Daily Prompt: Learning Style

What’s your learning style? Do you prefer learning in a group and in an interactive setting? Or one-on-one? Do you retain information best through lectures, or visuals, or simply by reading books?

If you have a computer, why learn? If a cyber golden oldie forgets, she has the possibility of her iPad, computer and even iPhone, if she has one and don’t we all? Otherwise we would not be writing our daily prompt, although it is becoming possible to even write your contribution just by phone if your have small dainty fingers to be able to tap on the integrated keyboard. I do not, so I prefer comfort on a chair with a computer.

The question is do we learn anything? Life today has become easier for those of us whose memory fades quicker, especially if you are approaching the age of forgetfulness. Mrs. Angloswiss and Mr. Swiss are having a discussion. 

“Do you remember Fred Smith? They are showing one of his films this evening on the TV.”

“Oh yes, he was quite good, is he still alive?”

Mr. Swiss disappears and returns with his iPad in his hands.

“No, he died in 2013 apparently, had a heart attack.”

Is Mr. Swiss now the memory man, does he remember everything about Fred Smith? Of course not, where there is a Wikipedia there is a way. I do tend to annoy him from time to time when one of my favourite golden oldie songs are being played on the radio and I begin to sing along, word for word perfectly. Just enter the name of the song into your iPad and google supplies you with the title of the song complete with lyrics. Perfect, I can now sing along in a duet with the correct words. Today they played “Imagine” by John Lennon and I must say I never realised what perfect words the song contains. I am not sure if my rendering of the song as a duet with John Lennon was a perfect match. Mr. Swiss just mentioned afterwards that John Lennon was the poet of the duo Paul McCarthy and John Lennon, and I found it to be true - thanks to Google. There was a comment afterwards that my rendering of the song together with John Lennon was a little out of tune.

There are some things that the computer cannot supply and that is our local tax form and how to do it. The form is on the computer and Mr. Swiss has been completing it for many years. 2-3 years ago I decided I should be able to do it as well. One day I might be confronted with the problem of submitting our financial details to the local government on my own and so we both sat down at the computer together for 5-10 minutes. I know that was not enough time to learn how to do it, but there was a problem. I learn with the “learning by doing” system and Mr. Swiss can already do it and wants to show me how good he is at it. That system does not work, leading to various disagreements. We came to the conclusion that if circumstance ever arise that I was left to do the job on my own, I could give it to an office that is equipped for the task. It would cost something, but at least not my nervous condition. In the worse case I always have son No. 2, although he lives on the other side of Switzerland and has his own tax problems to deal with. I come to the conclusion that Switzerland is a country of accountants.

It also came to my mind that I have now lost touch with how the television functions. I can switch it on and off, but what lays in between are about 80-90 various channels in various languages and a DVD recorder which is not my sort of thing. I can operate an Apple computer, a windows computer with all the newest bells and whistles, but a TV - not really. Mr. Swiss does it perfectly. He even records the programme in the background, you do not even see the programme, but he makes it appear on the TV screen a few minutes or hours after it is finished. It is all organised. The programme begins on the hour and we begin watching 5 minutes later but it is all there. The wonders of modern science and Mr. Swiss of coure.

And now I have an appointment with my feline Tabby, who wants to write her contribution to today’s prompt.

WordPress Daily Prompt: Easy Fix

Write a post about any topic you wish, but make sure it ends with “And all was right in the world.”

We were warned. We knew it was going to happen, but we saw no danger for us. Life could carry on as always until ….. last week, on Tuesday evening the truth became reality. Mr. Swiss was comfortable watching the news on the television. It was a particularly important news, as the results of the Swiss government no longer supporting the € currency in Europe were becoming known. Good for a trip over the border, everything was cheaper for the Swiss. Bad for small businesses in Switzerland as no-one would be interested in buying expensive Swiss goods, no matter how super and exquisite our products are, money speaks all languages. I was comfortable in a chair reading a book, or was I in a suspenseful moment of playing Candy Twist on my iPad. Peace reigned in the world of Mr. Swiss and Mrs. Angloswiss until No. 1 son appeared in the living room. He is usually engrossed in his own television in his room watching whatever he watches.

”My television is not working, there is a message on the screen that no signals can be received.”

My first thought was “oh” and Mr. Swiss decided No. 1 son must wait, due to events in the Swiss financial situation. However son No. 1 was concerned. He no longer understood his TV world. I would mention he is autistic and if things do not fit with his world picture then something is wrong.

