I heard a kid call a drawing tablet a 'magic sketchbook' and it got me thinking

It made me remember saving up for my first Wacom Bamboo in 2009, which felt like a huge deal. Now that kind of tech is just a normal thing for them to play with. Does anyone else feel like the 'wow' factor for digital tools has totally changed?

4 comments

4 Comments

shane_carter2mo ago

Yeah, the "pilot a spaceship" thing from @tessap97 is spot on. I mean, I had to calibrate the pen on a grid of crosshairs like I was arming a missile. Now you just see a toddler unlock an iPad and pinch-zoom a drawing before they can even talk. It's wild. The magic is totally there, but it's just a normal Tuesday for them, not some big tech event you had to save lunch money for.

martinez.paul3d ago

And speaking of that magic sketchbook thing, I had a buddy who dropped like six hundred bucks on a Wacom back in 2002 because he was convinced it would make him the next Picasso. Ngl, he spent three hours just trying to get the pen pressure to register, and by the end of it he'd drawn a squiggly line that looked like a worm having a seizure. Now his six year old niece grabs his iPad, opens Procreate, and cranks out a recognizable dog in like two minutes flat. Tbh, I think she'd laugh in his face if he tried to tell her about the old days. Honestly, it's both impressive and a little sad how fast the magic became normal.

tessap972mo ago

Honestly that magic sketchbook thing is too real. Tbh my first tablet felt like I was piloting a spaceship, all clumsy lines and driver issues. Now kids just tap an iPad like it's nothing. Ngl it makes me feel like a grandpa who had to walk uphill both ways to render a circle.

beth_kelly2mo ago

Pilot a spaceship" is a good way to put it, but that struggle taught you how the tech actually works. Isn't that better than just treating it like a normal Tuesday?