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About five hours from now my father will put down his keys on his office table, say farewell to his colleagues, walk home and never go back.
He's retiring against his will.
Polio (^) hit him a second time (^) after that nearly 60 years ago he got away with a thinner right arm only.
Doctor says he must exercise, but not just moving his muscles and bones, but his brain too.
So I brought him a 17" laptop and explained him how to search and find things of interest.
But only reading isn't enough, so I intent to find him something to learn, and this what I'm asking you.
Have any idea what to teach a 60 year old man?
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what about 'Lumosity' or, teach him a programming language and make him produce something - a game or something serious
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Lumosity looks great - thank you.
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Absolutely. Chess would be my first bet.
Nuclear launch detected
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Good idea. He already knows chess so all I need is a chess application on his laptop...
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Try chess.com. They have both in browser and iPhone/Android apps.
Nuclear launch detected
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Well my DAD was a manager when he retired and so I introduced him to few tycoon games.
He loves it
cheers,
Super
------------------------------------------
Too much of good is bad,mix some evil in it
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The traditional punishment for retiring is to be forced to learn golf.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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I think it's a bit too much walking to him...
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What about asking him if he'd like to do charity related work like helping out at animal charities, that sort of thing. That'd give him some of the the physical activity he needs. As for the brain, I'll let others add their ideas. 
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Depending on how he is with regards to manual dexterity origami is a fairly easy and enjoyable skill to pick up.
You don't have to be 'artistic' just patient and able to follow instructions.
Also it's very cheap. Even pre-cut origami paper is cheap(if you don't want cut and use A4).
I would not recommend books to begin with as it is not easy following the folds from a book - there are some good youtube tutorials which I can give you links to if you are interested.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Great. He can do an 'Origami School' for his grandchildren...
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I would think he doesn't need you to figure out what he should do.
Peter Wasser
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa
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You mean he is married and already has someone to make his decisions? 
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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Indeed and why would you add to that.
Peter Wasser
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa
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I wouldn't dare!
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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When my father retired and boredom started to hit, he also bought a PC.
One of his projects was digitizing his vinyl records collection. Some of the older 78 rpm ones may very well be 'last specimens'.
Another, transferring old VCR family/vacation/wedding movies to CDs, while adding subtitles and transitions in the process.
A third project was scanning photo albums, and digitally retouching cracks. Of all possible graphic software choices, he uses MS Paint.
In a short time he was also using Skype to communicate with friends and relatives, and Google+ to share pictures.
Best hopes for your father,
Pablo.
"Accident: An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws." (Ambrose Bierce, circa 1899).
"You are to act in the light of experience as guided by intelligence" (Rex Stout, "In the Best Families", 1950).
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Digital photography?
It will involve physical exercise, intellectual exercise (have you ever used Gimp?   ), and artistic endeavour. Exercise the body and both sides of the brain in a single activity.
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At the age of 65, my mother started creating websites... I didn't suggest it, but she wanted to put some contents on the web (photos, text). After reaching her goal (thanks Google), she enjoyed it, and started doing it for her friends!
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Don't get him Windows 8.
That was made for kids who stare all day like zombies at facebook.
It will make your Dad wonder why you don't love him anymore.
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Hi,
I would give him this text that was hanging on the walls of [General Mac Arthur's ]headquarter:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOUTH
YOUTH is not a time of life-it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, it is a freshness of the deep springs of life.
YOUTH means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over love or ease. This often exists in a man of fifty or more than in a boy of twenty.
NOBODY grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust , fear and despair - these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.
WHEATER seventy or sixteen, there is in every being's heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars and the starlike things and thoughts, the undaunted challenge of events; the unfailoing child-like appetite for what next, and the joy and the game of life.
YOU are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
IN the central part of hour heart there is a wireless situation; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from the earth, from men and from infinite, so long you are young.
WHEN the wires are all down and the central place of your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynism, then you are grown old indeed and may God have mercy on your soul.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simply ask him if he is in for a new adventure and figure out together what that could be
With friendly greetings,
Eric Goedhart
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Carpentering is a great physical and mental exercise.
All you need is an empty room and some relatively inexpensive equipment.
Amr Abdel Majeed
Senior Software Developer
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Maybe writing would be his thing, he obviously spent many years doing something maybe he could blog about it or write a series of tutorials?
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