User Survey, or, My mom is smarter than I am

A lot of my classmates' interviews have been with older individuals who are not particularly inclined to using technology. I could have interviewed my dad who is in his mid-70s and pretty good with technology. He's got an iPhone and an iPad mini, he texts and emails, and he plays Words With Friends. He's not afraid of technology, but like a lot of other people's older subjects he's not interested in keeping up with the latest advances.
Instead I thought I would interview my mom. She's in her late 60s, and got her first home computer in 1982. She has an iPhone, an iPad, a gps unit, and a device that tells you how far from the pin you are on the golf course, the first two of which she uses on a daily basis. The most advanced program that she uses is Adobe Lightroom 5. When she needs to send files she uses email and Dropbox. Mom follows the latest tech developments and can fix most of the problems that arise during her regular usage.
What could make my mom's relationship with technology so different from that of other people her age? Being an early adopter was probably a big help, and she continued to be engaged with technology up to her retirement. She volunteers these days at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she has helped lead the way towards imaging substantial portions of the gardens' collections. When I talked to her, she was getting ready to learn about the pdf creation software used at CBG so that she could develop a new template for photographing trees. When I asked her why she thinks she's so much more willing with engage with evolving technology, she said that it all depends on seeing technology as a challenge which you are up to. That's an attitude I know that I could benefit from, and will try to carry with me throughout this Master's program.

**************************************************

Today I thought I would share a rare sight, a snow jump in Los Angeles, 1938.