It's a strange feeling to have spent so much time indoors tapping into cyberspace on so many consecutive sunny summer days. Between my two distance-learning MLIS classes and my online editing job, it feels like I'm constantly typing, clicking, scanning, and linking. Even on the last couple of days when I've sat outside to read, my reading material has been Discovering Computers, which makes me feel like I'm online.
I do believe that all this connectivity is affecting the way I think, as well. The more technology evolves, the more it infiltrates our own malleable brains. It's part enhancement, part infestation, part mystery. I read a really interesting article about this phenomenon today:
What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
I can feel the phenomena discussed in the article: I sometimes rely on silicon memory as much as my own; often my concentration doesn't feel as intense as it once might have been; multitasking is a way of life. In casual conversation, when near my laptop, I'm wont to say things like, "That reminds me of... wait, who was the 'reciprocal altruism' guy? ... [Quickly googling "reciprocal altruism" author] ... right, Robert Trivers!" And although I'm glad for the memory boost, I'm unlikely to read a whole article that turns up. But I truly appreciate that I have the option to read not just one but 137,000 pages that pop up instantly!
I'll end this post by embedding my favorite music video, which has everything to do with the way information and technology are saturating our lives today.
(Royksopp: Remind Me)
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2 comments:
Hey - I loved the video!! Thanks for sharing it with the group. :-) (I see you're from Havertown - I live just up the road in Wynnewood!)
Thanks for the comment Elizabeth--I am in awe of your blog! I can type and post stuff on my blog, and that's seriously all I can do, so seeing you've got videos and weblinks on your blog, to me, was like looking at a monet or picasso after I just finished scribbling around on some paper with my crayons...maybe I should eat more beets.....;-)
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