Homework, Part 2
1. Why does the author, Nicholas Carr, feel like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet?
Nicholas Carr feels like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet because he feels that it has caused him to lose his ability to concentrate and contemplate when he is reading a printed book/article. When he goes on the internet, he is tempted by many distractions that keep him from focusing on what he is reading, altering his thought process.
2. How does research today compare with doing library research in the old days, twenty and more years ago? (I know you weren't around 20 years ago, but answer this based on what knowledge you have gathered about libraries in your lifetime).
Research today is much different than researching the old fashioned way (in a library) because knowledge back then would have to be found in a matter of a few days [going through different articles and books] where as today, we can easily find the information we are looking for by doing a 2-minute search into a search engine.
3. How have Nicholas Carr's reading habits changed because of the Internet?
Nicholas Carr's reading habits have changed because now his mind tricks him into getting distracted from what he is reading and it causes him to lose focus on the concept of a story/article. Before, Carr would be able to read a lengthy article and contemplate/analyze the meaning, but now the internet has caused him to lose that ability.
4. How is reading online different than reading a long article or book? Explain.
Reading something online is much different than reading a long article or book because when you read online, there are many distractions and ways to lose focus of what you are reading, where as a book is straight forward word after word. Reading an article or book is more difficult than reading online because you have to do most of the thinking yourself.
5. Do you agree or disagree that our minds think like computers? Explain.
I agree that our minds are like computers. I believe that our minds are so complex that we can do more than one thing at once and our mind wanders to other things when we do something, just as a computer. A computer has so much information that it can make you wander into doing most things while doing something else.
6. Do you agree or disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies?"
I agree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies" because a computer is SO complex that it has thousands of tools and things mixed into one that it out-sources our intellectual technologies. Before, we used to have to be able to do most things with just knowledge and our own mind but now we can use a computer to easily search all of our wants and needs to new knowledge. It's as if we're dumb-ing down our brain in order to expand our knowledge.
7. Why do you think The New York Times changed its format? Do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea? Why?
I think The New York Times changed its format to look just like a printed article or novel in order to sort of replace a paper-back book. I think it was a bad idea because by taking away the concept of printed ideas, it's giving our mind the idea to sort of get used to the computer articles would be extremely unhealthy for our brains.
8. What does Nicholas Carr mean by "knowledge work?"
Nicholas Carr means our knowledge takes time and effort to build so it is as if it is hard work. Knowledge work means trying to build and create our knowledge into something more complex.
9. Do you agree or disagree that Google has been successful in its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful?"
I do agree that Google has been successful in it's mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful". Google is a wide-variety of information mixed into one search engine. What people in the world would normally have to search and found on their own, with prior knowledge and paper-back books, can now be found by typing into Google.
10. How does Google's mission compare with a library's mission in light of the fact that there is no fiction or nonfiction section on the Internet, but there is a fiction and a nonfiction section in a library, and that all the books are organized on the shelves in a library, but "scattered on the floor" of the Internet?
Google in reality, is more difficult to search than searching within a library because there is so many sources of information within the Internet that can make it harder to get accurate information. When searching in a library, every section is labeled and separated into certain categories that make it more convenient to search for information and even though it is more time consuming, the information is more accurate.
11. Do you think it would be a good thing if your own brain and intelligence were "supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence?" Why or why not?
I do not think it would be good if my own brain and intelligence were "supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence" because our minds are what make us unique. Each individual has a different mind set and knowledge that can expand as far as we want and using an artificial intelligence is unethical because it takes away our ability to contemplate and conceive our own individual ideas.
12. Do you think that the human brain is "just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive?" Why or why not?
I do not think the human brain is "just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive" because I believe the human brain has an infinite amount of uses that can expand more than we can begin to contemplate. I believe the brain is already a fast processor because of our ability to contemplate certain ideas.
13. What do you think about your own surfing habits, the links you click on and the pages you view, being an opportunity for "Google and other companies to collect information about you and to feed you advertisements?"
I believe Google and other major companies within the internet can process what links we mostly click on and they use those statistics to advertise toward our likes and dislikes. Usually the first link to pop up on a website would be something I personally would be interested in, where as on another computer it could be completely different.
14. How do your surfing habits compare to reading a book? Do you agree or disagree that companies online, collecting data about us by what we click on and view, are using subversive tactics to discourage "leisurely reading," and "slow, concentrated thought?" Are you yourself driven to distraction while on the Web? How or how not?
My surfing habits are much different compared to when reading a book. When I read a printed book, I give my mind the opportunity to process information better, where as when I'm on the internet, I easily get bored with an article and look for ways to complete it much faster. I do feel like companies advertise against "leisure reading" because it advertises for an idea of quickly finishing information rather than accurately completing information.
15. Do you agree with Socrates that the development of writing led to people using the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they carried around in their heads? Why or why not?
I do agree with Socrates when he says that the development of writing led to people using the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they carried around in their heads because he's basically saying that our minds are more complex than the words we just write out to try to explain ourselves. No matter what we write or the words we create, it will always be nothing compared to the knowledge within our minds.
16. Do you think the Internet is doing the same thing? Why or why not? How or how not?
I do believe the Internet is doing the same thing because it is taking away our ability to contemplate big ideas and concepts.
17. How do your own reading habits compare to what Nicholas Carr describes in this article?
My own reading habits compare to what Nicholas Carr describes in his article because I also get distracted while reading a lengthy article because my mind gets bored and wanders somewhere else.
18. So, do you think Google really is making us stupid? Why or why not? How or how not?
I do think Google is making us stupid because it is taking away our ability to be unique individuals. It also takes away our skills of contemplating and conceiving ideas.
