> > > Anyway, I was thinking, the biggest step in getting Franklin or anyone from pre-computer times to learn about computers would be to get them over any fears of it. I imagine Ben'd be a little bit afraid of this box that lights up and makes noises that he's never seen before.
> >
> > I still think you're seriously underestimating your chosen historical figure. Why on earth would *any* educated person from his time, let alone Benjamin Franklin, be afraid of a box that lights up and makes noises? They had machinery in those days.
>
> Hmm. Good point. Still, we can't be completely sure that he'd be totally fearless. I'm not saying he'd be afraid that a lizard will come out and devour him if he pushes a wrong button, but it's possible he might. Still, I maintain that eliminating fears would be my first step in teaching him about computers. And I have no idea how I managed to type "biggest step" when I meant "first step" in my previous post. *shrug*

Just to put all this thread to rest, I hopped into my time machine and took my laptop computer with me to Ben Franklin's house in Philly and showed him Windows 2000. It took a little while, but he got the hang of it. No fear of lizards or nothing. Anyway, that must've done something because when I got back there were something like fifty states in the Union, Prussia and the Confederate States of America didn't exist, and Carl's Jr. offers something called "The Six Dollar Hamburger" instead of "The Ten Dollar Hamburger".

-Faux Pas