Homework #2

1. Why does the author, Nicholas Carr, feel like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet? His mind is changing because he basically skims sources like most people do. Also our brains mentally feed off information of the internet and we are used to it in our daily lives.

2. How does research today compare with doing library research in the old days, twenty and more years ago? (I know you weren't around 20 years ago, but answer this based on what knowledge you have gathered about libraries in your lifetime). In the late 20th to 21st Century we have advanced technology like computers/laptops, smartphones, tablets and other products that make researching easier. 20 years ago people had books, encyclopedia's, dictionaries, libraries and other resources to help with researching.

3. How have Nicholas Carr's reading habits changed because of the Internet? Reading habits are different because we basically skim through articles. We have like e-reads; which are personal readers that read to us. Also if you own an iPhone, highlight the article you are reading and press speak, you can have Siri read the article to you.

4. How is reading online different than reading a long article or book? Explain. Reading an article on the internet compared to a newspaper article or a book is easier because more and more people use the internet than books. Now the evolution of the internet, everything is there. Back before the dawn of the internet, people greatly depended on libraries, books and newspapers for information.

5. Do you agree or disagree that our minds think like computers? Explain. I agree that our minds are like computers because we are prone to use the internet a lot more in our daily lives. We have the access to the internet pretty much everywhere. We use the internet more and more; we use our brains less and less these days.

6. Do you agree or disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies?" I kind of think so because I feel that most technologies have revolutionized most of our lives. The computer has made our lives much easier and simpler. All of the technology that people have created have been equally beneficial to our lives. In other words the computer is not superior to all other technologies in the world.

7. Why do you think The New York Times changed its format? Do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea? Why?

8. What does Nicholas Carr mean by "knowledge work?" ?

9. Do you agree or disagree that Google has been successful in its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful?" I agree with Google's mission because Google and other search engines have made researching easier and more accessible. Different search engines have different results for when you search for the same topic. We use these search engines every single day and have the same mission.

10. How does Google's mission compare with a library's mission in light of the fact that there is no fiction or nonfiction section on the Internet, but there is a fiction and a nonfiction section in a library, and that all the books are organized on the shelves in a library, but "scattered on the floor" of the Internet? Most of the information on the internet is false while the library mainly has factual evidence. The library also has useful data bases in its system that benefits people. The libraries mission is to provide factual resources while Google and other search tries to compete with libraries around the world.

11. Do you think it would be a good thing if your own brain and intelligence were "supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence?" Why or why not? I think it would be a bad idea because I feel it would be inhumane. Also it would be very unnatural and going against science and God if we had artificial intelligence.

12. Do you think that the human brain is "just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive?" Why or why not? I believe it isn't because the human brain is the smartest computer that we were equipped with. Also as humans we add more and more knowledge to our brains everyday and use them for critical tasks in our daily lives.

13. What do you think about your own surfing habits, the links you click on and the pages you view, being an opportunity for "Google and other companies to collect information about you and to feed you advertisements?" I think we surf the internet a lot and we sometimes pay for advertisements. Everyday we use these search engines and the search engines view our topics and what we want to know.

14. How do your surfing habits compare to reading a book? Do you agree or disagree that companies online, collecting data about us by what we click on and view, are using subversive tactics to discourage "leisurely reading," and "slow, concentrated thought?" Are you yourself driven to distraction while on the Web? How or how not? Surfing habits are much more easier than using a book because surfing the web is quicker than reading a book. When we research topics, companies collect that data and store it within in their systems. I feel that people get easily distracted because were prone to look up other things and we waste time.

15. Do you agree with Socrates that the development of writing led to people using the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they carried around in their heads? Why or why not? ?

16. Do you think the Internet is doing the same thing? Why or why not? How or how not? ?

17. How do your own reading habits compare to what Nicholas Carr describes in this article? Nicholas Carr skims through articles while we use phones and tablets to automatically read it. We use the internet everyday and we now rarely use news articles and books.

18. So, do you think Google really is making us stupid? Why or why not? How or how not? I think Google is making us stupid because the internet is like a second brain that we use very often. We still use libraries for useful sources but everything we need is on the internet. Although we use the internet a lot, the sources located on Google and other search engines are un-factual and inaccurate.