Technology use in my family

       The use of technology is very common in my family. My father, a self taught computer programmer, is (in my opinion) a computer genius. Although his dealings with the computer are more numerical and technical, he is closely involved with the latest technology. He has several email accounts that he checks actively, he "skypes" his customers, and he knows more computer languages than I know sports. My mom recently got an Ipad 2 and is loving it. My little brother is also obsessed with technology--he plays several hours of video games each day and he interacts with his friends on Google Buzz. My grandfather, who has limited eyesight and hearing, has a more difficult time using technology. His computer use is usually limited to checking several Russian news websites, checking his email, and using skype. Technology is very important to me as well.
       I keep in touch with all of my friends via Facebook and text message, and I use my computer to take notes in class. My music library, which is made up of over 34 GB of songs, is crucial to my every day use. It is amazing to see how much technology really affects our lives--it would be a tragedy if the internet were never invented!

Hooked (SWA #2)

Matt Richtel takes an interesting perspective on the life of Thomas Campbell, a software developer who depends on technology for his job, communication, finances, and personal enjoyment. By taking a step by step analysis of “Mr. Campbell’s” life, Richtel effectively makes the argument that technology is invading our lives. Not only do we spend too much time on a computer, smart phone, or game system, but the use of such devices is taking away our ability to concentrate on everyday tasks, and we effectively lose our ability to multi-task. The author’s argument is particularly effective because he doesn’t make empty assertions—all of his claims are backed up by the behavior of Mr. Campbell. In addition, he includes a section detailing the possible positive effects of the transformation of our brains.

In Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Carr makes the point that “we can expect as well that the circuits woven by our use of the Net will be different from those woven by reading of books and other printed works” (25), and certainly characterizes this route as negative. Richtel similarly connects the use of technology to the human brain by pointing out technology provides a mental stimulation, “…excitement—a dopamine squirt—that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored” (15). Whether we are addicted to technological stimulation or not, leading researchers like Nora Volkow say that “the technology is rewiring our brains” (15). Richtel does an excellent job proving this statement through his analysis of Mr. Campbell’s life. For one, Campbell is unable to be separated from his electronic devices. It bothers him that taking the subway will temporarily restrict his connectivity to the outside world. When being monitored by RescueTime in a two and a half hour stretch, he switched rapidly between email and several other programs without even realizing it. An obvious attachment to electronics and subconscious computer activities are clear indications that Cambell’s has become “rewired” over time.

The connections that Richtel makes with “the rewiring of our brains” and Thomas Campbell’s family shows clear deterioration of what we believe family life to be. When Campbell finally pushes himself away from the computer to spend time with his children, he still seeks technological stimulation. The author illustrates Campbell sitting at the television with his son playing a video game, while his second grader looks on. In addition, his children are also addicted to electronic devices—Lily has an iPod Touch, a portable DVD player, and her own laptop, and Connor’s grades have progressively gotten worse due to his addictions to social networking and web browsing. The problem is so serious that the family now sits together at the dinner table for “study time” just to make sure the kids study.

The author also analyzes “the myth of multitasking” in his writing. He makes an interesting analogy of the brain to a control tower, and senses like sight and sound constantly “bombarding the control tower when they are stimulated” (18). Although some people can handle such “bombardment”, Richtel says that preliminary research shows that this is less than 3 percent of the population. Campbell often finds himself multitasking, however he says that it can pose problems. On one such occasion, Campbell was so bombarded by an “electronic flood” of programs on two computer screens that he missed a $1.3 million business deal email, only finding it a whole 12 days later. Personally, I am unable to multi-task. It often takes some effort to force myself to study—anything from background noise, the wrong music, or uncomfortable room temperature can deter my studies. The only time I can really multi-task effectively is when texting and watching a movie, and what kind of intellectual stimulation does that give me?

Get Real...

