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How good software makes us stupid

Xander

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Totally agree. Plus making ourselves so dependent on technology makes us vulnerable - to terrorism or other hostile agencies. I'm more worried about this defencelessness than about the dumbing down of society at large.
Meh. Large scale war like that required to threaten a front running country just isn't economically viable. Powerful people would lose out. That's your first safety net.
 

Salomé

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Meh. Large scale war like that required to threaten a front running country just isn't economically viable. Powerful people would lose out. That's your first safety net.
It wouldn't require large scale war. That's the point.

There is no safety net. We're too co-dependent for a WWIII-type scenario. But never underestimate terrorists.
 

Xander

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It wouldn't require large scale war. That's the point.

There is no safety net. We're too co-dependent for a WWIII-type scenario. But never underestimate terrorists.
Meh. Why worry about them? It's counter productive. Unless you are in league with the devils :thelook:
 

Fluffywolf

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You said it's making "us" more intelligent. But if you are "not like most people" in your use of it, you can't make that argument.


But, but, there must be more like me, and us is nothing more than a bunched up people with one or more similarities, and is rarily defined very clearly. :whistling:

>.>

Also, I have an imaginary friend and he agrees with me regarding this subject. :yes:

He has reality issues though, he thinks he is real and I am his imaginary friend. Really, he's not right in the head at all. Pft, I get an imaginary friend and it turns out to be a psychotic one. Go figure. :shrug:
 

Moiety

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But, but, there must be more like me, and us is nothing more than a bunched up people with one or more similarities, and is rarily defined very clearly. :whistling:

>.>

Also, I have an imaginary friend and he agrees with me regarding this subject. :yes:

He has reality issues though, he thinks he is real and I am his imaginary friend. Really, he's not right in the head at all. Pft, I get an imaginary friend and it turns out to be a psychotic one. Go figure. :shrug:

Too much weed, INTP.
 

rav3n

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2 things.

As someone who listens to engineers whinge a lot, do you have an appreciation for the washing machine? Do you understand it or just use it?
The washing machine and I have an understanding. It works, we get along.

But seriously, I do have a conceptual understanding of it. Probably not to an INTPs level of i-dotting but its net effects could be manually reproduced if necessary.

I'm not convinced that conceptual thinking has been eroded on by technology. In a situation of apocalyptic proportions, if mankind survives, we could reconceptualise ourselves perhaps not to the exact place we are now but to an even better place since hopefully, we'll have learned a thing or two from past mistakes.

And yet, I have to argue the other side. Take what happened within the past year, where the NYSE took a nosedive from large trades tripping stop orders enmasse. In this, technology led us down the doggie trail but it was nonceptualisation that created the opportunity for it to do so.

The other thing is, did you just go from doing laundry to slicing up half cooked bovine? You might want to check those mushrooms before making soup!

;)
Indeed, I did! Have a great recipe for a clarified mushroom soup and have it all the time, as you've experienced. :tongue:
 

Xander

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The washing machine and I have an understanding. It works, we get along.

But seriously, I do have a conceptual understanding of it. Probably not to an INTPs level of i-dotting but its net effects could be manually reproduced if necessary.

I'm not convinced that conceptual thinking has been eroded on by technology. In a situation of apocalyptic proportions, if mankind survives, we could reconceptualise ourselves perhaps not to the exact place we are now but to an even better place since hopefully, we'll have learned a thing or two from past mistakes.

And yet, I have to argue the other side. Take what happened within the past year, where the NYSE took a nosedive from large trades tripping stop orders enmasse. In this, technology led us down the doggie trail but it was nonceptualisation that created the opportunity for it to do so.
I've no idea on the stock markets or American economics so I'll just keep to the conceptualisation if that's okay.

It is being damaged but not necessarily in the common way. A wall which is battered by cannon fire shows it's injury but undermining it does not until it all comes down.

How many users of computers actually have a foundationary understanding of how it works? How many managers actually know anything about what a manager is supposed to do? How many people drive motorcars but couldn't find the place to put the oil? It's not a problem until the main task at hand cannot be done because of a problem and then the house of cards starts coming down.

