Cut-and-paste is not understanding

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Cut and paste has become easier. So we make less effort to understand. We don’t need to. Like when we pay less attention if we’re recording a lecture.

Solution? I suggest the Tunnel in the Sky strategy. Rod Walker is going for survival training on an alien planet, and asks his sister, Captain Walker…

“Uh, Sis, what sort of gun should I carry?”

“Huh? Why the deuce do you want a gun?”

“Why, for things I might run into of course.”

“Your only purpose is to stay alive. Not to be brave, not to fight. One time in a hundred a gun might save your life; the other ninety-nine it will tempt you into folly.”

“Did you take a gun on your solo test?”

“I did. And I lost it the first day. Which saved my life. I know how good a gun makes you feel. You’re ready for anything and hoping you’ll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it - because you aren’t anything of that sort.”

So, don’t take a gun.

Don’t record lectures. Don’t give yourself the illusion of perfect memory.

Don’t bookmark for future reading. You won’t read it later.

Don’t cut and paste. You don’t understand it now. You won’t understand it later.

Comments

Sai 26 Jun 2006 11:36 pm: Good stuff..makes lots of sense…
Rajagopalan 26 Feb 2007 1:23 pm: that is why make sense software is becoming popular
Anonymous 15 Mar 2007 6:56 am: Brilliant :)

Negative people bad for your brain

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Angry or negative people can be bad for your brain.

Seven plus or minus two

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:00:00 +0000

The seven plus or minus two rule. That’s all your brain can remember.

Speech recognition is not such a good idea

Tue, 21 May 2002 12:00:00 +0000

I always felt using voice to communicate with computers was a bad idea. In my case, it’s more because speaking takes up a lot of energy. But looks like it takes up a lot of thought power as well. Maybe speech recognition is not such a good idea.

cognitive-load on S Anand

Cut-and-paste is not understanding

Comments

Negative people bad for your brain

Seven plus or minus two

Speech recognition is not such a good idea