An
Essential
Computer Skills Guide
(For the Non-Technical)
If you’re going to do something, isn’t it important to know why you want to do it? What do you want to get out of it, what are the costs, and will it be a worthwhile endeavor? I’ve put this guide together to help educate non-technical folks about computers, but the truth is, most non-technical folks don’t understand why this is essential knowledge to begin with. None of this stuff is really stressed in school or work, so where you would you hear about it? Certainly not from the entities who benefit from your ignorance. I care about you and, though you might be ignorant, I don’t consider you stupid or inferior in any way. Please allow me to share what little I have learned along the way so that it may bless your life and perhaps the lives of your loved ones.
One of the most bedrock concepts, that everyone should be taught, is the understanding of natural human rights. These are the universal rights granted to every human being by their Creator. They cannot be given or taken away by man or government and imply the existence of God. The understanding and acknowledgment of these rights will yield the very best kinds of human societies. You may know some of them, but here is an inexhaustive list:
The right to life and self-defense
The right to liberty; being able to live your life as you see fit, this includes:
The right of assembly and movement; being able to get together and go where you want
The right to free speech; being able to speak your mind
Freedom of religion; being able to believe and practice your faith
The pursuit of happiness
The right to property; being able to own, obtain, and transfer possessions
The right to privacy; being able to create boundaries for how, and whom, we present ourselves
Natural rights come with two responsibilities:
Observe the rights of others.
Do not misuse your freedoms to violate other’s rights.
In light of a few of these rights, consider how computers now touch on so many facets of our lives. Can you even get a job to make a living without a cell phone? Don’t we assemble online to talk about what we want? Don’t we coordinate our religious gatherings online? Don’t we go to learn and find advice online? Don’t we have digital documents, music, photos, and pictures? Didn’t we buy our devices? Don’t we make financial transactions online? Might we own cryptocurrency? Don’t we want to control where all of our data and online movements get shared? Do you see why this stuff matters?
Computers are not going away any time soon. Even if we have WWIII, as long as there are people, computers will be with us. So what will you get out of following this guide? My hope is that you will understand more fully what it is to own your computers, be able to store, backup, and secure your data, and realize that you have WAY more control over all of this than you think. I hope that you reach a point where you can share this knowledge with others and teach your children. So how hard will this be and how long will it take? Will you have to buy anything? I really don’t know your schedule or resources, but I think you can tackle the big stuff in less than a month. You can basically learn forever about computers if you enjoy it. I will try to keep things as simple as possible. Yes, you will probably have to buy a few things, but I promise to keep the list as minimal as possible. Will this be worth it? If you care about your life, society, and future generations...yes! Ready? Let’s go.
-daniel@campduffel.social