Ian Lamont Quotes & Sayings

Not only are we digital immigrants, we are also media dinosaurs. We enjoy thumbing through glossy magazines, and maybe still subscribe to a daily newspaper. We schedule at least one evening per week around a favorite TV program, created by one of the major television or cable networks. We can name at least one local or national news anchor. And scattered around our homes and offices are veritable graveyards of physical media - old tapes, vinyl records, floppy disks, and magazines - that we insist on keeping, even though we'll probably never use them again. — Ian Lamont

Are your kids better off watching 10 hours of Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel every week? — Ian Lamont

Dropbox users themselves may be the source of security problems. If you are sharing a folder with 100 users, a couple of them are bound to be using easily guessed passwords to guard their accounts (the names of pets or first-born children, 'password', etc.). Sharing links can also lead to problems, if the wrong link is shared or someone posts the link online or in some other public forum. — Ian Lamont

Google Drive has many uses. However, if I had to name the killer feature, it would be the ability to instantly create or edit online documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other types of files from any Web browser connected to the Internet. It's a cheap, quick and effective substitute for Microsoft Office. — Ian Lamont

In the online math class, there was almost no meaningful student/teacher or student/student interaction. To equate this type of online learning with a real-world classroom experience is a major stretch. — Ian Lamont

The starting point for 'discounts' may be the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), an arbitrarily high price that no one will ever pay. By crossing out the high MSRP, retailers are handing shoppers a psychological victory that will make them feel good about the purchase, even if the discounted price is still expensive. — Ian Lamont

A new car can be driven for 10 years or more if it's properly maintained. Heck, drive that sucker into the ground before you replace it! — Ian Lamont

Tweets about the mundane aspects of your life contain something that is vitally important to gaining followers and taking part in discussions: Authenticity. — Ian Lamont

Twitter is more than just a collection of fleeting observations about everyday life. Twitter can connect people to events, information and each other in ways that have never been experienced before. — Ian Lamont

If you've driven new cars all of your life, the term "used vehicle" may conjure up images of a dusty old beater with missing hubcaps and no A/C, dragging a clattering muffler down the boulevard. Yes, such cars exist, but I am not advocating that you buy one. Besides the embarrassment, there are also safety concerns and additional maintenance costs associated with clunkers. — Ian Lamont

We're creatures of habit when it comes to mobile contracts and the wires piping high-speed data into our homes. It's a pain to deal with transfers, installations, and customer service interactions, so we shrug and keep paying a premium. — Ian Lamont

Excel suffers from an image problem. Most people assume that spreadsheet programs such as Excel are intended for accountants, analysts, financiers, scientists, mathematicians, and other geeky types. Creating a spreadsheet, sorting data, using functions, and making charts seems daunting, and best left to the nerds. — Ian Lamont

Manuscript editions didn't immediately die out with the printing explosion that burst across Europe in the 1460s and 1470s. Manuscripts continued to be produced into the 16th century, many decades after presses had spread to most minor cities in Western Europe. — Ian Lamont

Old media companies will be further challenged in the next 15 years, as a new wave of user-generated content washes over the Internet, thanks to the increasing availability and affordability of portable, digital-based electronic devices. The cameraphones which seemed like such novelties just a few years ago will be in everyone's purse and pocket a few years from now. — Ian Lamont

I am skeptical that distance education based on asynchronous Internet technologies (i.e., prerecorded video, online forums, and email) is a substitute for live classroom discussion and other on-campus interaction. Distance education students can't raise their hands to ask instructors questions or participate in discussions, and it's difficult or impossible for them to take advantage of faculty office hours. Teaching assistants don't always respond to email, and online class discussion boards can be neglected by students and faculty alike. In this sense, the "process of dialogue" is actually limited by technology. — Ian Lamont

I vividly remember going to Google Docs, opening a document at the same time other students were working on it, and seeing their differently colored cursors moving around the screen, typing new words and making edits in real time. It was an epiphany. — Ian Lamont

In business presentations, positive impressions can help make a sale or win over an audience. — Ian Lamont

Get used to the idea of significant portion of the population walking around with high-speed Internet connections on their person, with sophisticated video cameras built in. They will be shooting all kinds of events all the time. Crime. Crashes. Speeches. Sports. And the footage won't be the short, sanitized and safe versions we usually see on television, courtesy of the old media gatekeepers. The user-generated pictures and video will be raw and real. It will be disturbing, yet illuminating. And it will be shared over the 'Net almost as it happens, and available for everyone to see. — Ian Lamont

The most effective learning takes place in the classroom, where you can easily raise your hand, engage in spontaneous discussions with classmates and faculty, turn to the person next to you to ask for clarification, or approach the professor after class or during office hours to ask questions or exchange viewpoints in a way that practically guarantees an instant response and is not constrained by typing, software interfaces, or waiting for a response. — Ian Lamont

The 'fear of change' excuse is something you see trotted out by organizations or management that believe customers are old, stupid, ignorant, and stubborn. — Ian Lamont

Automatic synchronization is the killer feature of Dropbox, something that will save lots of time and streamline collaboration. — Ian Lamont

Thanks to relentless media exposure and little-understood financing and sales practices, not to mention the perception of autos as important status indicators, most people replace their cars on a regular basis. — Ian Lamont

If Auto Fill is the Japanese throwing star of spreadsheets, then making charts surely is the equivalent of Japanese calligraphy. With just a few clicks of the mouse, it's possible to turn your raw data into visual presentations that will impress all who come near. — Ian Lamont

At the end of the day, taking 50% off a $250 dress still means walking out of the store $125 poorer. — Ian Lamont

Being able to sync the same content among multiple devices provides a very convenient backup for Dropbox data. If your Mac laptop gets dropped in your backyard swimming pool, as long as it's been recently synced, you'll still be able to quickly access all of the files and folders stored in Dropbox folder on the desktop PC. — Ian Lamont