by AArdvark » Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:53 pm
What I'm NOT going to do is address the driving while distracted issue. This is already well-known enough by everyone and needs no further extrapolation.
What I'm including is the general movement away from actually concentrating and focusing attention on a particular issue or subject and instead browse lightly from one thing to another without actually getting any meaning or insight.
I read four books last month--- but I really didn't. This alone surprised and dismayed me in a disturbing way. I actually had four books READ to me by my zune. All I did was (mostly) lie in bed and listen to them. I used to abhor audio books and considered them 'lazy' (Vision-impaired persons exempted, of course). Now it's all I listen to when not playing my old time radio shows. I have found that I can't really focus on reading books anymore and I was known as something of a voracious reader. I have tried to sit and read several times now but give up after only two or three pages. This was the first alarm. I figured that the book was just boring. (Denial!)
This led me to do a little research. And I DO mean little. Seems like research these days consists of nothing more than Google, Wikipedia and Youtube. If it's not there then it doesn't exist. This is not a good trend. I guess I'd have to go to the library if I wanted to get serious about
any of this. Yeah, that might happen. When I retire and have nothing to do all day I'm gonna be a library-fly. Like a bar fly but more intelligent and sober.
I have seen college course outlines specifically outlaw the use of these sites when doing any kind of projects. Only makes sense. they have the negative effect of summarizing
information without providing any details. That phrase I used last earlier this week; information grazer, says a lot about how people are getting information and processing it. There is so much information on the internet that we must employ filters like the aforementioned websites to sift through it for us. So the question arises, what is happening to the attention span of children brought up with this attention diminishing input.
Ever watch people, mostly youngsters, constantly check their cell phones? I mean like every other minute?
I see it all the time. Now, I know the phone will make some noise or vibration if anyone were to leave a message, voice mail or actually call in.
Still, they pick it up and check, just in case. Case in point: I was standing in line at a fast food place last week and watched the counter-girl check her phone between taking orders. After every customer she would check her phone. Ridiculous. Must be a need for more input but less content.
OK, wrist hurts from typing. Will post part two in a couple days.
THE
SOAPBOX
AARDVARK
What I'm NOT going to do is address the driving while distracted issue. This is already well-known enough by everyone and needs no further extrapolation.
What I'm including is the general movement away from actually concentrating and focusing attention on a particular issue or subject and instead browse lightly from one thing to another without actually getting any meaning or insight.
I read four books last month--- but I really didn't. This alone surprised and dismayed me in a disturbing way. I actually had four books READ to me by my zune. All I did was (mostly) lie in bed and listen to them. I used to abhor audio books and considered them 'lazy' (Vision-impaired persons exempted, of course). Now it's all I listen to when not playing my old time radio shows. I have found that I can't really focus on reading books anymore and I was known as something of a voracious reader. I have tried to sit and read several times now but give up after only two or three pages. This was the first alarm. I figured that the book was just boring. (Denial!)
This led me to do a little research. And I DO mean little. Seems like research these days consists of nothing more than Google, Wikipedia and Youtube. If it's not there then it doesn't exist. This is not a good trend. I guess I'd have to go to the library if I wanted to get serious about
any of this. Yeah, that might happen. When I retire and have nothing to do all day I'm gonna be a library-fly. Like a bar fly but more intelligent and sober.
I have seen college course outlines specifically outlaw the use of these sites when doing any kind of projects. Only makes sense. they have the negative effect of summarizing
information without providing any details. That phrase I used last earlier this week; information grazer, says a lot about how people are getting information and processing it. There is so much information on the internet that we must employ filters like the aforementioned websites to sift through it for us. So the question arises, what is happening to the attention span of children brought up with this attention diminishing input.
Ever watch people, mostly youngsters, constantly check their cell phones? I mean like every other minute?
I see it all the time. Now, I know the phone will make some noise or vibration if anyone were to leave a message, voice mail or actually call in.
Still, they pick it up and check, just in case. Case in point: I was standing in line at a fast food place last week and watched the counter-girl check her phone between taking orders. After every customer she would check her phone. Ridiculous. Must be a need for more input but less content.
OK, wrist hurts from typing. Will post part two in a couple days.
THE
SOAPBOX
AARDVARK