Blog #11 Reading Response

I am commenting on the article Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr. In humor, I'd like to say that I started to read it but then got a text from my boss and then my mom called and then 24 came on and I simply scanned it and the next few hundred words are inane drivel masking as analytical b.s. But, I actually went to the mall (no sound system, less distractions), had a Caramel Latte (alright, and a chocolate donut!) and read the entire article in one short sitting.
Mr Carr makes a great case for the internet age being responsible for giving us all a mass case of ADD. As more inputs to our brain pop up, he believes, the less time we have for lengthy, critical readings. In my own life I can bear witness to this. In my twenties I read Herman Hesse, Anne Tyler, Tom Wolfe, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and several Dostoevsky novels, to name a few. These novels are not known for their knife edge, thrill a minute style. And then I discovered Robert Ludlum and Jack Higgins and my hunger for spy novels increased. Now I crave the likes of Vince Flynn and David Baldacci, because it has to be fast, has to move me from the start. My wife wants me to read Dr Phil's books, nothing wrong with that, but his style is on the same excitement level as watching lettuce wilt. So I understood the article very well.
I liked how he gave examples from the past of the invention of writing and the printing press and cited examples of their critics. It's funny to think about being against writing now, but Socrates' fear that we would start to forget things and not rely on our brains, or intuition, is rather profound. I mean, someone had to be the first one to crack an egg, cook it and notice it tasted good. What about the hind end of a pig? Did instructions appear from the heavens saying that this meat and swiss cheese on rye bread would be good? And what about potty training? Whether you believe in a creator or an evolving race, reading a book and trying to train the kids at 3 or 4 has got to be the wrong way to go about it! Maybe we have been missing something. Maybe the answer to all these questions is in the brain and writing has muddied the answer. Cats don't read books to know that mice are what they are supposed to eat. (Perhaps the previous questions document my ADD perfectly).
Overall I found Mr Carr's article very entertaining and informative. This Google idea of an intelligence insert for the brain is a bit scary though. But maybe it can be useful in helping people remember all their password for all their distracting web locations.