And I was still under the impression that FaceBook etc were a younger generational thing. This article shows just how much social media is influencing baby boomers.

For example;

That must include both beloved old friends who will remind you who you are, especially as you start forgetting, and new, younger friends who will keep you active and engaged. As a bonus, they’ll likely be around long after your older friends are gone.

“We’re moving into a period of interdependency. It’s very much a two-way street. We’re going to need friends, but they’re going to need us,” says Green, 61. “As we age we’re going to have to abandon the pride that has been part of baby boomers’ strength — our determination to handle things ourselves, to be in charge and not rely on anyone else.”

For the whole article click here.

Interesting article on how Baby Boomers and their kids as a demographic force can pull the US back economically. That is if certain realities are accepted and the mistakes of the past Leary from.

Here is an extract;

But the biggest factor, one that will quickly pick up speed in the next few years, is demographic. The baby boomers and their children, the millennial generation, are looking for places to live and work that reflect their current desires and life needs. Boomers are downsizing as their children leave home while the millennials, or generation Y, are setting out on their careers with far different housing needs and preferences. Both of these huge demographic groups want something that the U.S. housing market is not currently providing: small one- to three-bedroom homes in walkable, transit-oriented, economically dynamic, and job-rich neighborhoods.

For the full story click here

Baby Boomers play catch-up. So true. Especially as we now feel the clock running even more. This great article from SMH.

IN A church hall, on a back street in Neutral Bay, a ballet class stretches against a barre. Class members work through a series of plies. A few make it onto pointe.

The only difference to every other suburban ballet class is the students are mostly women who have turned to beginner dance lessons in their 40s.

”Students are there for various reasons - some people had bad experiences, some were talented but gave up because it’s not such a high-paying career,” said Maureen Gallagher-Hough, who began teaching the class when parents of her younger students approached her two years ago.

”People are retiring earlier, they’re fitter, they have a more disposable income and they don’t feel restricted in what they should do. Our parents, when they had children, put themselves in this position where they were parents and nothing else.”

This is a trend peculiar to its generation, the social researcher Hugh Mackay says. They are the divorce generation, looking for associations in community choirs and music lessons.

They are the first generation to look at their children and grandchildren and think their lessons could be fun.

”We’re basically talking about the baby boomer generation, who’ve always been in a tearing hurry,” Dr Mackay said.

”They were the product of the Cold War. Their catchcry was, ‘We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.’ Now they’ve reached the middle to late years, realising they are here for the long time. They want to do some of the things they were in too much of a hurry to do before.”

Mrs Gallagher-Hough’s class size has trebled since she began teaching mature-aged students. Next year she will teach three classes through Mosman Community College.

Over the past 20 years adult education has proliferated. The trend has been keenly felt at City East Community College, whose arts and music programs have flourished. ”Which is where these topics [of missed learning opportunities in earlier years] come up,” said the school’s general and equity program manager, Angel Nunley.

”And [where] this emotional attachment to childhood is.”

In Surry Hills The Music Practice has 200 students a term. ”Many of them are empty nesters in their 40s and 50s,” said the director, Gillian Bonham. ”But we have a good many in their 60s. They don’t see it as re-engaging with their childhood. But I do point it out to them.”

I just saw these new MacBook Air this morning and if the reaction at the Apple shop was anything to go by then this new piece of kit is also a winner. Apple…… What a cash machine! I am surprised it has taken this long for this merge to happen though.

The following from BBC news……

The MacBook Air is 0.11 inches thick at its thinnest point
Apple is cashing in on the popularity of its iPhone and iPad to boost demand for its oldest product, the Macintosh.

The company announced that its popular app store for the iPhone and the iPad would soon be coming to its laptops.

It also launched a revamped MacBook Air at an event at its headquarters.

The computer is seen as a marriage of what Apple has learned from desktop computing and mobile devices. Like the iPad, the Air will have no hard drive and rely on flash memory.

“It’s like nothing we’ve ever created before,” said Apple boss Steve Jobs.

“We see these as the next generation of MacBooks. We think all notebooks are going to be like this one day. We’ve been inspired by some of the work we have done on iOS and want to bring them back to the Mac,” said Mr Jobs.

Analysts said the laptop sends out a clear signal to the industry.

“This is a strong reminder to everyone out there that Apple is still in the PC business,” said Michael Gartenberg, research director with Gartner.

“They are still making a lot of money in the PC business and if anyone thinks they are getting out of that business given the money they are making they are very mistaken.”

On sale

The new MacBook Air is 0.11 inches thick at its thinnest point. Apple said the computer’s battery life lets users surf the web for seven hours. In standby mode, the battery can last 30 days.

The first Macintosh made its debut on 24 January 1984
In an overview, Apple said the Macintosh accounted for a third of the company’s revenue or $22bn in the fiscal year that has just ended.

They sold 13.7 million Macs last year, which is three times the sales they had in 2005. The firm also cited research figures that showed Apple now controls 20.7% of the US consumer market and accounts for one in every five computers sold.

“The Mac company, if it were a standalone company, and we have no plans to do that, would be 110 on the Fortune 500 list,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief technology officer.

Other features

Apple also unveiled a new version of the Macintosh operating system, called Lion, to be released next summer.

The new OS builds on some of the features used in the firm’s iOS, which is currently used to power iPhones and iPads.

“Lion brings many of the best ideas from the iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones,” said Mr Jobs.

The company revealed that Macs will soon have an application store, mirroring the one that exists for its mobile devices.

A feature called launchpad will make it easy to organise and launch apps in the new version of the operating system. The App Store will be added to Macs, as a download, within 90 days.

FaceTime, which debuted on the iPhone 4 this summer, will also bring video-chatting to Macs.

Apple also updated its flagship software suite iLife. The new edition includes updates to iPhotos, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD and iWeb.

The new iPhoto integrates more deeply with social networks, such as Facebook, allowing people to upload pictures directly from the software, as well as see comments that people have made on their photos.

I suppose as PM she cant say anything else!

JULIA Gillard has dismissed as “stupid and wrong” a senior union official’s belief that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy but has refused to discipline him.

Kevin Bracken, the Victorian secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and Victorian Trades Hall Council president, today renewed his call for a fresh inquiry into the 9/11 attacks, claiming the “official story doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny”.

He claimed elements of the former Bush government, military personnel and security services were involved in the attacks.

But VTHC secretary Brian Boyd today distanced unions from Mr Bracken’s views.

The Opposition opened parliamentary question time on the matter today, with Victorian MP Josh Frydenberg asking the Prime Minister what action she would take against Mr Bracken “to send a message that such remarks are unacceptable”.

For the full story in the Australian click here.