Computers

Well?

Helen: Soap. No, not soap – let me think… The computer.

The computer?

Helen: Yeah – a computer. I want to talk about a computer.

What is a computer?

Helen: Em… It’s like this electronic thing and it’s like you can close and open it. When you open it, you turn it on and put in your password. Then you can go on Firefox and games.

Who invented it?

Helen: I don’t know that. Do you?

I’m not sure – Charles Babbidge?

Helen: Ah – Charles Babbidge.

And…

Helen: And?

How long have computers been around?

Helen: I don’t know – for quite a long time.

When were they invented?

Helen: I don’t know.

Scott, we were talking about computers…

Scott: Were we?

Me and Helen were.

Scott: Yeah.

How would you describe a computer?

Scott: A technical device thing.

That does what?

Scott: Lots of things.

When were they invented?

Scott: No idea, but I know what the first computer was.

What?

Scott: It wasn’t actually the first computer, but it was the first thing they named a computer. It was a big thing used for solving maths equations.

Who invented it?

Scott: No idea.

Grandpa?

Scott: (laughs) He was a three-year-old…

Jimmy The Robot

Scott: So what are you going to ask me?

What do you want to talk about?

Scott: Hmm… Mmm…

You had a sleepover at Gran’s last night…

Scott: Yeah – I did.

Anything about that?

Scott: Nah.

Anything interesting happen today?

Scott: Apart from, like, not being able to to go swimming, although we tried two different pools – or was it three? I don’t know…

Pokemon?

Scott: Eh… What about it?

Want to talk about it?

Scott: There’s not really many interesting things. I don’t know.

I could suggest something?

Scott: Okay.

God?

Scott: Give me a few options to choose from and I’ll pick one.

God. Earthquakes. Aliens. Robots.

Scott: Robots.

Okay, what is a robot?

Scott: Well, depends what your idea of a robot is – because a computer is a robot but a robot is also kind of like a man machine thing.

What do you think?

Scott: My idea of a robot is like a man thing, but any sort of computer thing can be a robot.

I thought a robot moved?

Scott: Does it?

I thought so.

Scott: So are you saying you’re a robot?

Yes.

Scott: That’s weird.

You’re a robot too.

Scott: Okay – that’s quite a weird definition.

Is a robot not something computerised that moves?

Scott: Hmm… I don’t know.

Are robots evil?

Scott: Well… Not that I know of – but they probably can, if that makes sense.

If you had a robot, what would you call it?

Scott: I don’t know.

You have to give it a name.

Scott: God!

God?

Scott: (laughs) No.

What, then?

Scott: What if I didn’t name it?

You have to.

Scott: God! Okay… I don’t know… Just think up some mechanical… Robots aren’t going to happen any time soon.

If you had one today…

Scott: God…

Give me a name…

Scott: Can I just not do this question?

Come on!

Scott: Hmm… That’s so hard to think of!

One name…

Scott: Jimmy!

Jimmy?

Scott: (laughs) It’s the first thing that came into my head. God, that’s so weird. Jimmy!

School

Scott’s drawing of school work…

What’s on your mind tonight?

Helen: Mind? What’s a mind?

What are you thinking about?

Helen: Computers?

Scott: Don’t be silly.

Helen: I am – because computers are on Wednesdays.

Computers are on Wednesdays?

Helen: Yeah – I’m thinking about it. If we’re going to do games or a job.

Scott: I’m thinking about the Mario Brothers cross-over we blogged about a year ago.

Helen: I’m thinking about reading books.

So you’re both sort of thinking about school, then?

Helen: Yeah.

Scott: Kind of.

Do you like school?

Scott: No.

Helen: We hate school.

Scott: You love it – because you’re all baby-ish.

Helen: I know – I love school.

What’s the best thing about school?

Helen: Computers. What’s the least, Scott?

Scott: One word – Wednesday.

Helen: What do you hate about Wednesdays?

Scott: It’s very obvious Helen, you should know.

Helen: Just for the blog…

Scott: Helen…

Anything else you want to tell me about school?

Scott: Eh…

Helen: Eh… I made Easter Bunnies today.

Scott: Our project is Ancient Egypt.

Is that still your project?

Scott: Yeah.

What’s the newest thing you’ve learned about it?

Scott: That weapons were most commonly acquired by means of trading.

…And Helen’s drawing of Daddy, Scott and Helen at school.

Helen: I’m thinking about getting washed right now.

Computers again

Helen: Starfish.

Scott: Dollfish?

Helen: No, starfish.

Scott: It’s very dull. What do you think?

Don’t know.

Scott: What number blog is this?

Can’t remember, but don’t think it’s an important number.

Scott: Why don’t we just have a general blog? Basically…

Helen: People.

Scott: Talking about how our blog is going and how we could improve it. How about that?

Sounds like a bit of a cop-out.

Scott: What do you mean?

Sounds like cheating.

Scott: What do you mean?!

Is it not better to actually talk about something?

Scott: We are talking about something.

Helen: Starfish?

Scott: No – starfish are the most boring creatures on the planet, okay? What about computers?

Helen: Yeah. That’s the first time we agree.

Scott: You say that lots of times as if it’s true.

Helen: Any things I know how to draw.

What is a computer?

Scott: A machine that…

Helen: You play games on.

