission.
You can read more of Illington's science poetry on The Poetry of Science website.
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An Early 20th Century View of Worcester
The American Antiquarian Society has published a collection of The Personal Photographs of Theodore C. Wohlbrück, Theodore Wohlbrück moved to Worcester in 1900. As the Antiquarian Society notes, 10 years in Worcester was enough. Wohlbrück went west, continuing his photography career. In 2014, a descendant bequeathed a set of glass negatives to the society. The 160 photographs that comprise the collection include family portraits as well as scenes from the city and area.
The photographs include a clipped image of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden's visit to Worcester in August 2007.
The prince's visits to Boston and Worcester was a recognition of the importance of Swedish immigrants in Massachusetts. By 1910, approximately 10 percent of Worcester's residents were Swedish immigrants. Within a decade, those immigrants and their descendants comprised nearly one-fifth of the city's population.
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Further, the product reviews and commentary reflect the opinion of your correspondent and not necessarily of WISE, the Communications Committee, or others.
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