Comments on: Will Apple’s iPad Make Us Dumb? (Or Smarter?)

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:38:44 +0000

I agree with you — the fast, flitting style has helped make us good connectors, better innovators (which is usually combining two previously unmatched ideas), and better able to absorb information across a vast spectrum — and to the extent that these are useful, it’s a good thing. But not all skills fall into these categories. I’m sure I sound like a codger here, but there’s something useful about thinking deeply — or about pursuing a narrow, isolated skill to the nth degree — and more important, about the attention-span musculature that these deeper pursuits develop.

By: Garnet

Garnet — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:31:41 +0000

This has certainly affected the way I use the internet, but couldn’t that fast, flitting style of web browsing be building ‘spiderweb’ connections in our brains? If one aspect of intelligence and problem solving is connecting many diverse ideas, then this is the perfect tool for it, if used properly.

And many writers simply use too many words. I read for information and too many books and articles (like the one linked to) stretch an idea into a book or needlessly long article. We have access to huge amounts of information which we need to understand and integrate and writers need to take that into consideration.

Great book and blog.

By: Ryan Hockman

Ryan Hockman — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:01:20 +0000

My family is immersed in high-fidelity simulation. My wife is in the medical simulation field and my brother and I (both QB coaches) have been informally researching and lobbying gaming companies to develop immersive, virtual reality simulators for both QBs and coaches.

Getting 11 vs. 11 practice and game reps is difficult and rare (even for the starters) for QBs. Organizing 21 other players for practice in the off-season is unheard of and QB starters get the majority of the practice and all of the game reps, developing a huge bottleneck. Talent leaves the position and the sport.

Hi/Fi Simulation would dramatically increase the learning rate of the QB. But, until someone designs it, the best computer sims are 2-D, joystick-controlled programs like Madden.

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:10:29 +0000

I like your point — if I’m getting it — that the Internet is itself like a giant game, and learning to “play” it well is one heck of a useful skill. I agree with you. With the right set of goals (not to mention discipline), it’s a treasure-hunting game — though one can slide easily into a (less useful) pleasure-hunting game.

By: Edward Morden

Edward Morden — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:07:26 +0000

Fantastic post and book, however I don’t think that these theories are arguing the same points. As someone who has to create, teach and learn things on a daily basis in being a designer and artist, this article combines the technology of the internet media market to the gaming market. The gaming aspect of this helps me to use my equipment faster for sure. Yet the internet soup is just that. If you know how to find the alphabets in your alphabet soup fast then pile up the letters into words. Then you have an advantage in communication with the other humans around you. I find they both help each other to to get you to the same thing yet with tons of distractions. It is like being able to see past the distractions and absorb what you need fast to get through it all at the same time.
Oh yeah, I love your book.

By: Seanpsych

Seanpsych — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:44:09 +0000

Daniel,
Great post. I think the lack of keyboard (yes I know there is a digital one available), emphasizes your first point. This is more tv than typewriter, and creates customers, not producers. Perhaps my left brain/language oriented mind can’t see production that is possible without typing words, but even gamecode developers need a keyboard.

Dangerous trend. Must keep away from my teenage daughter!

By: Chris Frank

Chris Frank — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:31:44 +0000

Really cool, Daniel. I just forwarded the wired article on gaming to a bunch of my students. This makes me wonder how to develop ways to deliberate practice for complex decision making, like the kind you would deal with in business. Great post!