(Untitled)

[jentle]

It is hardly surprising that children should enthusiastically start their education at an early age with the Absolute Knowledge of computer science; while they are unable to read, for reading demands making judgments at every line. Conversation is almost dead, and soon so too will be those who knew how to speak. - Guy Debord

This reminds me of a

Comments

[skipperja]

You have some great thoughts here.

Reminds me of when I got access to a phonograph when I was a child. I guess I had heard music on a radio, but there was something very special about selecting a specific song and operating the phonograph to produce the sound myself.

Community bands were gone from our area by that time (killed by radio and phonos?) and most of the music I heard was sung to the accompaniment of a piano at church. I did get to go hear some guitar and fiddling playing family and friends sing-alongs.

Well, that's my thought on the effect of modern technology.

Off to church now for some more singing along with that piano. It's an electronic piano now though.

[anonymous]

The more I read the things you write, the dumber I feel. If more people were as intelligent as you, perhaps the world wouldn't be as messed up.

[jentle]

Thanks to technology, (such as www.google.com, http://www.revolutionaryleft.com, and http://en.wikipedia.org/) forums have been abundant for learning and engaging in debates/conversations, and have aided in my "intelligence".

perhaps if people used techonology for improving society rather than using it as another damaging form of escapism/addiction we'd be better off.

- and yes, I'm critical of myself when I talk of this as well.

Thanks for your comments anonymous one.

[amberw]

It is funny that you should bring up this subject because it is one that I have been thinking about a lot. I have been talking to a friend of mine who is totally pro-technology, and he thinks it's the most important and greatest thing ever. The problem I see with him is he can barely spell! While pushing forward with technology people are leaving behind the basic keys of education, and it's just ridiculous. Not only do we simplify everything we do so we use as little brain power as possible (look at calculators), many things we avoid entirely. I think technology has brought us many good things, but I also see a tremendous amount of negative results. It's just one more way of us to lose control over our own lives.

[jentle]

what was brought to me attention in my sophmore debate class once was how techonology has complicated our lives to an extent. We create a Television, but in order to simply managing it, we create a remote control, and so on. So many creations in techonology are created in order to better or add to another form of techonology.

- That aside however, internet is a great example of something that could be SO beneficial yet for most people has ended up being far more harmful. Information today is so easily found.. Much of what I have learned I have done so because of the internet. It amazes me how easy it is to research something by going to an internet encyclopedia or typing in a phrase @ google.com and to think - anyone who is literate and has access to the internet could do it if they wanted, but what is stopping them? More spectacles and allusions in the digital form?

[kikki]

You also have to take into account the availability of information and communication that is being made available for us. Granted, at times it's highly sensored -=cough=-white house press releases-=cough=- and sensationalized, but we can use it to our good. We're better able to help in times of emergency. Before it could take weeks for the news of a devestation to travel, now EVERYONE can find out inside the hour. We can send help. We know (and good hell will this sound familiar and contradictary) what our government is doing and we can do something about it (unless you're naive or, say, a typical Republican) to hopefully make a positive change. We have a wide range of knowledge at our fingertips. The things I could look up!

Yet at the same time I can agree that we've been numbed and become insensitive to many things that are going on, or the results our own actions produce.

[jentle]

see my reply to amberw above.

I stated that information is far more available than it ever has been, it's fucking insane to me how easy it is to get information or how easy it was for me, personally, to trace ideas or find out information on philosophers I was studying/reading. OF course, philosophy is infamous w/ name dropping, snide remarks and assuming you have done all the previous research and reading.. But some haven't (such as myself) so if a name is dropped and I do not understand how the name relates to the argument or why that person was brought in. I can easily research the basic philosophies and history of that particular philosopher..

Catch my drift? I really have to admire the intellectuals pre-technology... They must of had to fucking dedicate themselves to education - which is probably why most of them were bourgeoisie's... They could afford not to work and had access to the books and education of the time.

[goatcow]

This reminded me of something i wrote way back when i had time to write. Slightly different subject but in the same neighborhooed. Thought you might enjoy it...or perhaps despise it enough to argue over martinis ;P

http://www.livejournal.com/users/goatcow/19017.html

Hope you have found some peace now that it is summer.

-Rocky

[jentle]

I replied :-)

[goatcow]

Right back at ya