Mr. Swiss decided that the Swiss political situation could wait, and so he switched the TV set to “record” to ensure that he would miss nothing whilst dealing with No. 1 son’s TV problem. I decided to keep out of the situation as I no longer understand the televisions of today. Mr. Swiss had a look at son No. 1 TV and discovered the problem immediately. His set was bought a few years go and it was analogue (huh?). Today sets are digital and so first aid had to be offered to this TV. A card could be inserted in the television and then it might work. After uttering a few profanities, not finding where we put the spare cards. Mr. Swiss found a card and did the necessary but nothing happend.

It was then it occurred to Mr. Swiss that there was a d-day in Switzerland for the death of analogue televisions. I heard something about this, but as we have had a new, super digital TV for the past couple of years, I decided it was none of my business. My son was without a television for a complete evening until tomorrow when the Swiss family mum and dad would buy a new TV in the local supermarket.  In the meanwhile Mr. Swiss gave No. 1 son his big iPad which had a television app, so that solved the TV problem for the evening. 

Armed with the bank card from No. 1 son, we arrived at the local supermarket and visited the electronic department. We noticed a few other customers were also buying televisions. No. 1 son only needs a smaller television and not a super hang it on the wall and receive a few thousand television programmes. He is happy when he has a few commercial stations so that he can watch perhaps a music concert, some James Bond films, and even Bruce Willis. A salesman was suddenly without a customer and asked

“Can I help you?”

“We need a new television, but a smaller one.”

“Ah yes, no problem, but we do not stock the smaller televisions. You can buy them online.”

Mr. Swiss knowing that No. 1 son needed a television within five minutes and not five days, we said thank you and Mr. Swiss decided he would go to another shop on the outskirts of our town in the afternoon where they had a sort of mall selling everything - see picture.

As I have “me time” in the afternoon, writing bloggy stuff ,Mr. Swiss ventured out to the paradise of electronic shops on his own, knowing that they would definitely have something available. After almost two hours he returned. In the meanwhile I was pondering whether to alarm the local police seeing newspaper headlines “Swiss citizen missing, the television mafia strike again”. However he returned with a small box. The mission was a success.

Yes Monday was d-day in Switzerland for analogue televisions and the electronic paradise was full of disappointed Swiss citizens whose television was not longer working. Mr. Swiss said there were so many disappointed television addicts he had to queue and wait for at least thirty minutes, only to find that there were no more smaller televisions available. Disappointed Swiss television addicts were buying televisions like their daily bread. It was a scene of fighting for the last television set, no matter who got killed in the process. Undaunted he left the sales paradise of lost televisions and visited the local town where we have a large department store. Cutting a longer story short, after a discussion with the salesman, the salesman remembered a lonely forgotten new smaller television sitting in the stock room. It was perfect, a good price and the forgotten television now had a new home. After making the long journey from South Korea it had now found its place in a Swiss home.

No. 1 son was happy, Mr. Swiss was happy and I could continue writing my blog undisturbed. A small problem occurred when giving the new television, the breath of life, until someone realised that he had inserted the aerial plug in the wrong place. After a small excitement, more profanities, it was alive and working and all was right in the (television) world.

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Nera's TV Time

"Mrs. Human, what's leasing?"

"Leasing? Now what does a cat want with leasing?"

"I am a feline, not a cat, and there are three of those cars on the TV and it says you don't have to buy them, you can lease them."

"Nera, since when do you interest yourself for cars. I thought you didn't like them because you always have to go to the vets in a car."

"But on the tele it says that the leasing offers are attractive, so that might be something for me, as I am the most attractive feline here."

"Nera leasing means that you don't have to buy the car, you just sort of rent it and pay something every month. So, now I will change the programme. Cars are nothing for felines."

"Mrs. Human, that is my decision. I want to watch this programme. Afterwards they go for a drive with the cars and that is the interesting part."

"Why is that so interesting?"

"Because they move. We felines like things that move. Mice, birds, leaf soldiers. It is now time for leaf soldiers Tabby said, she killed three yesterday when they fell from the tree."

"Nera, the leaves are already dead when they fall from the tree. There is a programme starting on the TV now about wild life, birds in other countries. I am sure that would be more interesting than cars."

"Ok, Mrs. Human, you win. But make sure it is in a language that I understand. Preferably Meow, otherwise those funny sounds that you make when you talk to Mr. Human. At least I can understand that. And turn the sound down a bit, we felines don't like it loud on our sensitive ears. A few of those feline treats would also be a good idea. After all you and Mr. Human are always munching something when you watch the TV. And bring me a comfortable cushion, the floor is a bit hard on my silky soft fur."

"Anything else Nera?"

"Yes, just close the door behind you, it's a bit draughty otherwise."