Surfing the Web Prevents Dementia? Really?
by Tac Anderson on June 23, 2009
in Meta Thinking
Who knew?
How The Internet Affects Your Brain | Sherweb blog
Browsing Makes You SmarterA 2008 study conducted by the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA found that middle-aged and older adults who spent time browsing the web not only boosted their brain power but also could help prevent cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia later on in life.
WordPress Founder at Work
by Tac Anderson on June 11, 2009
in The Working Mind
- Image via Wikipedia
Morning rituals are important to the way we work. I thought this one by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg was interesting.
The Way I Work: Matt Mullenweg, Leading Your Company Article - Inc. Article
In the morning, I have certain aspirations. One of my goals is to avoid looking at the computer or checking e-mail for at least an hour after I wake up. I also try to avoid alarm clocks as much as possible, because it’s just nice to wake up without one. I leave my shades up a bit, so I usually wake up about an hour after the sun rises. I usually don’t eat breakfast, and I avoid caffeine. I’ve got enough stimulating things in my life already. I also avoid morning meetings: The earliest meeting I’ll do is 11 a.m.
I like to read first thing in the morning. I’m addicted to the Kindle. I read a lot of business books, because I feel like I should figure out how to be a real businessman before someone figures out that I’m not one. I really enjoy reading classics as well, which I try to work in once every two months. Reading is my break. Otherwise, I go to sleep and wake up thinking about WordPress.
It’s also interesting to note that besides a bad tase in music Matt is not a multi-tasker.
I listen to music every day, a lot of jazz — Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. I also like Jay-Z and Beyoncé. I have an analog stereo that was hand built in Japan by a guy who makes a few systems a year. The aural experience is mind-blowing. Music helps me when I’m coding, which is still my priority. When you’re coding, you really have to be in the zone. I’ll listen to a single song, over and over on repeat, like a hundred times. And I turn off instant message and e-mail. If you are taken out of the flow, if that little toaster pops up that says you’ve got mail — and you look at it, you’ve lost it. You’re juggling variables and functions and layouts. The moment you look away, it all falls to the ground, and you spend 10 minutes getting it all back in the air again.
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Link Distractions (weekly)
by Tac Anderson on June 7, 2009
in Uncategorized
-
TED Talks Demystified for Teachers | The History Teacher’s Attic
TED Talks sorted by discipline.
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Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites | Open Culture
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Advantaged by Distraction
by Tac Anderson on June 1, 2009
in Meta Thinking
There is an amazing article over on New York Magazine. I took note’s in Diigo as I went and then exported them here. You’ll see highlighted sections, annotations and comments all in line below.
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation — New York Magazine
Herbert A. Simon wrote maybe the most concise possible description of our
modern struggle: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It
consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information
creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention
efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might
consume it.”\n\nWe are, in short, terminally distracted. And
distracted, the alarmists will remind you, was once a synonym for
insane. (Shakespeare: “poverty hath distracted her.”)
-
We are, in short, terminally distracted. And distracted, the alarmists will remind you, was once a synonym for insane. (Shakespeare: “poverty hath distracted her.”)
-
Herbert A. Simon wrote maybe the most concise possible description of our
modern struggle: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It
consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information
creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention
efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might
consume it.”
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation — New York Magazine
-
As we become more skilled at the 21st-century task Meyer calls “flitting,”
the wiring of the brain will inevitably change to deal more efficiently
with more information. The neuroscientist Gary Small speculates that
the human brain might be changing faster today than it has since the
prehistoric discovery of tools. Research suggests we’re already picking
up new skills: better peripheral vision, the ability to sift
information rapidly. -
Kids growing up now might have an associative genius we don’t—a sense of the
way ten projects all dovetail into something totally new. They might be
able to engage in seeming contradictions: mindful web-surfing, mindful
Twittering. Maybe, in flights of irresponsible responsibility, they’ll
even manage to attain the paradoxical, Zenlike state of focused
distraction.
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation — New York Magazine
It’s possible that we’re evolving toward a new techno-cognitive nomadism, in
which restlessness will be an advantage. It’s been hypothesized that
ADHD might even be an advantage in certain change-rich environments.
-
It’s possible that we’re evolving toward a new techno-cognitive nomadism, in which restlessness will be an advantage.
- We have always evolved mentally as a society, leaving behind those who
didn’t have the mental capacity to keep up. Having an IQ in the low
70’s wasn’t that big a deal 100 years ago. Today you’re handicapped. comment by tacanderson
- We have always evolved mentally as a society, leaving behind those who
-
It’s been hypothesized that ADHD might even be an advantage in certain change-rich environments.
