ORANGUTANS CAN WHAT???

According to a short article in this morning's Arizona Republic, four orangutans at the Louisville, KY, zoo received iPads with selected apps for Christmas.  They are, quite happily, playing on iPad drums and a xylophone.  They're poking at fish in an iPad koi pond between bouts of blasting iPad rocks.  And, they're interacting with other orangutans through iPad photos and videos.

Interestingly enough, BC and I also received an iPad plus iTunes gift cards for Christmas.  We are, in contrast to the orangutans, downloading our own applications but, after reading the app list for the orangutans, NPR, Pandora, CNBC and even K-State Sports seem a bit dull. 

Orangutans are considered to be highly intelligent and "require mental stimulation to keep from growing bored and depressed".  We are also intelligent.  "Highly" intelligent might be open to question, but we, too, require mental stimulation to keep from growing bored, depressed, and certifiably ga-ga.  Whereas, orangutans are participating in an animal-enrichment program which gives them freedom of choice ("critical to their well-being"), we are participating in a human-enrichment program designed to give us patience and forebearance when dealing with yet another technological marvel.

For example:  Upon initial set-up of our iPad, I entered our family e-mail as our Apple ID.  Later, in a less conscious moment, I entered a different e-mail address in our iCloud set-up.  Then, I forgot the passwords that matched each of those IDs.  Within a few days, I forgot that I had two IDs for different Apple applications and one would not easily translate to the other.  Then, to my horror, I realized I had written none of this down, so there were no records for iPad vs. iPod vs. iTunes vs. iCloud.  Had I bought an iPhone when I really wanted to and, in my ignorance, created even more IDs and passwords, well...it would have been unsolvable. 

Today, I spent nearly five hours straightening up the ID/Password situation, before beginning to struggle with Apple Support to bring the iPad back to life. It had begun refusing to respond to any request we tentatively made. 

In the Louisville zoo, however, Amber, Bella, Segundo and Teak spent those same five hours merrily exercising their highly intelligent brains and "innate ability to work with touchscreen technology" by enjoying their favorite interactive apps, "Colors and Sounds".  I'm very happy for them...really I am.  But I hate that an orangutan--no matter how sweet or cute--can interact with others through an iPad, and I need a cheat-sheet to Skype.  Oh, I'm sorry...Face Time.