Social Networking….It’s Nothing New

There is certainly nothing new about social networking. It’s being going on since the beginning of man. It would take many forms, sitting around a fire, gathering at a feast, it could be families getting together or members of other villages.

As societies developed, social organizations came into being, with various clubs, church groups, and civic organizations. My own personal networking would be my membership in a veteran’s organization, meeting friends and coworkers at a café for breakfast, coffee shops or occasionally at the local bar.

So social networking has always been around in some form. Now with technology as advanced as it is, social networking has taken on a whole new structure. The computer and internet has brought people together like never before. We can connect with others with our smart phones, tablets and computers from anywhere we might be.

My first introduction to social networking through technology was MySpace (does that even still exist?). It was something my niece would get on after school each day. I never really paid any attention to it, just that she’d be on it for hours with her friends each day. This apparently was just something for the young teenagers. I would just continue working with the CAD program on the other computer while she did her MySpace thing.

I later heard about Facebook when some family members started hounding me to get an account so we could stay in touch. Well, I finally caved after a lot of resisting. So what did I first see? Everyone was playing games! That’s all there was and now they were after me to play games with them. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with games, it’s just not my cup of tea. Slowly there started to be some interaction with some real posts…but the games still plagued the news feed. I learned to stop them for awhile, but now they’re coming back again, if only they could be stopped for good. My experience with Facebook has been limited, with a few pages that I’ve subscribed to and posting and poking. All this interaction is only between existing friends and family. And of course the occasional tirade by some (family members) who just can’t agree with anything some of us have to say. So the Facebook networking still continues although it is very limited to just a few friends and family members. I’ve tried in vain to get my own children involved so we could interact, but that will never happen so I don’t push for that anymore.

There is also Twitter, one that I never got into. Some I know tweet about every little thing that goes on throughout the day. There are many who do use it productively in their every day business. Since I don’t use it and am not familiar with all the in’s and out’s of Twitter, I won’t comment on it any further. We’ll leave that up to those who use it and know it well.

Now there’s a new one, Google+. You might say it’s still in it’s infancy (being around less than a year) but growing up fast! I joined Google+ once it went public, thinking it was maybe a Facebook clone, but with out all the clutter. Oh, but I was wrong! Google+ has broken down all the barriers of social networking through the internet! Since joining Google+, here’s what I’ve found.

The obvious was that lack of all the clutter. I really liked the idea of the circles. You can organize all your people you have in your circles in a way that is meaningful to you. Create a new circle, give it a name and put the people you want in that circle. Each person you have in your circles can even be in more than one. It’s a great idea for complete control of where your people are and who you share things with. And as far as sharing goes, it’s easy to share with just who you want.

And there are the Hangouts. I only recently joined a Hangout and it was an awesome experience! You can hangout with up to 10 people at a time. Then what Google did was to give us the ability to share a document during the hangout. Now you can do even more! You’ll really need to check this feature out.

And now you might say, but all my friends are on Facebook and there not going there so I won’t either. Well, when I started on Google+ my friends wouldn’t join either. Some did and never used it, but others just refused. So if they don’t go, and you want people in your circles to interact with, there is an answer.

Public Circles. Yes there is such a thing. There are thousands of public circles that you can add, and many of these people will add you back. Now you have a start to make new friends with Google+. Now here’s the really neat part, you’ll meet people from all around the world! Oh, but now you say, “I don’t know their language”. Well, there’s an answer to that too, Google Translate.

A simple right click on the page and choose Translate to English and viola! you have it in English.

I could go on with much more, but I’ll let you explore for yourself.

The bottom line…if you wish to socialize on the internet, there are many options available to you. I only talked about a few here, but there are many more. So choose one or two or maybe even three. They are all different and all serve a different purpose. Get active and go out there and make some new friends or just stay in touch with the ones you have. One more thing I’d like to note. This is particularly helpful to those who may be physically or emotionally disabled to where they can’t get out every day to be with people. I personally am glad for it myself. Since I’ve been dependent on a wheelchair I can’t get around like I used to but I can still stay in touch people and make new friends everyday!

-Ed

Android OS is Seriously Fragmented….Really?

