Why MacGyver is fail.

I didn't live through the Great Depression (and I pray I don't have to live through "the Great-D 2.0"), but my parents did. And because of this, I think I know a little about making something from nothing. At any time, my pockets contain assorted useless crap like paper clips or rubber bands or twist ties, as well as a few Xanax (because I work with the public).

And I think others like me (old people), understand how to make do with less. But I just read something that makes me realize that young people can't possibly do without everything being available at every given moment.

Librarianinblack quotes this article from eSchoolNews:

"Students who took the survey said the major obstacles to their use of technology at school include filters that block the web sites they need..."

There are (according to cuil.com, who still counts these things) 124 billion web pages, and these self-described tech-expert kids can't find anything they need if Wikipedia is blocked. By comparison, you could block 79% of the Internet, and I could still find enough stuff to write a paper on any high school grade topic. Yeah, I'm bad.

"In the Speak Up survey, students said they generally use technology for online and computer gaming [BLOCKED], downloading music [BLOCKED], communicating through eMail, instant messaging and texting [BLOCKED], or maintaining a personal web site, such as a Facebook or MySpace page [BLOCKED]."

[BLOCKED] comments mine.

Oh, so this is what gets blocked, and this is the stuff they claim is an obstacle. This is the stuff they need. At least this explains it.

I wonder how kids are going to make it if the economy gets any worse, if they can't afford cell phones or all the other crap that's essential to their survival. Maybe they need to check their pockets: look, a AAA battery, a condom, a half pack of Mentos, a twist-off Bud Lite cap. Hell, with all that crap, MacGyver could make an artificial heart! Or a space shuttle! Or a porpoise! Or a ham radio! Or a....