The Modern Enemy of Our Brains

Return to Order The Modern Enemy of Our Brains

by Jacob Weymier What is the problem with the Internet and how can it hurt you? Nicholas Carr provides the answer in his book called The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. He talks about how the brain works and how the Internet makes the brain have shallower thoughts rather than deep concentration. … Read more

Dealing with a Walk-Away World

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A colleague told me of an intriguing incident at a conference of accountants that were studying recent changes in tax regulations. One speaker gave a talk on recruiting new staff and how to deal with turnover. An attendee then asked a question remarking that from the context of her presentation, it seemed companies were facing … Read more

Why Do So Many Smart People Use Dumb Phones?

Return to Order How Many Smart Phones Are Enough? 2

Wherever you go, people are on their “smartphones.” In airports, restaurants or on the street, people are almost permanently glued to their devices, obsessed with the idea that they cannot exist without being connected to the cyber world. Thus, they text and tweet, email and Google, follow and like in an effort to be constantly … Read more

Life in the Shadows

Return to Order The Marketing Boom of the Great Depression

If the pace of life seems overwhelming, it might well be because we have assumed so many of the jobs once held by others. This is the position of Craig Lambert in his book, Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs that Fill Your Day (Berkeley, Calif., Counterpoint Press, 2015). The Harvard sociologist takes a look … Read more

Five Ways Technology Is Taking Over Your Life

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The proper use of technology is that it should be a means to serve us and make our lives easier. A key requirement is that we should be in control. We should not serve technology and allow our gadgets to control our lives, social skills or decisions. When this happens, it can endanger the proper … Read more

Living in the Shallows: The Decline of Thought

Return to Order Living in the Shallows: The Decline of Thought

As I look upon the desolate landscape of sound bites, tweets and other social media, I cannot help but lament what has happened to our culture. Almost all Americans have a high school education. And today more people than ever have college degrees. One would expect reading levels to be increasing. Real culture should be … Read more

Who Are the Glow Kids?

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A bemused reader might scan the title of this book review and frown, “what in the world is a glow kid?!” But do not worry, the author of this review asked the same question when the book was recommended by a colleague. After reading the first few pages, however, confused readers will realize that the … Read more

Three Reasons to Do an Internet Detox

Return to Order Where Is Pokémon Go Going? 2

On January 1, 2017, I made a New Year’s resolution to make my Sundays Internet free. This involved not going online Sundays for any reason, whether it be for email, updates or inquiries. I did this because I realized just how much leisure time I was wasting on the Internet. I wanted to devote Sunday … Read more