I just read another article about the seriously fragmented Android OS. Really? When is this insane rhetoric going to stop? Sure, there are many versions running on many different devices out there. Many of the older devices are not capable of running the new ICS and will never be upgraded.

So wouldn’t it be nice if we could all have the latest and greatest of everything? Sure it would, but that’s not even practical (unless we’re millionaires).

Here’s my point. How many of us are still running Windows XP, or maybe even an older version? I still have an XP machine, I only recently bought a laptop running Windows 7 (I missed Vista) and now Windows 8 is just around the corner. And then there are the suite of Office programs. My older machine still has Office 2003 installed, I then used 2007 and now I’m using 2010. Where are all the articles claiming that Microsoft is “fragmented”? Or Apple? Might there not be older Apple iOS machines still running out there?

I’m also the owner of a 1994 Chevy van. My budget doesn’t allow me to buy a 2012 model, especially since I also need one with a wheelchair lift. My TV’s are still the older tube type. A new LCD one is on my wish list and when I can budget a new one I will have it. The same with my cell phone. When I can I will move from my Rumor Touch to a new smart phone (hopefully running ICS) I will buy that also. Are all my things I need and use everyday “fragmented”?

I’m a NASCAR fan too, and I have never seen everyone cross the finish line at the same time….only one! Everyone else is behind the winner. Some are way behind….maybe 70 laps or more….and some never finish.

Isn’t it that way with technology too? All of technology is moving at such a rapid pace, how can everyone keep up the pace? Whenever there is a new release there is another one right on it’s heels! Should all the manufacturers stop and let everyone catch up?

I hope I’ve made my point here. There are going to be devices still running the older OS no matter who’s they are. Technology is advancing at breakneck speed. So let’s not even expect that everyone is going to be using the latest and greatest of everything. Let’s stop the BS already!

Android is not “fragmented” in my mind. There are just many older versions still running out there. I know what your probably going to say. It’s fragmented because some devise manufacturers are making changes to the OS to run on their devices, like Amazon’s Kindle Fire for example. There will we find some variations, sure. But when these people argue about all the versions that are still running, (and call it fragmentation) just consider the race. It’s fast moving and impossible for us all to keep up.

Just saying……..

Feel free to comment.

-Ed

All My Journals: Review

I’ve been looking for a journaling software program for quite some time now. To me it seemed awkward to use some of the office software I have installed on my computer. These programs did not quite fit right as a journaling software. I just wanted  to be able to open and start writing my thoughts and notes for the day without going through any formatting or anything.

Then I came across All My Journals by Bad Wolf Software. I downloaded and installed the free trial version of the program and started using it. This is the one I needed. It’s simple,clean and is not overloaded with features I will never use anyway.

The free trial version is just as it says…a trial. It doesn’t include all the features available in the licensed version and just one journal is available. The licensed version is the full version with all the features unlocked and you can have an unlimited number of journals.

Some may think, well, I never keep a diary so what would I need something like this for anyway? There was a time I thought this way too. Then I became disabled and had to start making regular visits to my doctors. They would ask questions and I didn’t have all the answers I should have. I would not think about asking the questions I should be asking…until I’d get home again. That’s when I realized that I needed something I could keep a journal with.

Let’s think for a moment what you might use All My Journals for. As I mentioned earlier, I use mine for notes to my doctor that I write right away when there is something she or he should be aware of. I’ve also been using it to keep a diary. I don’t write in it every day, but when there is something significant to write about. Perhaps you might want to use it to keep agenda notes for an upcoming meeting. Or keep minutes for your meetings. Maybe keep a diary of your golf games, fishing or hunting trips. Ladies can write about their ladies groups, knitting, book clubs or whatever. The ideas are endless, I could keep going on with more ideas, but I think you get my point. It’s for everyone, men, women, children, students and businessmen and businesswomen. You will find many uses that will be unique to your needs.

When you open All My Journals, it will open to today’s date and the last used journal. Just start writing, or chose the journal you want and start writing. You can choose from a list of fonts in preferences and you have all the basic formatting tools available to you. To make it easy to read your journal there is a reader built into it. You can print your journal and specify the range you want printed. It includes a search feature making searching for a particular entry easy. The Save As and Export allow you to export your journal that can be read by any word processing software. Backup does just as it says by backing up your journal for data recovery should you journal become corrupted or lost.

