Computers make you Dumber
I found Buck Rogers on www.hulu.com and decided to watch a couple episodes.
I think the best way to put it, is I wish I watched it with someone else who appreciates good science fiction--cause this wasn't it...
I find it interesting that on of this show's values was "computer use makes you dumber". Here are a few of my favorite lines thus far
Rogers: "Everybody stopped using their brains years ago". In regard to playing blackjack.
Medical Doctor: "What's the use of having a concentrated form of the poison? Without [AI] we won't be able to solve the problem!" His whining really got on my nerves--not to mention his poor scientific ability.
I still remember chemistry class in high school with Mr. Sprague. The math needed for high school chemistry (as I'm sure most of my LJ friends will know) is rudimentary algebra. It's basically matching units to units and dividing or multiplying as the case may be. ALl you really need is a $10 calculator and you're in business. I had a TI-85 calculator (kind've clunky now but it did what I needed it to). The nice thing about it was it's ability to be programmed. So I'd sit in class and program the day's equations into my calculator. I'd even try to make it pretty and add a few prompts so that I'd know what information I'd need to enter later. After the lecture Mr. Sprague would hand out the assignment and give us time to work on it in class. I'd usually finish it in roughly 3-8 minutes. It's really not hard when all you have to do is plug in numbers.
I remember after a week or two of this some of the other students started to complain to Mr. Sprague. He simply told them that they were working hard and didn't buy their grade. I stayed silent and let it go--I'd already finished my homework, so I didn't care.
The next day I finished the home work in under a minute. The student behind me asked how I did, so I told her. I'd programmed the equations into the calculator during the lecture. At this point her lab partner said, rather proudly with a slightly raised voice so everyone could hear, that "he didn't have to buy his grade."
I replied, "Choose a problem. I'll put it to rest right here, right now. It takes more brains to program the calculator than it does to solve the problem. I solve the problem once and don't worry about it again."
He flipped open his book and pointed to one of the harder problems that never got assigned to us. I looked at it and told him the answer without writing it out and without touching anyone's calculator. He asked Mr. Sprague if my answer was correct (he didn't know how to check my answer) and it was.
I looked at Mr. Sprague and said I didn't buy my grade, I just earned it better.
Back to Buck Rogers, computers, or any technology for that matter, don't make you dumb, it simply magnifies who and what you already are.
I think the best way to put it, is I wish I watched it with someone else who appreciates good science fiction--cause this wasn't it...
I find it interesting that on of this show's values was "computer use makes you dumber". Here are a few of my favorite lines thus far
Rogers: "Everybody stopped using their brains years ago". In regard to playing blackjack.
Medical Doctor: "What's the use of having a concentrated form of the poison? Without [AI] we won't be able to solve the problem!" His whining really got on my nerves--not to mention his poor scientific ability.
I still remember chemistry class in high school with Mr. Sprague. The math needed for high school chemistry (as I'm sure most of my LJ friends will know) is rudimentary algebra. It's basically matching units to units and dividing or multiplying as the case may be. ALl you really need is a $10 calculator and you're in business. I had a TI-85 calculator (kind've clunky now but it did what I needed it to). The nice thing about it was it's ability to be programmed. So I'd sit in class and program the day's equations into my calculator. I'd even try to make it pretty and add a few prompts so that I'd know what information I'd need to enter later. After the lecture Mr. Sprague would hand out the assignment and give us time to work on it in class. I'd usually finish it in roughly 3-8 minutes. It's really not hard when all you have to do is plug in numbers.
I remember after a week or two of this some of the other students started to complain to Mr. Sprague. He simply told them that they were working hard and didn't buy their grade. I stayed silent and let it go--I'd already finished my homework, so I didn't care.
The next day I finished the home work in under a minute. The student behind me asked how I did, so I told her. I'd programmed the equations into the calculator during the lecture. At this point her lab partner said, rather proudly with a slightly raised voice so everyone could hear, that "he didn't have to buy his grade."
I replied, "Choose a problem. I'll put it to rest right here, right now. It takes more brains to program the calculator than it does to solve the problem. I solve the problem once and don't worry about it again."
He flipped open his book and pointed to one of the harder problems that never got assigned to us. I looked at it and told him the answer without writing it out and without touching anyone's calculator. He asked Mr. Sprague if my answer was correct (he didn't know how to check my answer) and it was.
I looked at Mr. Sprague and said I didn't buy my grade, I just earned it better.
Back to Buck Rogers, computers, or any technology for that matter, don't make you dumb, it simply magnifies who and what you already are.