The Internet

Can you remember (if you are old enough) when we did not have the Internet? I can, but it is becoming something that resembles living another life. I remember when we only had three or four TV stations. I remember when libraries were the repositories of knowledge. I remember when you did not know what was going on in the world till it made it on TV, the radio, or the newspaper. If you stop and think for a while it is just amazing how much the world has changed. For example, I spent time listening to music this morning by streaming music, reading news articles from across the globe, publishing a blog post, and visiting my favorite web sites. All of which was impossible a three decades ago. The internet has changed just about every facet of our lives. The amazing thing is that things will continue to change. I think we are still in the beginning stages of how much things will change as the result of the Internet.

What do you think?

The greatest invention

What is the greatest invention ever? While there are many contenders, I would say the greatest invention ever was the printing press. Before the printing press in the 1400s, mankind lived in the dark ages. After the invention of the printing press you have the Renaissance and then the modern age. It is the printing press that made what we have today possible. It is the ability to mass produce knowledge in the form of books that has transformed our lives. It is the printing press that made modern medicine possible. Without the sharing of knowledge in the form of books, modern medicine would not exist. it is the sharing of knowledge through mass produce books that created modern science. It is modern science that has given us every technological advancement we have. I could go on but I think you get my point.
I also believe that the modern evolution of the printing press is the Internet. It is through the Internet that the vast majority of knowledge is shared today. It is this sharing of knowledge that will create our future. I also want to make an observation. The most important contribution of the printing press is the sharing of text. It is the words in the books that were printed that transformed the world. If you take a look at the Internet, the vast majority of information on the Internet is still text. It was text that transformed the world and it is still text that is transforming the world. It is the power of the written word.

What do you think?

Chromebook and web pages

One thing I enjoy about my Chromebook is that when you access webpages on the Internet you get the full desktop version. That is one thing about using a tablet or a Smart phone that I find annoying. I do not like mobile websites. They do not have the full breath of functionality that the desktop version does. But, using my Chromebook I have access to the full site. Not only that, my Chromebook is actually much faster accessing the Internet then any other device I have. So I find that my Chromebook is the best device to access the Internet fully and quickly.

What do you think?

Reading - Changing habits

My reading habits have drastically changed. I used to be a voracious book reader. I used to read several books a week. I no longer read that way. Now I spend my time reading headlines or headings and skimming the rest of whatever I am reading. I can't remember the last time I finished reading a whole book. Why did my reading habits change? I am not sure, but have a couple of ideas. I think reading on the internet has changed the way I read. Text on the internet is meant to be read quickly. Lots of headlines, headings, and bullet points. I have also become increasingly aware of how much "filler" and "padding" there is in books. I just want to get to the point as soon as possible. Finally, I think my age is finally showing. I just do not have the patience I used to have. So are my new reading habits bad? There are some that would say yes, but I just think they are different. They way I am now reading is neither bad nor good. It's just the way I read.

What do you think?