Comments on: Asking Google is Asking Humanity

By: kb

kb — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:07:20 +0000

even though i wasn’t the one to write it, i know exactly how being too self-conscious to go for a walk feels. i’m glad to know i wasn’t alone.

By: David

David — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:44:40 +0000

Hehe… you’re definitely not the only person that doesn’t comprehend Twitter. I think their tagline “What are you doing?” is misleading; that’s not really what it’s about.

It’s about uncovering other people’s personalities through little bits of information they provide. The only way to really understand it is to just experiment for a while.

By: jeff

jeff — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:00:34 +0000

Am I the only person who simply does not comprehend Twitter? I am sure it can do wonderful things but it remains a complete mystery to me. I have read the ‘How to Get Started’ and it still has all the clarity of a Zen koan.

The Internet of course is some kind of magic. The noosphere lives!

By: David

David — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:39:07 +0000

Wow, thanks Ann Elise, I’m flattered to hear you say that. Yeah, I forgot to mention Mint, Josh asked about it. I think it’s truly excellent. It’s useful and attractive, and not overcomplicated. It costs $30, a one-time fee.

By: ann elise

ann elise — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:03:40 +0000

Wow, David, how incredibly revealing that Mint service is... people not only find what they are searching for, you find out how you are helping them meet those needs. I can see how it would be humanizing, giving an imaginable physical form to the words we send each other. You have such a unique insight into life. @Josh: Frannie sleeps with a book, in addition to a stuffed animal. I'll see if I can catch a shot for you. We also find her awake, hiding in her closet with her books. ann elise’s last blog post..Swine flu and travel safety

By: David

David — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:23:10 +0000

@ Lisis — I think you are right. Memorization is not really learning. I think the only reason we memorized anything in school was to pass the test. Usually the ideas behind the lessons went over our heads. Sounds like Hunter has a great teacher.

@ Dani — I think the humanness of the internet has really emerged in the last couple of years, at least from my perspective. I feel close to a lot of people that I have never even met; it was never like this before, and I’ve been using the internet for fifteen years.

@ Nadia — Email is really incredible. It’s so ubiquitous now that I often forget how amazing it really is. Sometimes I think about messengers on horseback, hundreds of years ago, trotting through the countryside for weeks just to deliver a few words from one person to a distant friend. Email is a little less romantic I guess, but it really facilitates human connections.

@ Josh — I don’t think books will ever go out of style. As far as research goes, there is enough accessible information available on the internet to write a paper or do a school project without ever cracking a book. But the internet cannot replace the physical feeling of holding printed words in your hands. The more I love the internet, the more I love books too.

By: Josh Hanagarne

Josh Hanagarne — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:48:47 +0000

Good stuff David. As much as Librarians love to fret about being replaced by Google, it is a fantastic resource. You make some great points and give a lot of food for thought. It is a humbling experience to see someone else’s insecurities laid bare–an unexpected biproduct of checking your blog stats. By the way, have you been happy with Mint? Never heard of it before this post.

By: Nadia - Happy Lotus

Nadia - Happy Lotus — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:06:24 +0000

I remember when I was in college, I had to use a word processor to type papers and this was in the 90s. When I got to law school, laptops became affordable and the Internet was just happening. It was amazing that I could communicate with people instantly without having to send a letter.

As someone who has had their share of long-distance relationships, email is awesome. I remember dating a guy in high school and having to send him letters. It would take a week for it to reach him which felt like an eternity.

When I was dating my husband and he was outside of America, I could email him and get a response within a day. How times have changed but for the better. God bless the people who created the Internet! :)

By: Positively Present

Positively Present — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:40:35 +0000

I’m so intrigued by this post! I’ve never really thought about what people search for and how that relates to specific articles/links and it’s such an interesting topic to think about. I love the way you’ve written this and the spin you put on it, about asking and about desires. I sort of go through life just adapting to newer and newer technology but it really IS amazing how you can ask Google a question and instantly get an answer or request information via Twitter. Blows my mind, really…

By: Lisis | Quest For Balance

Lisis | Quest For Balance — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:35:21 +0000

@ David and Roger: It NEVER made sense to memorize historical facts. Einstein said he tried not to memorize anything he could look up, so that more of his brain power was available for actual thinking. When I teach my son History there are only a handful of dates or names that I try to get him to remember (the really big ones), but aside from that, we study the story… the trend… the meaning of life so far. =-)

@ David and Jay: I love this image of Google as the Oracle at Delphi. Several times a day I make my pilgrimage to the keyboard to pose the great questions to Google, the modern day soothsayer. Awesome! ;-)