Thought twice about posting that news article, so instead you get some rambling. We're going through some weird times right now. I have heard some mention of Great Depression 2.0. While the thought of a Great Depression is not funny at all, the sound of Great Depression 2.0 is just funny to me. 2.0, ha. That's our legacy I guess, well, our generation (assuming you're close to my age). We were the Atari babies and I loved me some Atari. I was the Atari Pacman champ in my house despite what my brother may say. I'll also never forget opening up the Commodore 64 for Christmas that one year. Now that was an awesome Christmas! Then there was my Nintendo Mario Brother's addiction in college, followed shortly by my Sega Mortal Kombat recurring thumb injury. And now look at me, on the internet blogging about about GD 2.0. heh.
I was going to post about being frugal but I'll save my money saving tips for another time. Instead I will digress which is nothing new these days. That's been happening to me all of the time lately. I initially thought it was the stupidity that comes with pregnancy and follows with motherhood but I may be wrong. I was watching the Colbert Report the other (love that show by the way) and some guy was on there pedaling his book. The book was about how the Internet is changing the way we think. I'm not talking about perception of things, I'm talking about the nuts and bolts behind it. His claim was that the internet age is changing our brain. He believes that the internet has ruined our concentration and created short attention spans. I can see where he is coming from. Think about the time you spend on the net. I know with me, I can start out reading an article about the economy and end up somewhere completely random like trying to figure out how to make creamed spinach in a matter of minutes.
I know you guys know what I'm talking about. It's like driving down a road with constant detours only to find you are on the opposite end of the world. I can't help it, I always have to look things up. There's just something about finding out the right answer. Perfectionist? Perhaps. Curious? Maybe. OCD? You never know.
But you know, when I do end up looking it up something else piques my curiosity - another detour- then another- then another. After awhile you forget what you were looking up to start with. Anyway, the guy was saying how he has a hard time reading a book these days because of the concentration required. It was an interesting perspective especially since I was able to relate to it so well.
The overall interview was actually quite funny. Stephen Colbert was playing with his iPhone the entire time he was interviewing the author (I had to look it up just now, ha, his name was Nicholas Carr and the book is called The Big Switch). You can get the jist of it all at this article he wrote for the Atlantic magazine http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google
That is if you can focus long enough to read it!
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3 comments:
I'm so with you on the loss of concentration thing... and no, I didn't finish the article, but that's because I think I read it before (not that I have enough focus to be sure of that or anything ;-) Interesting and possibly scary stuff. When my computer was down it was quite the experience to get back into reading, I enjoyed it, although I am sure drifting back here to the internet pretty much in the past week or so.
I can totally relate to that. In my mind I think I can do so much more because I can research and communicate through the internet. But more often than I realize I lose a lot of time on this computer. Like right now I should be cleaning the kitchen but here I am... However, I find the loss of concentration happens to me in the house too. We have a tri-level with a basement (stupidist floor plan ever, but the yard is to die for) so as I go downstairs to flip the laundry, I think I will drop off the trash in the garage and some photos at the desk. When I get down there I notice I need to vaccum or take something upstairs and I totally forget to flip. So I go back down, flip and find 5 things I need to do on the way back up. Eventually I find myself in the bedroom a story and a half above with no idea why I am there.
Haha. I'm glad I'm not alone. Amanda, I feel for you. I think if I had 3 stories and the not so rock solid memory that I have, I would be super fit.
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