I will have to investigate the source to see if I can use it for my workshops.
What do you think? Will the next evolutionary step be the loss of neck muscles needed to raise one’s head and look someone in the eye?
These Photos are Proof Albert Eisntein Was Correct About Technology
Interesting…. Doug Johnson’s post Tech=work, Print = slacking? I wonder what folks think when they see someone with an iPad? Is it looked at as a book, or a toy?
Perhaps the attitude Doug talks about is because computers in the olden days (before the advent of social media and ebooks) were used almost exclusively for work. Now – not so much. Also – perhaps we value multi-tasking with multiple screens more than we value concentration on one issue or problem. Thinking is not active enough to suit us anymore.
Could this attitude be standing in the way of the common core standards which require close reading, analysis and critical and creative thinking? These standards require deep thinking – but does our society actually value deep thinking?
One of the biggest thing librarians have trouble with is getting teachers to allot enough time for students to do serious research. And once they do bring their classes in – the sight of students busily tapping away at computers appears to satisfy the adults that work is being done. But…how about building in thinking time? How about actually READING the sources? What about questioning what they read? What about spending time examining different opinions on the issues being researched? Quantity seems to be winning out on quality. Many teachers and admins are in a panic over the common core. Perhaps they should take a deep breath, get away from the computers, and just let themselves relax and think a little.
I’ve always been a fan of the scent of books, bookstores and libraries. In an earlier post, I explained this peculiar attachment. Peculiar? Well – only to those who do not associate reading with their fondest memories I guess. Anyway – much to my delight – I ran across this explanation of my “fragrance festish”…written By Nancy Perkins in words much better than my own.
Why I’d Still Choose Paper Books Over Digital Books
The Desire for Fragrance
I swear, the printing presses are all involved in a conspiracy to make us bibliophiles even more addicted to books. Don’t you ever wonder what the pages of books are laced with that they must smell so good? Walk into any old bookshop and you’ll understand what I mean. Aside from the fairy dust, you’ll get a whiff of “old book” smells that stay with you happily ever after. One fateful day, I finally discovered the long-held secret when I stumbled through this Tumblr post. To quote completely from Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’ Perfumes: The A-Z Guide (because it just seems like desecration of holy words if I don’t):
Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us.
That’s 66 words of divine revelation. For me, this just proves that God knew what He was doing when He created books for mankind.
Gartner, a technology research center, says that paper books are being read less frequently now in favor of digital books. Presently, I doubt that digital is going to completely replace paper, but nostalgia still tells me to urge you to not deprive yourself or your kids the experience of reading paper books. It was depressing to say the least when I scrolled through these photos of bookstores that have closed down.
There is beauty in reading the printed word. Ask anyone who has ever held, slept with, and breathed in a book. Reading a book, not the digital kind, is a story on its own.
Well – RIP old Hard Drive. Long live our new system! We went to Best Buy to purchase a new PC desktop and laptop. I have never been interested in purchasing Apple computers because of the price and because my hubby finds it VERY difficult to adjust to new operating systems. However, one look at Windows 8 made us realize that there was going to be a big learning curve even with a PC. Since Bob is a photographer extraordinaire – we were willing to consider an Apple. The next hurdle was the price. Looking at Apple products can give one a huge case of sticker shock. I am hoping that the change will be good for us … kind of like spending more money on organic food. We’ve made THAT transition already and it has been a good one for us. And yes – I know about the study that says organic is not nutritionally superior. But the same study indicates that organic definitely contains fewer artificial and toxic substance such as pesticides. That was the main reason for the switch anyway.
Well – long story short – we are now what my son refers to as Apple Snobs. I am working hard to make the mental shift needed to use an Apple computer – but it is finally beginning to sink in a little so I am not spending as much time hunting around for stuff.
My main hope for the switch is that the huge money investment will pay off. That was the hardest part of the switch. Macs sure are expensive little buggers.
Unexpectedly, the set up was a little confusing to me. I couldn’t seem to get rid of the annoying voice over. I am one who finds voice instructions very annoying, Once I got rid of that – then things went well. I have an iPad, so I knew it would connect easily to the wifi etc. – so I was surprised how much trouble I had navigation through the basic setup. But I made it and everything else seems to be going smoothly. I have ordered a few books to help with the transition. I do learn a lot by checking menus etc. – but there are always little tips and tricks that help and that newbies don’t know enough to know what it is they don’t know!
Most of all – I hope to not go through another install for the next 8 years! Am I dreaming?
Wish us well!
