There are two kinds of people
Continuing in my occasional series "There are two kinds of people in the world."
There are two kinds of people: those who will research and look up an answer, and those who will ask others for the answer.
I am firmly in the former camp. As I've stated before, I was a member of the Look It Up Club in elementary school ("We never guess. We look it up.") And I've stayed pretty much true to the club's principles ever since. Oh, sure, having Google and other help around makes it easier than having to pull out a book or go to the library. (But hold on...read on for a rebuttle to that.) Still, the principle is solid: one learns more if one looks it up rather than asks. It also helps avoid incorrect info via word of mouth. My personal favorite is looking up something online which leads to one link which leads to another and...hours later... :)
I tend to get frustrated when something is stated -- often online -- and someone asks about it. I go to Google, type a few words, and I immediately get more than a few words back on the subject. If I'm having trouble with my "Google fu" and I don't get the answer in the first try, why, that's a challenge and just makes me want to try harder. Why on earth would I ask someone when I can look it up myself? (Exception to the rule: if, say Neil deGrasse Tyson is in the room, I might ask him first.)
M and I frequently muse over whether the world is indeed better today with all this instant information at our fingertips. What was the first _____? When did _____ happen? Who is buried in Grant's Tomb? It was more of a challenge -- for our personal growth and for our brains -- to have to go find the answers ourselves. Today, there's little challenge in getting an answer.
And that is part of what confounds me. There's little challenge to look up something online. There's zero challenge when someone doesn't even do that much. Just where is that taking us?
This entry was originally posted at https://garyomaha.dreamwidth.org/278060.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
There are two kinds of people: those who will research and look up an answer, and those who will ask others for the answer.
I am firmly in the former camp. As I've stated before, I was a member of the Look It Up Club in elementary school ("We never guess. We look it up.") And I've stayed pretty much true to the club's principles ever since. Oh, sure, having Google and other help around makes it easier than having to pull out a book or go to the library. (But hold on...read on for a rebuttle to that.) Still, the principle is solid: one learns more if one looks it up rather than asks. It also helps avoid incorrect info via word of mouth. My personal favorite is looking up something online which leads to one link which leads to another and...hours later... :)
I tend to get frustrated when something is stated -- often online -- and someone asks about it. I go to Google, type a few words, and I immediately get more than a few words back on the subject. If I'm having trouble with my "Google fu" and I don't get the answer in the first try, why, that's a challenge and just makes me want to try harder. Why on earth would I ask someone when I can look it up myself? (Exception to the rule: if, say Neil deGrasse Tyson is in the room, I might ask him first.)
M and I frequently muse over whether the world is indeed better today with all this instant information at our fingertips. What was the first _____? When did _____ happen? Who is buried in Grant's Tomb? It was more of a challenge -- for our personal growth and for our brains -- to have to go find the answers ourselves. Today, there's little challenge in getting an answer.
And that is part of what confounds me. There's little challenge to look up something online. There's zero challenge when someone doesn't even do that much. Just where is that taking us?
This entry was originally posted at https://garyomaha.dreamwidth.org/278060.html. Please comment there using OpenID.