The program will always give you the choice to choose the current year or the next couple of years. But that does not mean future years are not available. As the years pass, future years will always be shown. It is a perpetual calendar so you’ll be able to use this for many years to come.

Do you have a need to take it with you to use on another computer? All My Journals can be installed on a thumb drive with the data saved there also so you can take it with you to use wherever you are.

One more thing I’d like to mention about Bad Wolf Software is their tech support. I’ve rarely had to use tech support with any software I use. I read their blog and they said they were working on a new feature and an update would be soon released. I thought I’d take a chance and contact them to find out if indeed it was on track to be released as planned. I received an immediate reply that it was expected to be released the following month. To my surprise, shortly after, I received an e-mail that the new version had been released that day and they included a link to go to their site to download the updated version! I was impressed! All to often I read of complaints about tech support. In this case I’m happy to report that their tech support is responsive to their customers. I put a lot of value in that.

In conclusion, All My Journals is a simple program that will do what you want, no more, no less. I highly recommend it and encourage all my readers to check it out for yourself.

Happy Journaling,

-Ed

Making Life an Adventure

 

My sister just returned from her first cruise and she posted this on her Facebook page, “It just came to me…Life is a party…”. Well, I can agree with that to a point, but I’d rather believe that life should be an adventure. I think I’ve pretty much made my life an adventure so I thought I should write a little something about that here. I would like to describe some of my adventures and hopefully encourage all my readers to make their life an adventure also.

I have had the privilege to know a lot of different folks around town since I first moved here. Many of them just live their lives going to work every day, they would take vacation days to work around home and never go anywhere special. Some have never tried anything new or challenging. There are some who have not even traveled more than 100 miles from home. This doesn’t sound very adventurous to me.

When I turned 18, I decided right then that I would join the Army, so that’s what I did. I was living in Florida at the time so I traveled first to Jacksonville for my physical and induction into the Army. Having past the physical, I was inducted into the Army and immediately sent to Ft. Benning, Georgia for my basic training. My first real adventure had begun. The next three years would prove to be very adventurous indeed. I traveled around the country serving at different military posts and spent one year fighting in Vietnam (not the most pleasant adventure).

After separation from active duty I came home, started college and took a job with the county. The job was with the mosquito control which meant I would be traveling around the county to all the wetlands controlling them where they where populating. The most challenging part of that job was avoiding all the poisonous snakes and alligators that I would be encountering. While doing all this, I also became friends with a local diving instructor. So the next thing I know I was getting the training I needed to get my certifications to be a scuba diver. Now, I would be diving around the area to depths exceeding 100 feet. From snakes to alligators to the little fishes swimming around me, I’m living an adventure!

Living at home proved less than desirable, so I moved on. I left west central Florida and headed southeast to where an uncle of mine lived. I didn’t live there very long when I met the girl who would become my wife. She was there staying with a cousin, having moved down from Wisconsin. We both decided that it wasn’t the place for us so we moved here to Northeast Wisconsin where I live to this day.

Not long after moving here, getting married and starting a family, I would meet someone who would introduce my to my next adventure, flying. I started with flying a Cessna 150, then later I would fly a 172. A few years later I met a new friend who would teach me to fly the right seat in a twin engine Cessna 421. I loved flying that one especially! We would fly around the Great Lakes area and out to the east coast. I had a lot of great experiences flying, too many to mention here.

My work for a local shipbuilding company took me around the Great Lakes also. They would fly me to various cities to work on the ships and I even sailed on a few of them.

I’ve had the opportunity to travel from coast to coast, north to south and points in between. I’ve seen San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee, San Antonio and Houston, just to name a few. To write about them all, I would have to write a book. I mention them only to let you know that you can get out to other places to see new things, and meet new people. Make life an adventure!

Some of you may not be able to travel to find new adventures. But, you can find many close to home. Check your local papers and information centers for activities that are going on in your area. I’m often surprised when I hear someone say there’s nothing to do around here. Why then do tourists flock to our county for a vacation? There are things to do. There are adventures here close to my home and yours.

