Come on chaps, we are here to stamp out ignorance. 
At least Coberst understands what our problem is with his posting style…
The internet is making him dumber?
You’ll probably be scratching yourself as well…and then will tune into some reality show afterward no doubt…
-XT
Reality show no, Daily Show yes.
Ironically, coberst has made his own point with the sheer inanity and incomprehensibleness of his posts. Email, instant messaging, message boards and blogs pretty much allow anyone to write whatever they want on any topic. They don’t need to write well. They don’t even need to make sense. But at least it gives everyone a false sense of communicating a lot of profound thoughts with a lot of people.
Yes, the internet age has brought 3 a.m. dorm room bong-chat deepness to the world, 24/7.
It means that such things as TV, cell phones, cars, etc cause people to become siters rather than runners, viewers rather than thinkers.
Cars and cell phones give you more communication and travel options, many that wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t exist. TV, the internet, videogames and other media, however, do make it easy to indulge in a sedentary, antisocial lifestyle. They entertain you while you sit there and do nothing.
The Sims and Second Life have to be the stupidest dork-traps ever. People actually play a game for hours that simulates actually having a life? How about going out and actually getting a life?
By the same token all that technology allows and enables people MORE time to think and do more with their lives. From a historical perspective are you under the impression that a technology free society (in terms of overall population, not just in terms of the elite) has more time to be ‘runners’ and ‘thinkers’ than todays society does? Assuming you do, what do you base this on? My own take on history is that people today have much more access to mass communications to enable them to be more informed than ever before…or to not be as they choose. Choice being the operative word there…a choice that our less technological ancestors by and large didn’t have unless they were born into the elite of their society (and in a lot of cases not even then).
Technology not only allows us to live longer and better lives it allows us the free time AND access to much wider and broader forum’s than ever before…things our ancestors couldn’t even dream about. Look at this message board as an example. It also allows more people the choice in being runners or thinkers (or not) than ever before. Not just societies elite have the option today…and its due completely to our technology.
(BTW, can I assume you did mean ‘Technology makes passive life SEDUCTIVE’?)
-XT
I don’t agree.
TV has shown me the Moon landings, the fall of the Berlin Wall, explained the breaking of the Enigma Code, covered the release of Nelson Mandela and delighted me with a massive amount of wildlife film by the BBC.
Of course this has made me think. How would you learn about these things without TV (or the Internet)?
Cell phones allow people to communicate while on the move. Do you prefer sitting by your land-line waiting for an urgent call?
200 years ago, people travelled by horse and boat. To go across your country took weeks. Travelling to the other side of the planet took months.
Do you not understand the explosion of knowledge that has taken place with improvements in transport and communication? 
Pothead
Persons aroused by a lack of arousal; that’s who a passive life is seducing.
True, technology allows us to live longer lives. The problem becomes how to handle the problems created by longevity and what to do with the longevity. I am 73 and have turned my longevity into this task that you see here. I try to help people to comprehend our complex world but few older people find anything to do with their longevity that will enhance their self-esteem.
I think that you might gain a much broader view of technology and its byproducts if you were to read “Understanding Media” by Marshall McLuhan.
It appears to me that the explosion of knowledge has reduced our ability to understand.
I have been for some time trying to understand the meaning of the word ‘understand’. I can remember reading the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and after reading some reviews I recognized that the book is about ‘quality’. I must admit that I do not remember much else.
Metaphors seem to be necessary for communicating understanding regarding such concepts as mind, consciousness, morality, understanding, self, etc.
I think that the metaphors ‘knowing is quantity’ and ‘understanding is quality’ are useful for distinguishing the difference between knowing and understanding. Of course the concept ‘quality’ is a rather elusive concept it self.
I have been studying the concepts ‘reification’ (to regard something abstract as a material thing) and ‘commodification’ (to turn an intrinsic value into an object of commerce), which are concepts studied by the soft sciences in an attempt to understand the nature of capitalism. In that process I came across this Marx quote:
“Through the subordination of man to the machine the situation arises in which men are effaced [to cause to vanish] by their labor. In which the pendulum of the clock has become as accurate a measure of the relative activity of two workers as it is of the speed of two locomotives. Therefore, we should not say that one man’s hour is worth another man’s hour, but rather that one man during an hour is worth just as much as another man during an hour. Time is everything, man is nothing; he is at most an incarnation of time. Quality no longer matters. Quantity alone decides everything: hour for hour, day for day…”
I think that the general idea contained in this Marx quote might be said for education it self. Understanding no longer matters. Knowing alone decides everything. Education is commodified and the product of education is a commodity (credentials and a data base).
One Amazon reviewer said that this was his favorite “We want to make good time, but for us now this measured with emphasis on ‘good’ rather than ‘time’ and when you make a shift in emphasis the whole approach changes.”
I think that our years of schooling serve a useful purpose because those years prepare us to be good workers. However, in our adult years “when you make a shift in emphasis the whole approach changes."
Technology lets us lead longer and BETTER lives.
