Mobile Phones, Memory cards, Global positioning systems and other "computerized memories"-a perfect alternate to our brains? Or tools which eventually make us incapable of remembering things like phone numbers or directions? I read in a scientific journal long ago that the average human doesn't use even 0.5% of his brain during his lifetime. And also that the only human to have put the brain to maximum use was Albert Einstein. So what happens when we start depends on external sources to remember what we can remember easily? Many people would argue that we do not need to remember mundane things like phone numbers and addresses if we can figure out a place to store them - and they are right -but seldom do they realize that they are doing it at the cost of impairing the brain, or rather breaking the routine exercise for the brain, part of which is memorizing stuff or figuring things out.
Recently when a friend of mine and me used a GPS to travel, we selected the option of route according to the shortest time taken. And we followed it blindly, to the point where the voice activated GPS told us where to turn right or left and within how many feet. And we realized that halfway through our journey we lost the basic sense of direction and using common sense like reading traffic signs to reach the destination !!! And we also realized that the route taken TO the destination and the one FROM it were different !!! Maybe the GPS was successful in optimizing our journey, but we totally lost the capability to figure it ourselves!!!!!
Similarly, when one of my friends asked me my mobile phone number the second day I took it, I couldn't recall the number and had to refer to my mobile phone settings!! How much are we supposed to depend on these gadgets to live?
Phone numbers, addresses, key dates and what-not - How do we decide which ones do we remember ourselves and which ones do we depend on the" electronic memories"?
And considering that these "electronic brains" are being given bigger roles than storing data, like analytical skills, it won't be long before they do each and every part of thinking for us - and if things go wrong somewhere, it might end up as a horrific robot movie - where they take over the human race!!!!!!!!!!!
Recently when a friend of mine and me used a GPS to travel, we selected the option of route according to the shortest time taken. And we followed it blindly, to the point where the voice activated GPS told us where to turn right or left and within how many feet. And we realized that halfway through our journey we lost the basic sense of direction and using common sense like reading traffic signs to reach the destination !!! And we also realized that the route taken TO the destination and the one FROM it were different !!! Maybe the GPS was successful in optimizing our journey, but we totally lost the capability to figure it ourselves!!!!!
Similarly, when one of my friends asked me my mobile phone number the second day I took it, I couldn't recall the number and had to refer to my mobile phone settings!! How much are we supposed to depend on these gadgets to live?
Phone numbers, addresses, key dates and what-not - How do we decide which ones do we remember ourselves and which ones do we depend on the" electronic memories"?
And considering that these "electronic brains" are being given bigger roles than storing data, like analytical skills, it won't be long before they do each and every part of thinking for us - and if things go wrong somewhere, it might end up as a horrific robot movie - where they take over the human race!!!!!!!!!!!
2 comments:
on a friend's reco'tion, visited your blog. this is a good one. but, what i feel is we let the mobile do all that donkey work and we use our brains to find ways to make this world a better place by being more human in understanding fellow humans. it is just what i believe in. i own an N - Series one and it's really leaving me some more time to do what i want to do. this gps thing you said...i didn't try. it's not yet available in this part of the world.
anyways...cheers, and next time...i think you know what to do.
I appreciate your visit...the comments were a little off the track from my topic.....but Thank you.
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