[Mac User #001]

A neighbor of mine (who happens to be an old, wacked lady), has asked me to do something of an unrealistic proportion. And my mom has forced me to listen to her.

Her husband never learned to read or write (and I've been in the car with him driving before, yikes!). Lately she has gotten the crazy idea that she might die before him, when all odds point to him going first. Anyways, shes preparing him for life without her. A little weird, yeah.

To the point- she is writing out how to write checks so he knows how to. Okay, sure. But he can't read. Whatever. Anyways, she wants to make sure he makes no mistakes, and so is writing out the proper way to write a check from $0.01 all the way to $500.00, and possibly $1,000.00, but luckily mom refused to do that. Thats including every cent in between. So $0.01, $0.02, and so forth... To $500.00!!!

She was doing it until $40.00, pretty impressive, but then said her hand was hurting, and is now making us do it. By us, I mean my brother and I, but I'd like to spare us both.

I've got to believe there is an application out there that could do this for me, otherwise I'll be at my desk with a pen and some paper for a LONG time!

Any hope?

[JustinHorne]

Holy crap!

I'd make a font based on your handwriting, then cut and paste that until completion...

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Mac User #001 

To the point- she is writing out how to write checks so he knows how to. Okay, sure. But he can't read. Whatever. Anyways, she wants to make sure he makes no mistakes, and so is writing out the proper way to write a check from $0.01 all the way to $500.00, and possibly $1,000.00, but luckily mom refused to do that. Thats including every cent in between. So $0.01, $0.02, and so forth... To $500.00!!!

I don't get it. How is that going to help him if he can't read the instructions anyway?

[Chuckit]

Er…do you mean he needs all decimal numbers numbers from 0.01 to 500.00 written out, or their "Five dollars and 45/100" equivalents, or both? I mean, it wouldn't be that hard to write a script that automatically generates all the numbers with just a pretty rudimentary knowledge of any scripting languages, although of course it would be at least 50,000 lines of output.

[CharlesS]

Ah, good point. I suppose that you could whip something up with Cocoa and NSNumberFormatter to do that if you're familiar with Objective-C.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

I don't get it. How is that going to help him if he can't read the instructions anyway?

I don't know. I'm lost on that one. My only guess is he can read numbers?

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by JustinHorne 

Holy crap!

I'd make a font based on your handwriting, then cut and paste that until completion...

I was thinking of that.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Er…do you mean he needs all decimal numbers numbers from 0.01 to 500.00 written out, or their "Five dollars and 45/100" equivalents, or both? I mean, it wouldn't be that hard to write a script that automatically generates all the numbers with just a pretty rudimentary knowledge of any scripting languages, although of course it would be at least 50,000 lines of output.

The "Five Dollars and 45/100" one is needed. And I have no knowledge of any scripting languages. Sounds like that would just be harder though.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Ah, good point. I suppose that you could whip something up with Cocoa and NSNumberFormatter to do that if you're familiar with Objective-C.

I'm not.

[midwinter]

It would be easier, and far more reasonable, to make arrangements with a bank, lawyer, or bill-paying service.

[Mac User #001]

How would I do that? Or would that be something they should do?

[Big Mac]

That's pretty sad.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by Mac User #001 

How would I do that? Or would that be something they should do?

They should do it. She should contact her bank's manager and see if the bank will provide the service for them. If not, contact whoever drafted their will to see if he/she knows anyone providing the service.

My point is that there are services that take care of this stuff. It doesn't matter that he's illiterate (although it is sad). He might as well have alzheimer's. The point is that he is incapable of paying his own bills.

[Nodnarb]

Just to be clear---by service you mean, helping them pay bills (not financially, just the actual payment) correct?
I could be way off base, but it seems the OP was interpreting the bank or whomever will do the "service" of writing out all of the numbers.

Either way, that's not the way to go about it. It makes sense if she's just old and worried that she wants to do this, but I'm surprised your mother is making you write the numbers because it serves absolutely no purpose. If your mom is serious about helping your neighbors, have her sit down with the "old, wacked lady" and help her understand what changes would need to be made in either her or her husbands life and their plans. There are services to help the elderly pay their bills and such (for whatever reason, this one being illiteracy). Writing out the numbers just makes no sense and doesn't help anybody.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by Nodnarb 

Just to be clear---by service you mean, helping them pay bills (not financially, just the actual payment) correct?
I could be way off base, but it seems the OP was interpreting the bank or whomever will do the "service" of writing out all of the numbers.

Either way, that's not the way to go about it. It makes sense if she's just old and worried that she wants to do this, but I'm surprised your mother is making you write the numbers because it serves absolutely no purpose. If your mom is serious about helping your neighbors, have her sit down with the "old, wacked lady" and help her understand what changes would need to be made in either her or her husbands life and their plans. There are services to help the elderly pay their bills and such (for whatever reason, this one being illiteracy). Writing out the numbers just makes no sense and doesn't help anybody.

I was not interpreting it in that way. I understood what was said.

And maybe "old, wacked lady" wasn't the best way to describe her... The "old, senile lady". There.

Alright, well thanks for that all. I'll talk to my mom about this.