Lets Get Stupid!

Is Google Making Us Stupid?
[Atlantic July 2007]

Maybe I’m just a worrywart. Just as there’s a tendency to glorify technological progress, there’s a countertendency to expect the worst of every new tool or machine. In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates bemoaned the development of writing. He feared that, as people came to rely on the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they used to carry inside their heads, they would, in the words of one of the dialogue’s characters, “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful.”
--Nicholas Carr

I have little choice. If Carr says he is getting stupid, forgetting how to read etc., I need to take him at his word. Carr's understanding of Turing, AI, and measurement reflect the habits of someone who browses too quickly and misses quite a bit.

More thoughtful presentations of this class of problem are available. Brain Rules, for example. Naturally, Brain Rules makes use of extensive text, a DVD, and You Tube video. For those who make use of it, the net allows a much more human interaction than linear text. Words, music, video, photos. Best, the level of formality has dropped. Not so good for the elite, but fine for the rest of us.

More soon on this topic!

O'Reilly Radar - Insight, analysis, and research about emerging technologies

O'Reilly Radar - Insight, analysis, and research about emerging technologies: "'ve long been a fan of WordSpy, Paul McFedries' site that features definitions and first use of new words and phrases. It's a great trendspotting tool. The words we use give surprising insight into popular consciousness. Many of them, like junk sleep, silent disco, free-range kid, or Blackberry prayer illustrate new social trends, while others like phantom load or quake lake are terms of art that have entered popular consciousness, and still others, like naked street are like deli.cio.us links to things you've never heard of, but could end up being important or useful."
say something interesting

The Weird Sisters - Olivia Judson - Evolution - Opinion - New York Times Blog

"They just keep getting weirder. The “they” I’m referring to are the bdelloid rotifers — small transparent animals that live in damp places such as puddles, or patches of moss. Among evolutionists, these animals have something of a cult following, because they have a lifestyle that is not supposed to exist. As far as anyone can tell, the bdelloid rotifers are ancient asexuals: they appear to have been living entirely without sex for more than 85 million years. And each time we learn more details of their lifestyle, the wackier it becomes."

Scientists Changing Theories About Memory : NPR

Scientists Changing Theories About Memory : NPR: "By looking at brain activity during the scans, scientists are concluding that earlier notions of how memory works need to be revised. The old model of memory, says Lehrer, is that the brain was like an immense filing cabinet, where knowledge was stored in a logical order. 'Now, thanks to 'tip of the tongue' research,' says Lehrer, 'they're realizing that it's not like a file cabinet at all but like a very, very messy desk, cluttered with big piles of paper, so when you misplace a word or a name, what you're trying to do is find one piece of paper amid all these billions and billions of piles of paper.'"

Interesting program, but phrases like "...earlier notions of how memory works need to be revised." are both annoying and misleading. Whose 'earlier notion'? How much earlier?

Lehrer's research, interesting as it is, is hardly the first time people noticed that a file cabinet was a poor metaphor for memory.

Slow Food in SF Labor Day 2008

Taste delicious food, meet farmers, wander urban gardens, and discover the recipe for a fair and sustainable food system.

Connect Visual Studio Tools to Eclipse

Teamprise : Client Suite

Teamprise is a suite of client applications for accessing Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server from outside of the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Teamprise enables software development teams to use the source control, work item tracking, documents, and reporting features of Team Foundation Server from within the Eclipse IDE, and from other operating systems, including Linux and Mac OS X.

JAZZwave - About us

Jazz in Auroville (South India) :: Who Knew?

JAZZwave - About us

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School | Brain Rules |

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School | Brain Rules |
Funny videos & this guy believes in naps!

Colorado Yurt Company - Yurts, yurt info, photos of yurts

Colorado Yurt Company - Yurts, yurt info, photos of yurts
about 15 grand for 30' diameter & strong enough for winter.

Michelle Kaufmann Designs

Michelle Kaufmann Designs
Interesting and exciting pre-fab (more or less) prefab housing.
Michelle's blog has an interesting sustainability comparison of typical Menlo Park house and the Breeze house she designed in conjunction with Sunset magazine.

Mobile Internet - O'Reilly Radar

Mobile Internet - O'Reilly Radar
Good stuff on optimizations for mobile platforms

Can Asus repeat eee sucess on the desktop?

Asus released the Eee, an amazing solid state mobile computer in October. The 4G (4 gigs of solid state storage is jumping off the shelves and the 8G is in even more demand.

The P22 looks like it may rule on the desktop.

The ASUS Nova P22: The Powerful, Portable Dual Core Mini-Desktop PC
The ASUS Nova P22 is diminutive in footprint but powerful in performance. Designed for space-conscious users who demand ultra-quiet operations, the Nova requires only 122 cubic inches of space and incorporates a robust Intel Core 2 Duo processor that is cooled passively and actively by a heat dissipation module, heat pipes and fans. Supporting the 802.11n wireless standard, the Nova’s high 300 Mbps transmission rate allows users to easily download a 30-minute HD video in just 44 seconds! Completing the ensemble, a pair of built-in speakers housed at the front of the Nova offers convenient high quality audio output. For home theater configurations, the Nova also supports 5.1 speaker configurations with Dolby® Digital Live or DTS® connect technology. Additionally, the Nova accommodates nearly any environment with ease, thanks to its flexible horizontal/vertical placement, slot-loading drive and its sleek exterior. The Nova P22 will be available through ASUS authorized dealers in North America in late January at an introductory MSRP of $799 USD.