Comments on: Outsourcing Your Brain http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/ Cognitive Science, Basic and Applied Mon, 04 May 2009 04:40:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Is Search Really Broken? « Wherever I go, there I am http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Is Search Really Broken? « Wherever I go, there I am Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:51:58 +0000 http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/#comment-37 [...] viewpoint of search, I have to say that the way I take it for granted and have completely outsourced my long term memory is very scary. I have voluntarily ceded control of information in my head and traded it for the [...] [...] viewpoint of search, I have to say that the way I take it for granted and have completely outsourced my long term memory is very scary. I have voluntarily ceded control of information in my head and traded it for the [...]

]]> By: jasonwong http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/comment-page-1/#comment-10 jasonwong Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:15:15 +0000 http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/#comment-10 That is an <b>excellent</b> point! There are cetainly more examples in the past; anything involving less-advanced technology that required a more basic representation such as numbers, Morse Code, etc. It's interesting that technology created the problem, but better technology solved it. With bigger systems, we don't need numbers anymore. We have e-mail addresses and URLs, for example. Of course, now we run into problems at the other end, when URLs or e-mail addresses are too long for us to remember. Though it all gets stored in our computers anyway. And as you said, it all works until our cell phones run out of batteries. Ah well! That is an excellent point! There are cetainly more examples in the past; anything involving less-advanced technology that required a more basic representation such as numbers, Morse Code, etc. It’s interesting that technology created the problem, but better technology solved it. With bigger systems, we don’t need numbers anymore. We have e-mail addresses and URLs, for example.

Of course, now we run into problems at the other end, when URLs or e-mail addresses are too long for us to remember. Though it all gets stored in our computers anyway. And as you said, it all works until our cell phones run out of batteries. Ah well!

]]> By: Max http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Max Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:21:53 +0000 http://www.wongjason.com/2007/10/26/outsourcing-your-brain/#comment-8 I've had the "phone number memory" discussion with friends before, but my answer, while similarly optimistic, usually takes a different spin. When people talk about our memory "getting worse", there's the perception that the cognitive techniques we're losing--such as the ability to remember many 10-digit numbers--are important somehow: They have a high degree of influence on our quality of life, or at least a somewhat significant degree. But my contention is always this: Before telephones were INVENTED, who needed to remember many 10-digit numbers? No one! So, the need to remember these numbers was introduced by technology, and with the INVENTION of cell phone address books, is now being withdrawn. Technology created a problem, and then solved it. In terms of phone numbers and their impact on our lives, we're back to square one--unless your cell phone dies and you need to use a land line! The technology isn't pervasive enough for us to REALLY be back at "square one", but that's the direction we're headed in. I’ve had the “phone number memory” discussion with friends before, but my answer, while similarly optimistic, usually takes a different spin. When people talk about our memory “getting worse”, there’s the perception that the cognitive techniques we’re losing–such as the ability to remember many 10-digit numbers–are important somehow: They have a high degree of influence on our quality of life, or at least a somewhat significant degree. But my contention is always this: Before telephones were INVENTED, who needed to remember many 10-digit numbers? No one! So, the need to remember these numbers was introduced by technology, and with the INVENTION of cell phone address books, is now being withdrawn.

Technology created a problem, and then solved it. In terms of phone numbers and their impact on our lives, we’re back to square one–unless your cell phone dies and you need to use a land line! The technology isn’t pervasive enough for us to REALLY be back at “square one”, but that’s the direction we’re headed in.

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