A good example is when a supermarket cannot serve people because their tills stop working. Of course they can but they refuse to because they get their knickers in a twist about the automatic stock control which was implemented to make the job easier not reliant on additional technology.

I guess you could say that it's not making people stupid but making them relax to the point where if plan A doesn't work there is no plan B at all.
Indeed, I did! Have a great recipe for a clarified mushroom soup and have it all the time, as you've experienced. :p:
Hey you told me that was from a can! No wonder I thought my monitor was playing up all day!
 

rav3n

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I've no idea on the stock markets or American economics so I'll just keep to the conceptualisation if that's okay.

It is being damaged but not necessarily in the common way. A wall which is battered by cannon fire shows it's injury but undermining it does not until it all comes down.

How many users of computers actually have a foundationary understanding of how it works? How many managers actually know anything about what a manager is supposed to do? How many people drive motorcars but couldn't find the place to put the oil? It's not a problem until the main task at hand cannot be done because of a problem and then the house of cards starts coming down.

A good example is when a supermarket cannot serve people because their tills stop working. Of course they can but they refuse to because they get their knickers in a twist about the automatic stock control which was implemented to make the job easier not reliant on additional technology.

I guess you could say that it's not making people stupid but making them relax to the point where if plan A doesn't work there is no plan B at all.
I hear you but you also have to take into consideration that each example contains short-term and also per individual concerns. In the long-term and as a conceptual whole, we would find ways to circumvent technological dependencies.

Sorry to take this back to economics but consider globalisation. Economies and efficiences of scale. No one country or person understands, manufactures, throws the switch for every potential form of trade. Each country has its expertise(s) and these positive synergies take humankind to another level of advancement since it provides us with opportunities to focus on areas of expertise(s). It's okay to rely on a mechanic to some degree.

Good god, am I arguing for beneficial societal wholes? Ni screams quietly in the background while Te giggles. :doh:

We did learn something from 9/11. Contingency planning where many regulatory bodies dictated that each corporation have Plan B for any number of contingencies.

Hey you told me that was from a can! No wonder I thought my monitor was playing up all day!
Ha...as if INTPs needed mushrooms. Y'all do fine with your Ne tripping!
 

Xander

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I hear you but you also have to take into consideration that each example contains short-term and also per individual concerns. In the long-term and as a conceptual whole, we would find ways to circumvent technological dependencies.
I'd say that's the optimistic viewpoint and the pessimistic viewpoint would be that as we advance we'll just replace the crutch with a new all singing and dancing carbon fibre pneumatically assisted crutch.

Both sound similarly unlikely as a reality to me. I'm expecting something more in the middle and I'm just hoping for the optimistic result.
Sorry to take this back to economics but consider globalisation. Economies and efficiences of scale. No one country or person understands, manufactures, throws the switch for every potential form of trade. Each country has its expertise(s) and these positive synergies take humankind to another level of advancement since it provides us with opportunities to focus on areas of expertise(s). It's okay to rely on a mechanic to some degree.
There's no doubt that technology is a good thing in general the same as disinfectant and pesticide but the drawbacks may still bite us in the rear and the question is, are we preparing for that bite?
Good god, am I arguing for beneficial societal wholes? Ni screams quietly in the background while Te giggles. :doh:
Yup you are one of them there dirty E types. Us introverts are much purer... screw everyone else we're doing this!!!
We did learn something from 9/11. Contingency planning where many regulatory bodies dictated that each corporation have Plan B for any number of contingencies.
Sorry that's where you lose me. The details of American culture aren't really in my field of reading and I've only recently taken any real interest in the news. I am of course aware of 9/11 (though it still confuses me as the date is backwards) but I've no idea what the full repercussions were only that air travel is now taken a whole lot more seriously.
Ha...as if INTPs needed mushrooms. Y'all do fine with your Ne tripping!
Nah, caffeine is what I use!!
 

Salomé

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It's not just a case of interdependence. If people rely on machines to perform functions that they used to perform mentally (eg basic computation) they will ultimately lose that capacity. Unused brain hardware doesn't remain on standby: "in the event of emergency, THINK!" It atrophies and dies. That's the point of the article, I believe. If those London cabbies lose their satnavs they'll be lost - quite literally.
 

