The tools we use change the way our brains work
Mediocre computing is computing that aims for parity with mediocre human performance in a realish domains where notions of excellence are ill-posed.
Excellent computing is computing that aims to surpass the best-performing humans in stylized, closed-world domains where notions of excellence are well-posed.
Venkatesh Rao • The Dawn of Mediocre Computing
Tools extend our reach, give us new abilities, and help us shape societies in profound ways. When we design a tool, it takes on a life of its own and exerts its will upon us. Example: a car was a way to get from point A to point B, but when we realized we needed roads and parking lots which changed our cities. We shape the car, and then the car sha
... See moreColin Dunn • - YouTube
we can use design principles and discipline to shape our minds. This is different from acquiring knowledge. It’s about designing how each of us thinks, remembers, and communicates—appropriately and effectively for the digital age.
David Brooks • This Will Make You Smarter
received over email:
A personal search engine. A personal digital collection. A social media platform. A knowledge management platform. A digital playground. A second brain. The Pinterest of ideas. A living digital library. A bookmarking tool.
A boutique search engine. Sublime to me is not any of those things, it is not another platform, another cha
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When we consider the future of computing devices, the Mac is the model we should aspire to, not the iPhone.
Every new tool shapes the way we think, as well as what we think about.
Clive Thompson • Smarter Than You Think
[Patricia Greenfield] concluded that “every medium develops some cognitive skills at the expense of others.” Our growing use of the Net and other screen-based technologies has led to the “widespread and sophisticated development of visual-spatial skills.” We can, for example, rotate objects in our minds better than we used to be able to. But our “n... See more
Nicholas Carr • The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
demonstrates how to use room tracking by enabling a person to place spheres in a space and continuously query the framework as to whether those spheres are in the same room as the person.