[aqsis]

Sound like software development might be a good opportunity for your dad to put his analytical skills to good use in his retirement. I'd suggest finding an existing open source project that relates to a field that he has particular interest in. That might be something related to his career or other interests throughout his life. Choosing a project that has an innate interest to him is more likely to be "sticky" and would make learning the new technologies and systems more achievable. By far the best place to start would be on Github of course, scan through the projects on there for something that jumps out and is looking for contribution.