2016 Winter January 23 Saturday

26 degrees this morning, walk 25:45 minutes

Google (or at least search engines in general) may have been one of the biggest transformations of modern times, if you really think about it.

While it would not have been possible without the computer, internet etc., it still has had a major impact on daily life, modern thinking, and especially learning and advances in all fields. 

I probably didn’t really realize the impact of it until a few years ago I was in the Apple store, and the techs, instead of going to a manual etc. looking for something, simply looked it up on Google!

In fact, Google and related have probably eliminated the need for reference works, manuals etc. or at least greatly reduced them.

I haven’t noticed when I go to the library (which says something in itself), but I really don’t know if they have near the reference works before, but I expect they save their money and only have a few of the essential reference works.  

I know when I was ‘weeding” i had a lot of reference works and I donated almost all of them.  I keep a few of the more esoteric ones, but I expect even that is available on Google.  

To have all the knowledge of the world available in milliseconds anywhere and anyplace (with smart phones) is simply an amazing advancement!  

This basically means any information is available to anyone within seconds of it being posted!

Of course, on the other hand, there are drawbacks.  

Probably most important, you really don’t know what information to trust.  Either someone is trying to mislead you and make money at it, or they are doing it just because they are lowlife crooks.  

Of course, there are also honest differences of opinion and belief.  

Maybe education should (or maybe it is) should be directed towards having the analytic tools and wisdom to sift through tremendous amounts of information and determine what is true, what is best for you etc.  

I really proceed on the notion that if I can look it up, I probably don’t need to waste brainpower and, especially time, on trying remember it.

Probably more important to me is having the knowledge and ability to know where to find it, know how to analyze it and determine the information I need.

One big problem with just “remembering” information even books or magazines is that they are “static” information, whereas Google etc. is updating itself all of the time.

I know Libraries have changed substantially over the recent years to deal with the new ways of thinking, new knowledge sources etc.  I only hope the schools are also keeping up.

One major problem is the massive amount of propaganda and that people (certainly including me) just don’t have the ability to deal with it.  Certainly terrorist recruitment is one example, but there are a lot of examples. 

Went to a bluegrass concert last night.  It was fun and good.  As usual, I didn’t think they played the fiddle/violin enough!

Got to bed much later than usual as a consequence, and up a little later this morning to get my normal amount of sleep.  Probably good for me to do that more often!  Don’t want to get into a rut!

That’s it for now, Saturday, January 23, 2016.