Scott: Wouldn’t exactly say play games. Watch videos. Search things. Send messages to people and lots of things. Play more games. Play more games. Play more games. Caps lock. Play more games.

Is it the best invention ever?

Scott: Probably one of the best.

What’s the worst?

Scott: (long pause) Eh… This isn’t about computers… What’s the next question? Probably ione of the worst…

Helen: That’s the one…

Scott: I’m not sure.

Helen: The boringest one are starfishes.

Scott: They’re not inventions, they’re animals…

Computers

What is a computer?

Scott: A computer… You’d have to be very stupid not to know what a computer is, so what’s the point of saying?

But can you describe what a computer is?

Scott: Oh, it’s a… It’s a…. It’s a… ICT is Information Communication Technology.

But what’s a computer?

Scott: An electricity object.

What does it do?

Scott: It gives you lots of cool websites, if you know what I mean.

So, computers are getting better and better and…

Scott: Every single second. They’re getting better right this moment.

What do you think computers will be like when you’re my age?

Scott: So big and so powerful and so expensive that only the five richest – I mean the top 10 richest – people could afford them.

Computers will get more powerful, but they usually get smaller and cheaper.

Scott: But soon they’ll get bigger and expensiver – what the cheapest you’ve ever seen a computer at?

I think you can get a decent one for £200 now.

Scott: So, if you sold your car you could get a couple of hundred computers?

Maybe two…

Scott: I thought you said less than £200, so let’s say you could buy… If your car cost… If you sold your car for £400, you could buy two. If you sold it for a million, you could buy… Five?

What were computers like when I was young?

Scott: Not very good… Graphics.

But the games were great to play.

Scott: If they can’t get good colour or sound, they have to try and at least make the gaming bit good.

I wish you could play the games I did.

Scott: I wish I could as well!

Computers

Scott: I was thinking about computers, would that be boring?

Maybe.

Scott: Let’s do computers.

Okay, what do you want to tell me?

Scott: Computers are… electrical… and…

And?

Scott: Hmm…

Are they clever?

Scott: They don’t even have a brain – they’re electrical, as I said. They might be – calculators are very brainy because they can answer any sum.

Helen: Computers are very good because you can type your name on them.

So what’s the best thing a computer can do?

Scott: I was always thinking that you can play games on it – but ebay and Amazon are good because you can get things ordered to your door in a day or two.

Do computers not do more important things?

Scott: Well, they do – I think Mummy gets this thing where you can chat with your friends.

I was thinking even more important than that.

Scott: Hmm…

Scientists use them to do important things.

Scott: They might get computers to sort of answer lots of things that lots of people have been wanting to know.

Like what?

Scott: Let’s say if anyone was wondering what you get if you cross a pigeon and a squirrel, they’d be able to tell you.

So that’s the kind of important question scientists are working hard on computers to answer?

Scott: That was only a guess.

Anything else?

Scott: I’m trying… Hmm… Helen, what do you think scientists use computers for?

Helen: To see what’s happening out in the street right now.

Good answer.

Scott: There’s something like that in my school – you click on the camera to take pictures.

When I was your age, computers were slow and big – they could be the size of a room or a house with less power than Helen’s toy computer.

Scott: A room or a house! It would be quite easy to type because the letters would be big then. That’s too big!

No, the computer’s brain would be the size of a room or a house – the keyboard would be the same size as they are now.

Scott: How could the computer be really, really, really large?

Because the things they made computers with were much bigger then.

Scott: So you wanted to have a big improvement when you were young?

A big improvement that was smaller, yes. What do you think computers will be like when you’re my age?

Scott: I don’t know how they can get better – they’d be a bit faster at loading?

Computers

So you wanted to talk about computers?

Scott: Oh yeah.

Why?

Scott: Eh… because I was doing stuff on the computer today when I was drawing and the…

And the?

Scott: Moshlings?

So you were drawing on the computer at school?

Scott: Yes.

Are computers good?

Scott: Yeah.

Why?

Scott: Well, do you know that there’s a certain password for every class?

Why do you need a password?

Scott: So they know who you are and you’re not just breaking in.

What can you do on a computer?

Scott: Sometimes, if we’re really lucky, we’re allowed to play Moshi Monsters, or we have to play Education City.

What is Education City?

Scott: It’s this game where you play all these games and all of them are education.

Is it good?

Scott: Yeah – it can be, depending what mood you’re in.

Is there anything you can’t do on a computer?

Scott: Eh… I don’t think you’re allowed to do any Assembly arrangements or anything, or animating.

No, I mean computers are amazing and you can do so many great things with them, is there anything they can’t do?

Scott: Well, you need bits to do animating.

What kind of bits?

Scott: Like a mini camera and all the bits like a background and lots of pieces to move and all that sort of stuff.

Do you think computers can think?

Scott: Sort of.

Like people, I mean?

Scott: I don’t think they’ve got that size of a mind, but they’re very amazing.

If a computer could think, what would it think?

Scott: It could think of being a real person because it can think.

That’s very profound – what would you think about if you were a computer?

Scott: I would think about what I just said.

Helen, what would you think about if you were a computer?

Helen: Because I was a computer.

What kind of computer would you be?

Helen: A plughole computer.

Are you just saying that because you’re in the bath?

Helen: Yeah – because I’m a computer.