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation — New York Magazine
Are we living through a crisis of attention? Before I even have a chance
to apologize, Meyer responds with the air of an Old Testament prophet.
“Yes,” he says. “And I think it’s going to get a lot worse than people
expect.” He sees our distraction as a full-blown epidemic-a cognitive
plague that has the potential to wipe out an entire generation of
focused and productive thought.
-
Are we living through a crisis of attention?
Before I even have a chance to apologize, Meyer responds with the air of an
Old Testament prophet. “Yes,” he says. “And I think it’s going to get a
lot worse than people expect.” He sees our distraction as a full-blown
epidemic—a cognitive plague that has the potential to wipe out an
entire generation of focused and productive thought.- everyone thinks it’s bad that our attention is getting stretched. could it be a
good thing? could this bring about an evolutionary change that allows
our brains to do even more? comment by tacanderson
- everyone thinks it’s bad that our attention is getting stretched. could it be a
My personal take is that I’m not convinced multi-tasking and the “Great Attention Crash” are a bad thing. At least not for me. I do well in overstimulated settings. In normal settings I’m at a disadvantage. In hyper-distracted settings I have the advantage.
Of course normal people want to reverse it. They’re loosing the advantage.
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Why are some minds busier than others
by Tac Anderson on May 31, 2009
in Meta Thinking
- Image via Wikipedia
Something I’ve always wondered about is why do some people’s minds seem to be busier than others? The obvious answer is that some people posses a level of intelligence others don’t. That may explain why some people are able to do more amazing things than others it doesn’t explain why some people just think *more* than others.
It also doesn’t explain why some of us just can’t turn our brains off. Even if we want to.
What brought all this on? Well, A) I always think. And often it’s on this topic. But B) I read this really cool article on Wired about the Worlds Greatest Lock Picker. Basically, he really likes puzzles, he’s insanely (that may be literal) smart and finally he is always thinking about it.
Maybe for some of us there’s a little OCD in us. I have to wonder where the line between *Disorder* and *Gifted* is. Probably because I *supposedly* suffer from a disability. A disorder. Attention Deficit Disorder. Maybe I should come up with a new name for it?
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Steve Ballmer’s Brain Goes Chop Chop Chop
by Tac Anderson on May 25, 2009
in Meta Thinking
Oh wow, does this ever sound familiar. Maybe Steve’s ADHD too? 
“My brain races too much, so even if I’ve listened to everything somebody said, unless you show that you’ve digested it, people don’t think they are being well heard. Sometimes you really don’t hear because you’re racing. It’s just the way my brain works. My brain is just chop, chop, chop, chop, chop. And so, if you really want to get the best out of people, you have to really hear them and they have to feel like they’ve been really heard.”
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Predicting or creating the future
by Tac Anderson on May 12, 2009
in Meta Thinking
Can’t you do both?
MBAs vs. Entrepreneurs: Who Has the Right Stuff for Tough Times? - Bill Taylor - HarvardBusiness.org
“Causal reasoning is based on the logic, To the extent that we can predict the future, we can control it,” she writes. That’s why MBAs and big companies spend so much time on focus groups, market research, and statistical models. “Effectual reasoning, however, is based on the logic, To the extent that we can control the future, we do not need to predict it.” How do you control the future? By inventing it yourself — marshalling scarce resources, understanding that surprises are to be expected rather than avoided, reacting to them fast.
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Why does math scare me so?
by Tac Anderson on May 5, 2009
in Stuff
I don’t know if this makes me feel better or worse.
Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.
- Albert Einstein
If Einstein struggled with math then there’s hope for me.
If Einstein struggled with math and was still able to do everything he did, what the hell’s my problem?
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Link Distractions (weekly)
by Tac Anderson on May 3, 2009
in Uncategorized
-
to me this just shows that not everyone learns different. education should not be a one size fits all thing.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
This is why I cary a notebook eveywhere with me
by Tac Anderson on April 28, 2009
in Meta Thinking
There is just something about the tactile act of writing things down. Typing doesn’t do it for me. It has to be a pen and paper.
Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down. - Chronicle.com
Two psychology journals have recently published papers showing that this strategy works, the latest findings from a decades-old body of research. When students study on their own, “active recall” — recitation, for instance, or flashcards and other self-quizzing — is the most effective way to inscribe something in long-term memory
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