The Real World
Since leaving the world of manufacturers I’ve started a small hometown computer store. A completely simple affair with very little stock and an emphasis on service.
A few days ago I was confronted with a completely n00bish question from a grandmother who had to be around 80. “What is RAM?” she asked. She went on to say her grandson was complaining about her computer being slow and said she needed to get “more megabits or something”.
Here’s how I explained it. If you were going to make some sandwiches to entertain 75 people for lunch- oh my, that’s a lot of people. Well, you would sure be busy.
You would also set up some kind of production line with some friends to help you out. Let’s say you are the one cutting the crust off the bread- oh, it’s a fancy party. Yes, a fancy party.
So you need to have a pile of bread handy so you can just grab a slice and start cutting. So you yell for your husband to bring you some bread and he comes with 5 slices- well he should bring more than that.
Correct! Because you will cut those 5 slices up pretty fast and will have to wait around while he brings more- he won’t like doing this.
True, but what if he could bring 10 loaves of bread all at the same time. He would only have to make a couple of trips and then you’d be done.
What an amazing thing to see the look in her eyes as she realized that more RAM would make her computer do things faster in the same way as making sandwiches.
You are BRILLIANT! as the Guinness gods would say. The next time i have to explain what ram is im using this analogy. To quote a capt Morgan guzzling genius ram is like a sandwich….
There’s a difference between learning it in school and learning it the hard way. When you learn it the hard way you can put it in laymans terms so anyone can understand it.
This is why you will do great in a home town service oreinted computer store!