       Throughout the article "Get Smarter", Jamais Cascio entertains the notion of a society of augmented intelligence. He differs from most writers who philosophize about the future in that he has a very optimistic and creative outlook in the evolution of homo sapiens. Most, like Nicholas Carr, say that young minds are becoming tainted by superfluous forms of technology that change their minds for worst--attention spans are fleeting, and   the understanding of deeper texts is becoming unnecessary. Cascio rejects such claims by suggesting that although our brains are changing--they are morphing to embody a new type of intelligence he calls "fluid intelligence" (34). Our brains are instead becoming more able to "find meaning in confusion and to solve new problems, independent of acquired knowledge"; our access to the "sea of media" and intelligent machines requires us to think differently.
       Although Cascio makes some great points through his vivid musings of the future of human intelligence, he also fails to stress where humans can go wrong. It is a fact that we are making leaps and bounds in technological discoveries almost every day, however; there are hundreds of other factors that limit our progress as a civilization. War, disease, ignorance, money. It would be naiive to say that in 2030 people "will look back aghast at how ridiculously unsubtle the political and cultural disputes of our present were..." (39). 70 years ago, a disaster coined as the "Holocaust" occurred in central Europe--yet it seems people are still being killed in masses due to religious and ethnic hatred. I believe intellectual development should instead be feared...who knows what kind of twisted ideas super brains of the future will come up with?
       The fact that the author endorses the use of drugs for intelligent use is also ironic. My father always told me: "Peter, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world". In the case of drugs--you are what you put into your body. I don't believe there's an easy solution to better productivity, and in this case, staying up for over 32 hours. Such added performance can only be temporary--our bodies need sleep to process information and to stay healthy. In the long term, drug users will probably suffer from a loss of memory and information retention, and perhaps even develop more complex psychological problems.

In Class Response 8/23/11

     Today's reading assignment addressed topics that most people rarely think about; especially the article by Nicholas Carr titled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?". In the midst of the recent technological revolution, Carr entertains the negative effects that the internet might have on our reading and writing abilities. Using historical evidence, he states that reading and writing are unnatural things to humans. He says, "(reading) is not an instinctive skill for human beings. It's not etched in our genes the way speech is" (Carr 25). He then goes on to assert that because our new style of reading is focused on efficiency and speed, it is making people non-attentive and in a way, less intelligent.
     This article made me think about my own habits. College students spend so much time texting and jumping from web page to web page that it must have definitive negative effects on our ability to process information and make thorough arguments. Although it gives us an aptitude for more efficient research, it also must take away from patience (which they say is a virtue). Although I do not believe new technology will lower the intelligence of our generation, it will definitely transform the way we think and make us that much different from previous generations.

My Writing Experiences: The Good and the Bad

Throughout my many years in school, it has always been a requirement to create and submit written works of various types. In High School, the curriculum focused particularly on the development of students’ essay writing skills, as well as their ability to conduct research and document genuine sources accordingly. I always enjoyed and excelled in writing narratives and other creative works, but the same could not always be said for long academic papers. My greatest writing experience occurred when writing poetry and short newspaper articles, and my worst occurred while writing my senior exhibition research paper.

Before the 11^th grade I had always despised English class and all of its components. I always seemed to have intensely nit-picky teachers that enforced the use of proper English, and English class usually entailed studying extensive lists of vocabulary words as well as reading an array of banal literature. But junior year I had a teacher that was extremely passionate for the subject—and soon after, extended her love for literature and poetry to me. During her class, I discovered that I had an aptitude for writing poetry—particularly free verse. From then on I started writing poems in my free time, often channeling my negative emotions into them. It has been a common theme in my life that I have grown to love academic subjects only through the influence of great teachers; teachers that have a passion for the subject, care for the students and their academic progress, and teach the subject in an active and interesting manner. Taking 11^th grade English was my most positive writing experience because I had a very inspirational teacher and discovered a love for poetry.

During my senior year in high school I decided to undertake a very serious subject for my senior exhibition project. It required not only months of painstaking scientific research, but also a physical implementation of an experiment. The topic I had chosen was Biochar, a new development in the field of alternative agriculture and science as a whole. The project was especially problematic because there was very little research available to back up my paper, and the scale of the experiment was essentially too large for any person to conduct on their own. Although in the end I did well on both the product and paper, the process was long and problematic—I lost nights of sleep trying to salvage my experiment and new problems would consistently surface. Although my research project was definitely my worst writing experience, it gave me valuable research skills in preparation for college, and I am ultimately proud that I was able to achieve my goals for the project.

Academic writing was never really my forte, yet I was well prepared to write long analytical essays in college. The ability to write will also prove to be essential in the real world—whether it be to compose write-ups, reports, proposals, or even emails. Therefore, a good English grounding is important, and any good English teacher will tell you that a good argument requires a good thesis and sufficient evidence to back it up.