I’m limited now as to what I can do and where I can go. I now have to use a powered wheel chair to get around and I no longer drive myself around in my van. My adventures are my writing, helping friends with their computer skills and things like that. I find new things to do right here at home. I’m not going to stop being adventurous just because I can’t get out and about. I enjoy checking my stats on this blog and seeing that I’ve had readers from Russia, India, Germany and Canada. I hope to see many more readers from around the world. To me this is quite exiting! I’d like to make friends with some of these people to learn about them and their way of life. This is my new adventure.

Now when you’re done reading this, if your life has been an adventure, share the memories with your children, grandchildren, friends and family. I’m sure they’d love to hear your stories. If you haven’t been adventurous, then maybe it’s time to start. Life’s too short to get stuck in a rut and do nothing. Have fun and create some new memories, do some exploring, meet new people and enjoy life to the fullest. I think that’s what our creator would want for us.

Have a happy adventure my friends!

-Ed

Targeted Ads……Opt-Out?

 

We’ve all visited websites displaying numerous ads. These same ads seem to be popping up from places we’ve been around the internet. And yes, they are following us. Recently, this all came to a head when on my Facebook page the ads went way over the top with the flashing and the audio screaming at me. I couldn’t leave my Facebook page open any longer. I’d open it only to check it, then close again.

That’s what finally got me started investigating where these were all coming from. It seemed that some friends were not getting the same activity that I was. I started by clicking the link below one of the ads that read “about this ad”. Here is what I learned….

The link directed me to the website Pulse 360, an advertising agency who is a leader in content targeted advertising on the internet. Once here I first learned that I could opt-out of their tracking my movements around the web and they would no longer target ads at me when I visited any of the sites where they were posting ads. I opted out!.

While on their site they also had a link that would direct me to the Network Advertising Initiative website. The NIA helps protect our privacy online. When I clicked on their Opt-Out link I was directed to the Opt-Out page and was surprised to see the long list of active cookies that had been installed on my computer. I chose to ‘select all’ and then ‘submit’ to Opt-Out of all of them. However, there was one that is no longer with the NIA so I was provided a link to go to that site to opt-out. That one is Quantcast.

I then went to the Quantcast website and found they also had and active cookie on my computer. I opted out of that one too.

Now maybe my Facebook page was cleaned up and I would no longer have all those obnoxious ads running on my page. I was wrong! They were still all there. I then thought that if I cleared my cookies they would go away. That turned out to be a mistake. You don’t want to clear your cookies after you opt-out, as what opt-out does is to install cookies on your computer that disables any active cookies placed there by the advertiser. And, the ads on Facebook were still there anyway. I had to go back  through the process to opt-out all over again.

I continued my research to find out why I was still getting those ads. I don’t recall how I came across this next site, but this one is Plural Media LLC. They are yet another one of those advertisers on the web. As I read to the bottom of the page I saw they had a link to disable Page Rage. An application that will put a neat wall paper background on your Facebook page. That’s right, I had it on mine. Having seen it on a friends computer I wanted it too. So maybe if I disabled it the ads would go away. I went to http://www.pagerage.com/disable/ and disabled Page Rage. When I went back to my Facebook page it was refreshingly clean. No more ads.

I can now go to any favorite sites and not be bombarded with a lot of targeted advertising. Yes, there are still a few, I didn’t get them all. But my web experience is a lot more pleasant now without the ads following me around.

If your having the experiences I was having, or if you just want to have a higher level of privacy while web surfing, you know one more step you can take, Opt-Out of targeted advertising. It’s easy to do once you know where to go.

One more thing I should mention is that if you’re using more than one browser, I have four installed, you will need to go though the opt-out process for each one of them as the cookies will be installed on each browser.

I hope this gives you, the reader, a greater sense of control over the internet and you have a greater degree of privacy when using it. I know I do.

-Ed

Cloud Computing

 

Cloud Computing? When I first heard the term I had no idea what Cloud Computing was. It sounded like something very mysterious. How could one compute in a cloud? I started researching what Cloud Computing was. I read everything I could find and, well, I’d started doing it myself a few years before when I started my Windows Live account. I discovered that it came with a Windows Live Workspace which is now called SkyDrive. I could upload documents to it and I could even edit them right there in my browser.

I now also have my Google account. Have had for quite some time now. I love the fact that I can upload documents to my space on Google docs and edit them there also. I can upload my photos to my Picasa account and use them here in my blog and my family website.

