I've been wanting to post, really I have. But, well... you know... things...
I don't know why life has seemed so busy. Clearly, judging from some of the other blogs that I read, life isn't any busier for anyone else - why should it be for me? Am I lazy? A bit. Do I make poor choices for my free time? Undoubtedly. It probably means that the moment has come for a time and motion study.
Or perhaps not. That way madness lies.
Speaking of madness, I missed this article the first time around, Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", and finally read it in the Best American Science and Nature Writing for 2009. I have to say that it really, really depressed me; not least because I like to read, nor because I've got way too much money invested in books to now find that I'll no longer be able to read them because the sodding internet has reprogrammed my mind, making it impossible for me to finish a thought, never mind a modestly-sized book.
No, the real reason it depressed me is because my father railed for years about how children don't need to immediately learn to use computers in school - at least, not from the moment that they're pushed sobbing into their kindergarten classroom - and that maybe they should learn other things instead. And now I find myself in the not-altogether-comfortable position of having to agree with him.
On the other hand, he was right about badgers, too, so perhaps I can let this one slide.
Anyway, read the article if you've been wondering why it is that you haven't been finishing any books lately, or why it is that you keep looking for hyperlinks in the print copies of those magazines in the dentist's waiting room.
4 comments:
Interesting article. I've noticed the same sort of issues myself. For me, it's the use of illustration programs like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Whenever I pick up a pencil and start creating an illustration, I frequently get two thoughts: I need to "save" and "undo." The first one isn't much of a problem, since I rarely have a crash while drawing. The "undo" is a far more common and frustrating thought.
The ability to quickly undo mistakes in the illustration software has had the side effect of making me more careless and less forward thinking while drawing manually. I find myself erasing much more than I used to. Or, maybe I'm just not as competent as I was.
Don't get me started on badgers.
William,
We all are subject to brain rot via programs and "apps." I was in a group of four people, three of whom had iPhones, recently. I was the odd man out. They instantly started bonding over "apps" they had discovered and were sharing them by gleefully bumping their iPhones together!
HELP!!!
I don't want to hear about "apps." I want to receive a hand-written note from someone. I want to receive a telephone call from someone who doesn't want my money. I want to see some art director think something out on paper before going within six feet of a computer.
CONCEPT is unimportant when EXECUTION is instant.
AAAAAArrrrrggggh.
I'm thinking of buying an old Underwood portable. Like the one my dad had, that I gave away years ago. What would it be like to write the way Raymond Chandler did -- without the ability to instantly erase anything you thought didn't work? Gimme that ol' time typewriter. Clack, clack, clack! Ding! ZIP!
I wish I could say something profound (or at least clever) about the linked article, but I didn't finish it.
Tony - I've found the same thing, when writing with a pen and paper, that I start to think in terms of "undo" rather than to just strike through what I've written. I think our brains are being hurt by all this computer time, I really do.
Liz - I also have a smartphone, but not an iPhone, which leaves me out of the "apps" conversation. Usually, I just make fun of those damn commercials. Although I do adore the Google Sky Map app for Android... oh, hell, I just missed the point, didn't I?
RBH - you got my point exactly! I won't tell you how many attempts it took me to finish the original article - it's rather embarassing!
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