The Student Surpassed the Master
15 November 2006My dad was pretty cool when I was a teenager. He had a garage full of power tools that he knew how to use. He had a home office full of computers that he, to his credit, let us play with. He had a boat, a motorcycle, a TR-6 sports car and a VW van. He bicycled and backpacked. There was always stuff going on, and there were always new toys to play with: new computers, CD-ROM drives, 2400 baud modems, cordless phones. I inherited his love of technology and as far back as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by computers, electronics and gadgets.
In the last 6-7 years the balance between us has shifted. At some point I became the ‘go-to-person’ for computer help or electronics advice. I got him hooked up with TiVo, advised on computer purchases, helped troubleshoot network problems and recommended backup devices. Today I set him up with his own web hosting package so he has a website and a new email address with his company name. It has been an interesting role reversal, and I find a great deal of personal satisfaction in being the problem solver.
While I may be the electronics expert in the family, my dad will always be the first person I call when I need advice on fixing everything else. His interests in modern technology may have waned a bit, but his household fix-it knowledge is rock solid and he’s still pretty cool to me.
on November 15th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
The Student Surpassed The Master…
This report on role reversal in this father-daughter relationship makes us wonder how consumer roles will shift, even with TiVo…….
on November 16th, 2006 at 11:10 am
1 - Wow you’ve been published! (see first comment).
2 - You guys already had this relationship when I met you. I think your crowning achievement was the wireless network, but I understand if you favor adding on another 100 hours to our tivos considering how long it took you the first time.
on November 16th, 2006 at 11:33 am
Upgrading the TiVo capacity was by far the hardest considering I had to rip apart the computer and learn some Linux to do it. The wireless networking was a breeze in comparison. Learning how to make my own ethernet cables, wire the jacks and punch down phone lines was empowering, and I’m more happy about having a compression (vs crimping) tool for making coaxial cables then the situation warrants.