It’s a ‘problem’ that is only possible by the very technology you seem so down on. And its only a ‘problem’ for those who chose to make it one. Again, it’s all about choice. My grandparents (on my fathers side) were dirt farmers in Mexico. My grandfather died when he was 45 (around my own age today) and my grandmother died when she was in her early 80’s. All they ever knew was life on the farm…or in my grandmothers case occational trips to visit us here in the states.
My own folks are still working but they take the time to do what they enjoy. Travel a lot, visit old friends and go to see the mariachi’s every year in Arizona and Mexico, etc etc. Its the technology (and the affluence that goes with it) that enables them to do this. Its THEIR choice to do what THEY want to do…what they enjoy doing.
Well that’s fine…that’s YOUR choice. I’m happy for you. But consider…at 73 you would be an anomoly even 100 years ago. Oh, people did live that long…occationally. But the norm was much younger. Project that back 200 years ago…1000 years ago…10,000 years ago. You see the point? Its only a ‘problem’ because our technology has enabled the possibility for people like you and my folks (who are in their early 70’s as well, same as you).
I’ll look it up but I seriously doubt it’s going to change my perceptions or attitudes about technology…just based on the things that you’ve said in this and other threads I think you would be better served actually engaging in these debates instead of lecturing us on what YOU think about a given subject. There seems to be several flaws and holes in your own perceptions…flaws and holes that all of us have and that can be filled in by engaging the folks on this message board in read discussion, in actually reading what they have to say, absorbing it and understanding it and seeing if its valid. Even if its not it gives you a different viewpoint at the least.
-XT
xt
McLuhan has stated that all technology is an extension of a human faculty. The ‘bomb is an extension of the fist’ is a simple example. It is when I recognized that the Internet is an extension of the brain that I found his idea more sustainable. I think that we must treat his theory as being somewhat like a metaphor and not treat it too literally. Nevertheless I think it is a great insight and a useful tool for understanding human capabilities.
I have for three years browsed Internet discussion forums. I use McLuhan’s insight to peer into the brain of the forum member and this is some of my observations.
We are lousy readers. To quantify the matter I am going to use a scale of reading ability ranging from 1 to 10, with ‘1’ being barely literate and ‘10’ being 90% comprehension of a difficult text after a first quick reading.
I would judge that the average reader is a ‘4’. The first time a form member reads a posted paragraph that forum member comprehends less than 50% of the meaning of the post. All evidence points to the conclusion that almost no member reads the post more than once.
In most cases my observation leads me to conclude that 90% of the time the reader does not comprehend the point of the paragraph.
Fibber McGee was a popular radio show in the forties and fifties and a standing joke was Fibber’s closet. He would always open his hall closet and all sorts of things would come tumbling out. I would judge that most reader’s brains are like Fibber’s closet. Any word or phrase in something the reader sees triggers an opening of the brains door and massive amounts of instant miscellaneous opinions come tumbling out.
Keep in mind that 73% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
I’m sure you think this is profound but seriously…this isn’t exactly deep insight here. And I’m pretty sure that McLuhan wasn’t the first to realize it either. FWIW I’d say that its more a literal truth that all our tools are extensions of the human body than its a metaphor. This speaks (to me) of someone who doesn’t understand technology…or has a tenuous grasp of what a metaphor is. I’m guessing its the understand technology and what a tool IS that is the problem.
My question here though is…what do you think this has to do with your OP? How does this tie into your assertion that technology leads to a passive life? Because we use tools, and our tools are now advanced…what? Could you bring this paragraph into the main discussion by tieing it in somehow? How is this ‘an insight and useful tool for understanding human capabiliities’? How does this mesh with your theory in this OP? How does it RELATE to your theory in the OP for that matter?
When you say ‘we’…well, I was just wondering if you have a mouse in your pocket?
Based on the above and also on a few other threads I’ve seen you in I would have to say…your figure is low. At least for yourself. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that its closer to 100% in your case.
No doubt statistics can be manipulated to say whatever you want them to say. Still, its a good idea in this particular forum to link to figures from (reasonably) reputable sources to illustrate any statistics you are trying to use to make your point. Otherwise you are going to be asked to cite where you are getting your stats from…and with good reason.
-XT
Paper and pencil (and the technology of writing) are also.
If only the Dope were like Annie Hall.
And coberst, my friend, you should be old enough to know that masturbation is best not done in public.
McLuhan’s work has much to do with the OP. McLuhan provides great insight into the effect of technology on our perception of our self and the world.
When in doubt ask for proof or evidence.
And what evidence do you have for that?
I don’t mean to be rude, but are you sure you don’t mean the explosion of knowledge has reduced **your ** ability to understand?
I notice that pupils at my school absorb information much quicker than I can and also adapt to technology quicker thatn i can (I’m 54).
If you don’t understand what understand means, how do you know if you understand anything?
I get that sometimes.
Look, I still have a problem with your posting style.
You make all sorts of claims, but seldom reply when challenged and never give cites.
You come across as a lecturer addressing naive students, yet your posts are rather rambling.
There are some very bright people here, yet you don’t seem to know how to engage with them.