Cloud computing is simply creating and saving your work on servers somewhere on the web, rather than just on your computer at your desk at home or work.

I think cloud computing is the wave of the future. It won’t be long before you will not even have any productivity software on your computer. Microsoft has this already with 360. All you do is subscribe to the service rather than buy and install all this software. Another example is on the computers that we buy today. Microsoft’s Word starter and Excel starter is preinstalled on your computer when you buy it. Or is it? It isn’t. Try using it when you’re offline. It won’t work, you have to be online for it to download to your computer each time you click the icon to use it. Then when you shut down your computer it’s gone. It will download again the next time you call for it.

One advantage I see to subscribing to a service rather than buy and install the software is that you’ll never have to buy the latest and greatest version every time they come up with one. It’ll be there when they release it automatically. No more worrying about updates, licenses and all that. It’ll always be there when you need it.

Collaborating on projects is another clear advantage with Cloud Computing. When you collaborate in the cloud, there aren’t documents floating around in everyone’s inboxes in various stages of revision. You have one. And that one document is in the cloud where all revisions also reside. A nice orderly place. A place where everyone working on a project can go to work on it.

The only disadvantage to Cloud Computing is that you must always have access to the web to use it. If you’re offline, you’re out of luck. Being able to be online at all times is getting much easier now and much more reliable. Not only do we have the broadband service with our cable companies, dsl  with phone service, but G3 with cell phone companies is now in stages of being replaced with G4 which will prove to be much faster and compete with cable broadband.

Another place we my have been working in the cloud is at our workplaces. All of our data was saved to the company’s servers and not on our workstation. The company had their own network and maintained all their own servers. We were computing in the cloud before the term was even coined.

As we continue to watch computing evolve, I think we’ll see some real dramatic changes coming really quick. We’ll have to adapt to subscribing to a service to use their software, saving all our documents somewhere else, etc. It sometimes makes one feel as though we’ve lost control of what we do somehow.

Another point I would like to make while I’m here. We are always concerned about security while working on the internet. Is our data safe? Well, I might suggest that is safer there than in your home. Or on your computer. You and I are always being reminded to backup, backup and to backup some more. And we don’t do it. At least most of us don’t. And what about theft, or fire or flood? I guess from that point of view I would rather my data be tucked away safely on the web. No matter what happens at home, or to my computer, my data is safe, and I can get a new computer and get to my data.

I just set up my cloud printing with Google Cloud print. It was easy to do. The main reason I did it was to be able to print from my tablet. I was having difficulty printing from my app on my tablet and found Google Cloud Print to be an excellent work around. I can see a lot of uses for cloud printing. You can print to your office printer no matter what your physical location is. Print photos to your home printer or have a friend print to yours while on vacation. Maybe you want to print to a clients printer, the possibilities are endless.

The more computing I do in the cloud the more I’m liking it. I think as you start exploring  Cloud Computing you will too. So you might say I’ve got my head in the clouds. Cloud Computing that is. Go ahead and get your head in the clouds too. I would recommend starting with Google docs. Save your work there and you can edit and collaborate on projects right there in the Google Cloud.

I think that’s enough said about Cloud Computing. Maybe I’ve convinced some of you to give it a try. Those who are already using it, I’m sure would agree. It would be interesting to hear from some of you using it to let the rest of us know how it has helped you. Maybe you can give us some unique ways to make use of it.

-Ed

Abandoned Flock

This one is a hard one to write about, the abandoned flock. You see….there are so many people out there….good people….. who have been completely abandoned…..left for dead…..by the pastors of their church! Now you’re thinking, “man, this guy’s harsh”! Well, this post is meant to be harsh. I want to shake them up and kick them in the rear! (The pastors).

You see, the people who are in the ministry, your Pastors, Ministers, Priests or whatever else you want to call them don’t seem to want to get out of their comfortable chairs, climate controlled offices to visit those who are hurting and not getting to church.

What are their excuses? Are they to busy with their church work? Are they doing the work someone else could be doing? Are they too timid to go to someone's home? Or maybe they are just lazy!

Some pastor’s delegate that duty to members of their church. Why I ask? The members should be doing other things so their pastor can get out to visit those who are imprisoned in their homes, nursing homes hospitals and jails!

