Lewis Dickson, 78, is a guy who’s been around technology his entire life. He began as a ham radio operator when he was 13. Then he spent the rest of his career as one of the “IBM guys,” and ultimately as a consultant for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta. He retired in 2024.
But retirement wasn’t the end for Dickson. It turned out to be the starting line for a completely new endeavor. He found a site on the internet (https://emergent.sh) that allowed him to utilize powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to build new websites and applications for phones, tablets and computers. Here’s how simple it is: he simply told his computer what he wanted in plain language (the young’uns call it “vibe coding”). He may have spoken directly to the computer using dictation software, or he may have simply typed his instructions.
He’s now built about a dozen new applications (apps). You might recall seeing AEDs (defibrillators) on airport or gymnasium walls? Well, because of Dickson and his apps, the company’s representatives can ask their phone (with Dickson’s app), “What’s our AED status?” and the app gives an updated status from their database.
But here’s what’s important. Dickson didn’t keep this knowledge to himself. He now teaches AI to other seniors in his community. Sue, one of his neighbors – and 100 years old – asked him what a semiconductor actually was. Dickson was gracious and jumped at the chance to help Sue. Using AI, he made a short video that traced the entire evolution from vacuum tubes to radios to transistors. Sue got the answer she needed in a form that she could understand.
In the senior community where Dickson lives and teaches, other students have taken over the residents’ newsletter. They now use AI to help write each edition and create the images for the newsletter. They use it to help them find bargains and to identify plants and birds from photos.
If you’re thinking the guy in this story came with a career’s worth of experience, you’re right. But that experience simply helped him to, as he says, “apply AI strategically, not just technically.” If you’re just starting out, don’t measure yourself against Dickson. Measure yourself against Sue and where she started. She asked a simple question: What is a semiconductor? She got her answer because Dickson, her neighbor, had found a tool and knew how to use it. Then he turned around and taught it.
Here’s the takeaway: If you’re the curious one, ask the question and find your Dickson. If you’re the one who knows a few things about technology, be the Dickson to your neighbors or friends. The fastest way to learn more, no matter what your age, is to teach what you know.
Dickson told his own story to Business Insider and you can read it in his words here (https://www.businessinsider.com/retiree-vibe-coding-seniors-ai-lewis-dickson-2026-2) (the site may ask for a subscription).
The Tip: Silence calls from numbers you don’t recognize
This should only take you about five minutes and it works with the scam alert below.
iPhones can send any call from a phone number that’s not in your contacts straight to voicemail. Android phones can do the same, but only for hidden numbers. On an iPhone, your phone won’t ring, and legitimate callers like a doctor’s office or a delivery driver can still leave a message. Here’s how:
On an iPhone:
Open Settings
Tap Phone (on newer phones tap Apps first, then Phone)
Tap Silence Unknown Callers, and tap the toggle switch to “ON.”
This won’t affect calls from people in your Contacts. They’ll still ring through.
On an Android phone:
Open the Phone app
Tap the 3 dots at the top
Tap Settings, then “Blocked Numbers”
Turn on blocking from unidentified callers
One difference from iPhone: this only blocks calls from hidden numbers. A regular number that’s not in your contacts will still ring.
The Scam Alert: “The FTC is calling about your phone number”
This is a new scam warning, just published by the Federal Trade Commission on October 22nd. Someone calls saying they are an FTC official. They tell you that a phone registered under your name and number is being used to run scams in another country. They read off a badge number (it’s fake!). If you don’t cooperate, they threaten to deactivate your phone number and may transfer you to a “police officer.” They may even tell you to call a number they give you to look up yourself so it feels like you verified it. Then here comes the scary part. They ask for your ID, your personal information, and eventually they’ll ask for money for a “security deposit,” insisting that you tell no one.
Every single part of this is a lie. Here are the FTC’s own words:
A real FTC employee will never reach out to ask you to send money or connect you to someone who does.
A real FTC employee will never threaten to disconnect your phone.
A real FTC employee will never tell you to keep the conversation secret.
Here’s the one thing to remember, and it will defeat this scam: any person who calls you demanding money, threatening your phone service, or swearing you to secrecy is a scammer, no matter who they claim to be. Hang up. Nothing bad will happen when you hang up on the real government, because the real government doesn’t make these calls.
If you do get one of these calls, report it here: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
You can read the FTC’s full alert here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/10/ftc-not-calling-deactivate-your-phone-number
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Rick
