Human v. Computer

A question came up in class the other day about people who like to stay in versus people who like to go out.  I am someone who enjoys both, I am a social butterfly but sometimes a homebody.  I go out to people watch.  Sounds creepy right?  There is just a fascination I have with observing how other people interact and I like to make up these little stories in my head to go along with their interactions.  Maybe my life is boring so I have to take joy in others' misfortunes...who knows?  Maybe I'm a little nosy?  Who cares?  It all comes down to social interaction.  The world cannot replace human interaction with online interaction.  There is just no comparison.

Twitter Style

• Short blog post.
• This is what people can comprehend.
• Bullets, yeah!
• Forgot to blog last night.  Day late, woops!  
• Hypertext links distract me.  Distracting me right now as I type...
• I want to click everywhere, check my Facebook, just got an email notification, my AIM window is blinking, technology OVERLOAD!!

What I (Don't) Know

I don't know how to check a book out from the library on campus.
I know how to scan my own groceries at Kroger.

I don't know how to make lasagna from scratch.
I know how to put a Lean Cuisine Low-Fat Shrimp Scampi into the microwave for 3 minutes.

I don't know how to build my own fire.
I know how to turn up my thermostat to high and plug in my electric blanket.

I don't know how to start a conversation with a stranger in person.
I know how to avoid a conversation with a stranger in public by putting in my earphones.

I don't know how to give basic driving directions.
I know how to turn on my GPS, which will never fail me.

I don't know how to speak two languages.
I know how to type in what I'm trying to translate into an online translator.

I don't know how to take good notes in class.
I know how to pull up the PowerPoint presentation on my computer that the teacher posted after class.

I don't remember important historical events and people.
I know exactly what Kim Kardashian is doing right now because she just posted on her Twitter.

I don't know how to write in cursive anymore.
I know how to type over 100 words per minute.

I don't know why I don't know these things.
I know it is a dilemma that is only going to get worse.

Time Wasted

I decided to monitor my time using technology this weekend...ha! What a mistake.

I started out by keeping a log on a pink Post-It note next to my computer, and I would leave a little tally mark every time I sat down at my desk.  I was very diligent about remembering to keep track on Thursday and Friday.  By Saturday, I had lost the Post-It note.  Stupid paper.  I blame my dog.  However, I do know that the amount of hours I spend on my computer kind of disgusts me.  I'm sitting online chatting with my friends, whereas years ago, that time would have been spent talking in person.  The Internet has transformed my "real" friendships into something superficial, and I'm not sure if I am okay with this. This past weekend, during the time I was tracking my technology use, I found myself forgetting to track times when I would use my iTouch instead of my laptop, or listen to the radio in my car.  People nowadays take advantage of all the technology around them, and I am no exception.  My little experiment this weekend was eye-opening and led me to want to withdraw myself from the constant use of technology.

Supercomputer??

I love my game shows.  Wheel of Fortune, Price is Right, Match Game, Deal or No Deal.....

I especially love Jeopardy.  "Here's your host.....Allllllllexxxxxxx TreeeeeeeeBEK!"
Jeopardy is getting a lot of media attention recently.  They will have the two "smartest" contestants playing against an IBM-built supercomputer named Watson.  (I roll my head around in circles in utter disbelief).  Humans competing against a computer!?! Technology, man...it's crazy!

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/01/ibm-watson-jeopardy/

The game is going to be a three-day match, starting on February 14.  Valentine's Day, how romantic.  People might be excited to watch this game.  To me, I'm terrified, not so much about the game, but about the future.  What's gonna happen next?  What people don't realize is that this is a HUUUGE advancement that could make humans obsolete.  We are that much closer to the movie "I, Robot" becoming a reality.  I don't want Will Smith running around, trying to deactivate these robots we humans created.  I mean, come on...he's intimidating.

I'm just being pessimistic about this whole ordeal.  It is a good thing for the advancement in medicine, and technology, and I get that, but I am an English major.  If this computer named Watson can form sentences and understand how I'm feeling (not my words, Watson's words...read the article), human beings creating written word will be gone.  And when they are gone, just know that I told you so.

Brittany

Football, Shmootball

Yesterday, being overwhelmed with homework and trying to accomplish all my goals for the day, I forgot to do my biweekly blogging.  I apologize to all my readers a.k.a. myself and my mom.

After watching the Super Bowl last night, I got to thinking.  How much work goes into planning and executing a game of that magnitude?  It blew my mind trying to fathom all the intricate hours of scheduling and organizing both the technological side to the game and entertainment aspects.  So much money goes into football.  Why? Why do Americans settle for a billion-dollar stadium to be built, when the government is trillions of dollars in debt?  The players' salaries are unbelievable as well.  As a football fan myself, it is still hard to wrap my mind around this concept.  How has the new American past time become so over-indulged?  What started out as a sport for spectators to enjoy has transformed into over-payed athletes, incompetent coaches, and gluttonous fans who live paycheck to paycheck.  Unbelievable.

Oh, and not to mention the celebrity "entertainment".  Christina Aguilera...once a teen idol, now a person who stumbles over the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner.  How American.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-7_8sxvLIw

Black Eyed Peas...um, is that supposed to be good singing, Fergie?  If I'm not mistaken, dancing all up on Slash doesn't constitute entertainment.  Awful.  Distasteful and awful.

My bitterness might be misconstrued as being anti-football.  I am not.  I love everything about the sport.  I just can't understand the money aspect and how the NFL is becoming so commercialized in every aspect.  I wish it could go back to the old days, where tickets weren't outrageously expensive and fans enjoyed the good sportsmanship of each other, not belligerently starting fights in the stands or yelling hateful things to their opponents.  But alas, it seems that is only a dream.  The world will never get back to the way it once was, where everything was simple in concept and design.  Today, its all about bigger, FASTER, stronger!

Anyways, that's my rant.
Brittany

Realizations

Good morning to all!  I am happy to be in the comfort of my warm apartment, while I hear the wind howling outside...not a good time for a semi-decent hair day.

I have been going over and over in my head this idea about blogging.  What is so fascinating about it?  I am still not really sure, but after reading the first chapter in Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, it all hit me.  Carr writes how the internet has changed the way humans think and process words.  "Reading" a book has transformed into skimming the page for the important information; humans want things fast, simple and easy.  In a world where people remember celebrities' birthdays and not the date Christopher Columbus came to America, I can see how blogging is an outlet for individuals.  It allows them to post information for their viewer's to see, or get input and advice about a difficult subject.  I have never been one to post responses on forums online or comment on the New York Times' news articles, but a lot of the time, I read other people's comments and find the answers I am looking for.

I think I am going to enjoy this whole blogging process.  I already feel more organized and confident about this journey I am beginning.  Blogging is going to be a lifestyle now, not just simply writing words into a text box.

Write to you all on Sunday!
Brittany :)