An 81-Year-Old Woman Just Created Her Own iPhone App (cnn.com) 60
After 43 years working in one of Japan's leading banks, 81-year-old Masako Wakamiya has launched an iPhone app called "Hinadan" that shows users how to stage traditional dolls for the Hinamatsuri festival. From a report on CNN Money: She says she felt compelled to do something after noticing a shortage of fun apps aimed at people her age. "We easily lose games when playing against young people, since our finger movements can't match their speed," Wakamiya told CNN. The retired banker asked a bunch of people to create games for seniors, but no one was interested. So she took matters into her own hands and achieved something many people half her age haven't done. "I wanted to create a fun app to get elderly people interested in smartphones," she said. "It took about half a year to develop." Wakamiya started using computers at age 60 when she was caring for her elderly mother and finding it difficult to get out and socialize with friends.
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Awww. Are you a young white male and feeling like you haven't accomplished anything of real value in your life? 'Cause you sure sound that way to us. She did good. Shoot, I'm about 1/2 her age and I think I might be too old to learn to program android or iphone. I'm pretty sure it would be a lot harder to pick up now than when I was younger.
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I'm damn near exactly half her age.
Good for her. I still haven't made anything for a phone or tablet (though I'm actually thinking about it).
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She's a witch!
But how do you KNOW?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g [youtube.com]
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Which was more important to the slashdot editors here? That she was a woman or that she was old?
No, it was because this was the first iPhone app written in Fortran.
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Actually, she deserves praise for pulling off what she did, regardless of her age or gender
That said, from /. POV, I think that since she's both, a combination of the two. This is a gold mine - when you have a person meeting multiple diversity checkboxes, thereby enabling just one person to be praised for multiple things. Imagine a Black Lesbian Trannie who developed an automatic appmaker on her own. Not only would it be a remarkable feat, but Blacks, Lesbians and Trannies would all get to celebrate.
It's 2017 (Score:1)
I was hoping more for a "81 year old woman just reversed her own aging with home biohacking kit".
But I guess this is cool too.
Motivation (Score:5, Insightful)
Being motivated is half the battle in most endeavors.
Re:Motivation (Score:4, Funny)
Not just motivation though. Articles like this allow me to print it out and point to my grandma and say "SEE! LIKE THIS!". Old people need pressure to perform too!
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That's right, teach your grandma to make a new app where a simple damn web page would do. You're part of the problem, buddy.
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That's right, teach your grandma to make a new app where a simple damn web page would do. You're part of the problem, buddy.
FUCK OFF ***AND*** DIE, YOU INSUFFERABLE TWIT!
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Someone's been taking his grandma's medication.
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As a kid, my parents would constantly torture me by pointing out the other achieving kids who outperformed me in school. Now, my parents are in their 80s, so it would be fun to show this to them and then give them the third degree about why they haven't developed all the apps that are missing from the stores }:-)
South Indian Golu and Japanese Hinamatsuri (Score:5, Interesting)
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Lord Vishnu has incarnated as human (taken the avatar of human) at least 26 times if you read all the scriptures and all versions. But it is generally accepted 10 are the most important one. But the list in South India differs from North India's. In North India, Buddha is accepted as the ninth avatar of Vishnu. The 10th one is impending world destroying apocalypse inducing Kalki avatar. In South India Balaraman, brother of Krishna, is accepted as th
Comment (Score:4, Funny)
...Or she could just use facebook, like everybody else's grandma! /ducks
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/ducks
Is this some new phone-friendly / hipster version of the IRC "/me ducks" thing from the late 90s? If so, sigh. If not, carry on. And get off my lawn while you're at it.
Badass baa-chan (Score:3)
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So did she really create the app, or did she just have the idea for someone else to do it? I seriously doubt she sat down and learned how to do this like the SJWs would have us believe.
Why, the "skills needed" aren't really that hard. I'm sure they're completely within the realm of possibility for a complete novice to learn and execute with a year of learning or less given proper motivation. Of the millions of old women in the world, it doesn't surprise me there are some who have learnt programming late in life.
Re:Coder or idea? (Score:4, Informative)
So did she really create the app, or did she just have the idea for someone else to do it? I seriously doubt she sat down and learned how to do this like the SJWs would have us believe.
Why not? At 81 she is retired and has plenty of time. Anyone who can think logically, understand abstractions, and is willing the to put in the time can learn how to program. Article said she was a banker, so she was a professional and would have at least basic math and logic skills. Article also said "She calls herself a technology evangelist and even wrote her own PC textbooks", so she has at least a basic computer understanding. Given determination it wouldn't be that hard to go find a sample application (and associated build process) and keep tweaking it until it does what you want.
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Also the summary said she started using computers at 60 years old. At 81 now this means that she's likely more capable and competent than many Slashdot posters and has been using computers longer than many of these AC trolls have been in the world.
I'm wouldn't question if she can write an app, I'm wondering what else she can do that would put a lot of youngens to shame.
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The foundation of an App is completely created by drag and drop in Apple tools.
Programmers and also non programmers simlly underestimate how good those tools are and how much work in crafting Apps is automated. Nevertheless she of course had to code the actual logic she needed by hand.
Good start... (Score:2)
Wakamiya started using computers at age 60 when she was caring for her elderly mother and finding it difficult to get out and socialize with friends.
Probably lives in the basement, too. Great start!
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Oh man I wish I had a grandma in my basement. An endless supply of cookies would mean I would really have no reason to visit the surface world anymore.
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No cookies. This was an app not a website.
Swift or Obj-C ? (Score:2)
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Stereotypes (Score:2, Funny)
I realise a woman coding is such a huge accomplishment because they cannot comprehend basic mathematics, so we have to write a news article about it every time they do. But we have to remember, she is also asian, so we know she is naturally good at coding, and probably had lots of free time after she crashed her car and lost her husband in a crowd of other identicle Asian men.
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