The widespread use of search engines and online databases has affected the way people remember information, researchers are reporting.
I was wondering why I can't remember anything anymore. I think the internet has caused me not to remember certain things because I don't have to. Sort of why I don't like using phone memory because then I don't learn the phone number. And one odd thing for me, when I use a page I like to use the find option and I find myself feeling very frustrated when I can't do that when reading a hard copy of something.
Only makes sense, I used to be a good speller but auto spell check has ruined me. Also phone numbers the same thing. Since the phone numbers are in my phone, I no longer need to remember them anymore.
But since all this knowledge is only a click away, do we now have more room in our brain for analysis?
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
ONE OF Einstein's colleagues asked him for his telephone number one day. Einstein reached for a telephone directory and looked it up. "You don't remember your own number?" the man asked, startled.
"No," Einstein answered. "Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from a book?"
In fact, Einstein claimed never to memorize anything which could be looked up in less than two minutes.
And I am totally willing to give up some of my memory to have such quick access to all this wonderful data. The internet is a treasure for people who want to know things, and find them quickly. People don't realize what a lucky generation we are.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
We may not remember facts, but we do remember where we got information, and as we look up more and more information our general knowledge and ability to make decisions based on that knowledge increases. Maybe we need to teach our congress critters how to use the internet?