Blown Ghost

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They might lose their way and some time on the off chance they encounter the type of streets only proprietary knowledge could navigate, but what about all the time saved by live traffic updates? Generally I think the pros of technology outweigh the cons. Also, over time the cons are phased out along with knowledge... consider everything we use today that doesn't require intimate knowledge anymore. Can't let niggling fears impede progress that is, for the most part, helpful.
 

Salomé

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They might lose their way and some time on the off chance they encounter the type of streets only proprietary knowledge could navigate, but what about all the time saved by live traffic updates? Generally I think the pros of technology outweigh the cons. Also, over time the cons are phased out along with knowledge... consider everything we use today that doesn't require intimate knowledge anymore. Can't let niggling fears impede progress that is, for the most part, helpful.
It's not an niggling fear, but an inevitable result. We've already made the decision to embrace it, so discussing whether we should or not is moot.
 

Xander

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Turn left.

Loud scream.

Well officer the satnav said turn left, it didn't mention veer to avoid the pedestrian crossing the road and my parking sensors only went off when I was really really close so I didn't have time to wake up and press the peddle.

No matter how many times people visit this kind of topic it never seems to really worry anyone putting complex decisions in the hands of computers and therefore programmers.
 

Salomé

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No matter how many times people visit this kind of topic it never seems to really worry anyone putting complex decisions in the hands of computers and therefore programmers.
The only people who don't trust computers are the people who understand them.:)
 

Xander

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The only people who don't trust computers are the people who understand them.:)
Well them and the one's who shout at the monitor and then declare "it's not doing what I told it to!". I'm always wondering if they expect voice recognition or if it'd help....
 

BlueScreen

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I've been reading a bit about technology recently and how our approach to it has become somewhat detached from its purpose. Essentially technology was a way of improving ourselves beyond what we were born with. For example, a human had a lot of trouble hunting an animal by running after it and trying to grab it, but once they had a spear to throw at it, things became easier. Some die hards who loved the art of running after animals and grabbing them probably thought it was the death of an artform, but really I'd call it an advance. Our biggest mistake in terms of learning these days does not seem to be the having of more technology, but using technology in a way that in no way improves our thinking or abilities, rather substitutes it. We let something with no creativity, insight, etc. determine the answers. And these answers are often of no benefit to us, but we aren't clued in enough to realise.

This might even come down to training. Every person is given a computer and it is assumed that understanding how to use it equals understanding how to use it beneficially. It is as important to know when and why you are using it as the techniques. A few strong points of the computer are: large memory capacity and fast recall, ability to do complex calculations quickly, multimedia communications, ability to send or duplicate work to large number of people. A few weak points are: slow information input rate (how fast we can enter stuff), slow information output rate (how fast we can read or understand output), no insight or creativity (does not see if a step is stupid unless you think of all the options and program things to detect this), encourages us to think in unnaturally closed and limited terms which the computer/program will understand.

I believe a few of the big computer technology companies realised these things early, and put in place things like the "powerpoint free zone" to stop technology dumbing down their meetings. It also highlights the areas where computer technology/use needs to improve, and why the interface is quite important and may have been left behind in the rush for more powerful processing (that in terms of productivity is more beneficial to science and control stuff than the average user). I'd like more people to question the assumption that dumping a computer on every desk in the country improves productivity too. Lots seem to see the flashing lights of something they don't fully understand and embrace it as the way. I think the most important thing to remember about technology is we do the thinking that matters and make the decisions, it just fills in some gaps and extends us so we can think about or do more difficult and complex things.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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It's called private education surely? Oh and it's still not popular en masse because it's a whole lot more expensive than free and to keep the prices up it's also exclusive.

I wasn't thinking of private education, at least not as it's commonly thought of today. I believe in time there will be less expensive forms of private education. It will effectively be education that is desired by the masses. If public education gets any reform then it will come originally from these types of channels.
 

Beargryllz

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The architect will only grow more clever to make a better machine. What you really should worry about is a singularity where the human architect becomes unnecessary. At this moment in time, the strength of a system is dependent on the capacity of the human making it.
 
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