There are many reasons (I won’t call the excuses) people aren’t in their church. They may be physical problems. Illnesses, disabilities, emotional problems. You name it, there are lots of reasons a person may not be coming to your church. Are the ones coming the only ones worth anything to you? Are you that judgmental that you won’t go to them? Are you not the shepherd of the flock? If the answer to that last one is ‘yes’, then get your rear out the door and be a shepherd!

I think if you’re in the ministry, then you should know your bible an awful lot better than I know mine. But I’m throwing these verses your way anyway.

Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Mat 18:14  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Well, how are your 99? Are they okay? Do you think you can leave them alone long enough to leave your church office to go to some of those who are suffering at home? Does someone have to drag you out kicking and screaming and make you do your job?

It is your job you know. Oh, I know some don’t like it to be called a job. It’s a “calling”. Well then, do what you were called to do, and do it today! And do it everyday!

If you don’t take care of everyone else just like you take care of all those really good people who come to church every week, how are you going to answer when your time comes?

Are you going to boast about all the good works you’ve done? I’m sure there are many. I’m not saying that you’re all bad. I’m trying to tell you that you are neglecting so many people out there. It’s wrong!

Read these next verses.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

That should scare the you no what out of you! I think I’d be just flying out of the church and looking for those lost sheep. Many may not really be lost at all. They’re just neglected, left unfed. Go to them, comfort them, feed them, bring them home!

How many, I wonder, will even read this? If they read this, will it make a difference? If you’ve read it, will you tell your pastor to read it and if you tell him/her to, will he/she? And if they read it will they take it to heart or just shrug it off as if I’m just someone who likes to rant? I don’t get passionate about much, but this is something that’s bothered me for many years and I’ve not said much to many about it. Now I’m saying it, publicly. Listen!

I’ll be watching to see how many hits this blog gets. I’ll be watching to see how many share this. Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint your Lord!

-Ed

To Drive or Not To Drive

This month is my birthday, and it was time to renew my driver's license. When I arrived at the DMV to renew it, I walked in with my walker. This raised some questions with the lady behind the counter. It ended up that I would need to have my doctor's okay before I could renew my license. Since I already knew that my neurologist would prefer that I didn't drive, (his words were, "I don't even want you driving around a logging camp") I chose to surrender my driver's license in favor of a new State ID instead. I might add that the person at the DMV commended me for voluntarily giving up my license.
In fact I haven't been driving much at all anyway. I parked my car last August, and since I bought a van with a wheel chair lift in December, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've driven it. I don't mind not driving myself around. It's enjoyable now, having someone else do the driving when I need to go somewhere. I have two caregivers who can drive for me, as well as a number of friends who can drive for me also.
The point is that when the time comes to give up driving, we should recognize it and do the right thing and give it up. All too often we see someone driving around town that obviously is no longer capable of driving safely. Too many times do we see in the news where someone stomped the gas instead of the brakes and drove through a crowd of people or into a building. I certainly do not want to be that person.
I told my two daughters some time ago that if they see that I no longer can drive safely to take away my keys and not allow me to drive. Fortunately I still have my right mind (at least I'd like to believe that) and have made that decision for myself.
I'm only 62 this month and hopefully still have a lot of years left, but the safety of others comes first. There are folks who can drive safely even when they get well into their 70's or 80's, but when their skills decline they should, as I have done, give up their licenses and stop driving. And I might add if they won't give it up, then their loved ones should step in and stop them. I don't think it's a cruel thing to do, and not being able to drive one's own self doesn't take away their independence. I certainly find that I still have mine, although it is somewhat limited due to my disabilities.
In addition to when we should quit driving, how about thinking about when we should start. I see 16 year olds get their licenses and then off they go. They have to drive everywhere! Even though they are a few blocks from school they have to take the car. They could walk! I'm not against them getting their license, but until they gain experience, their driving should be limited and I would recommend an experienced driver being their copilot for a while after they get their license. I've seen firsthand the tragedy of inexperienced young drivers ending up in serious accidents because they haven't yet learned how to be a competent driver before turning them loose.
I hope that common sense will prevail and anyone reading this will take something from it. Explore the possibility of using public transportation, riding with friends or family, or just take a walk instead. You'll be glad you did.
-Ed