Homework, Part 2 Re-Do

1. Why does the author, Nicholas Carr, feel like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet?
The author, Nicholas Carr, feels as though when he reads printed book/article and he is also on the Internet, it acts as a distraction that prevents him from contemplating key ideas. He also feels that the Internet is a huge distraction in which, if an individual is reading an article online, they can get distracted by other web pages and pop-up advertisements. He also feels that even when one is not physically using the Internet, it can still be considered a distraction because if an individual is reading a paper-back book, they will get so bored with it because they are used to reading online and the familiarity of being distracted. Carr believes that the Internet majorly affects and alters one's 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).
Researching in the old days (twenty and more years ago) was much more difficult than researching presently. Twenty years and more ago, the Internet was not yet created so people had no search engines in order to research some of the information they needed to find. Back then, Libraries were very popular, mainly for the fact that it held a lot of information in which people could use to research certain topics. Usually, when researching something in the library, it may take hours or even days to find the information that you needed where as now, we have the Internet to help us search certain topics and ideas within the matter of a few minutes.  
3. How have Nicholas Carr's reading habits changed because of the Internet?
Before, Carr would be able to read a lengthy article and contemplate and analyze the meaning, but now the internet has caused him to lose that ability because it acts as a distraction. When reading an article on the Internet, it is extremely easy to get distracted because of all the temptations that the Internet has to offer. When one gets used to the Internet, they begin to forget how to truly grasp on the meaning of an article's meaning because they are so distracted on using the Internet to do the thinking for them.  
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 and page after page. Reading an article or book is more difficult than reading online because you have to do most of the thinking yourself and contemplating the key ideas and details, where as when you read online, it is easier to just look up the meaning of something and the internet can usually tell you which can effect the outcome of knowledge that one can receive. If information is just given to you, it doesn't improve your knowledge. It's when you think on your own that you learn something valuable.  
5. Do you agree or disagree that our minds think like computers? Explain.
I agree that our minds think like computers, in fact, I believe that our minds think a lot better than computers do. A computer hard drive is very smart and can do a lot of cool things but a computer is not the Internet, it does not have the amount of knowledge that the Internet itself has. Our minds are much like the Internet because similarly, our minds are so complex that we can create various solutions to any problem, expand our readings as greater thoughts and fix something to make it even better. A computer itself does not have the technology or even the possibility to begin to think as much as our minds do. 
6. Do you agree or disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies?"
I disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies" because even though a computer is very complex and has many positive attributions to it, I believe that our mind is far more complex compared to any technological thing on the market today or ever. Technology, although very accessible, can sometimes have bugs and viruses in which can negatively effect in whatever computer we are searching on, however, our mind is able to fix bugs and viruses and also positively effect our knowledgeable profits as being an intellectual human being.   
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 printed book. The new format for The New York times tries to do this to create a familiarity so a reader can feel more comfortable when reading. However, 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 because we do not want to focus more on technology. Although the Internet may seem interesting and can provide us with a lot of information, the screen and radiation from the heat can cause something more serious rather than computer attachment or anything silly on those means. . 
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 and greater, which can benefit ourselves in the near future.
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 somewhat agree and disagree that Google has been successful in its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful". I do believe that Google has been the most successful search engine that has provided people with the opportunity to easily search things on the Internet without having to go through trouble, however, I believe that Google can even improve it's efforts. I believe that even though Google is extremely accessible, they should do a much better job at filtering the results that pop up for some searches. For example, if one uses Google to search a certain subject, there should be no bogus websites that could potentially leak false information.  
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. A lot of sites on the web may be commercial sites in which any individual can easily buy out and use to give out false information. Also, people who can buy websites can also buy their rank on Google and where they show up when first searching a certain topic. However, 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 because it came from actual books and novels that authors have written directly.  
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. The human brain is so complex that it can create moments and ideas that an artificial intelligence just can't compare to. Our brains are very unique.  
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 and create uniquely new ones. Our brain is actually much more advanced and much more expanded than an old computer because it has the ability to do anything we want it to.  
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. Television companies do the same thing. When watching TV and a commercial comes on, it can either be a national commercial in which everyone sees or it can be a local commercial that is specially made to benefit the likes and needs of citizens.  
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. However, other people basically rely on the Internet now-a-days because of it's accessible ways and they lack the knowledge someone like I may have.
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 by distracting us with the easy and accessible ways in which we can use to get information quicker. However, this is extremely unhealthy because it is better to use our minds to contemplate key ideas so that we can expand our knowledge with everything that we learn. 
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. However, I do believe that it depends whether or not I am interested in the printed-back book that I am reading. Sometimes I do get distracted even from a book I am extremely into because I am so used to always being able to use the Internet to do something that I am more interested in.  
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 that can expand our knowledge. Without the ability to use our own minds and our own ideas, we can get lost within the Internet because it is blocking our chance to think for ourselves using our own brains.