Posting Date: September 13, 2003

The Brain of the World

In the 1980's, when I was obviously younger, I remember thinking that video game graphics were terrible. It bothered me more than it should have, but at least I understood that video games were a new technology and that they would improve. Still, you know, it was one of those things that just rubbed me the wrong way.

I distinctly remember thinking that I didn't know how to learn more. There was no good way for me to get information quickly and easily on this topic. I visited the public library and school library but that was fruitless. Also, I bought a ton of video game magazines. Those were useful but they didn't really help me understand why video game graphics were so bad nor how they were improving. I was curious and hungry for information but I was starving for it. Even my geek friends couldn't help because they were limited for the reasons I just described.

I guess I wanted to know what technology was being used to augment and improve graphics, resolution, colors, and so on. I was really, really frustrated about this, on and off, throughout the 80's. For what it is worth, I tried talking with teachers a couple of times but that was worse than useless.

I would have loved to have been more of a geek about video games. It just didn't work out that way. (The upside is that I spent plenty of time outside.) Furthermore, unfortunately, this wasn't the only topic that I wanted to investigate, and it certainly wasn't the only time I couldn't find information. I would say that more than half the time I was thwarted. I simply could not get the information I wanted.

The story would end here but my reminiscing made me realize that I was probably not the only kid like this. How many other kids were thirsty for knowledge with no place to drink? Seriously. This line of thinking also made me realize that much of my "knowledge" was pure marketing bullshit. Sure, sometimes I did get a chance to read product specifications, technical details, manuals, instructions, and that sort of thing. However, most of my decision making was based on information fed to me by the biggest and most powerful companies, with the most bucks to spend on propaganda and eye candy. Of course it worked pretty well. (Fortunately, in regards to games and poor graphics, games had to be at least marginally good in terms of game play in order to survive -- there was some word of mouth marketing, of course.)

This leads me to my final point. Today I can find virtually any information I want. And I do. Medical research. Game reviews by players. Driving directions. Origin of the universe. Islam, terrorism, and the United States. Current events. Lost friends and colleagues. Phone numbers. The list goes on. If you have access to the internet (not just the web!) you have access to the brain of the world. Or better, maybe the brains of the world. Even better, with a little time and effort, you can be as smart as them, at least in terms of facts and figures (declarative knowledge). Nice!

I'm really just asking you to reflect for a moment on life before the internet. Think about what you wanted to know but couldn't get. Think about life before email and chat. Think about what it was like before the web browser and the blog. What did you do with your old junk before eBay? How did you get good reviews and advice on books before Amazon? How did you play highly quality games with your friends in Korea, Australia, Egypt, Florida, and Dublin? With good graphics. In real time. With chat. With audio. Oh wait, you didn't because you couldn't. (Isn't technology spicy.)

So, how about life before cell phones? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Reader Comments...

I don't own a cell phone. Before cell phones I could hear people clearly and I had their full attention when I spoke to them. Life is much better now with cell phones. Yay for technology.

Posted by: Edward on September 13, 2003 03:01 PM

Yeah, that's what's great about the Internet. Instant access to all sorts of information, instant knowledge. I don't know what I'd do without the Internet. I'd probably settle with the mediocrisy and inconvenience of libraries :).

Posted by: Francis Wu on September 13, 2003 04:39 PM

Totally agree John. We all forget how fortunate we are to have so much information available to us. I only turned to my colleague the other day and said - just look at what I can do with these (pointing to both the phone and laptop) - call, email, instant message etc Its all quite amazing when you think about it. 'Life before cell phones' -I think there was a time it was acceptable to be out of contact for a longer time. If you have a cell phone, I think people get more frustrated if they cannot contact you or if they are diverted to voicemail.

Posted by: daniel szuc on September 13, 2003 08:09 PM

BTW John, I like these new style of postings. Promotes some interesting discussion. I think webword would be a good place to post an interface, to get usability feedback via the blog. Has anyone done that before?

Posted by: daniel szuc on September 13, 2003 08:12 PM

"I think webword would be a good place to post an interface, to get usability feedback via the blog. Has anyone done that before?"

I know that there are some blogs that post information and images, and then encourage discussions. And, there are several web design lists (e.g., WebDesign-L) that spend time on deconstruction and analysis.

"...I like these new style of postings."

When I have time I will write them. I will also probably stick them under Moving WebWord to make them more permanent. (I've been bad for about 4-5 months now!) In effect, with my recent postings I've written a couple of short articles. We'll see where this takes us.

Posted by: John S. Rhodes on September 13, 2003 08:24 PM

I feel like I know less. Using the Internet and the Web has trained my brain to become more RAM-like. I read a lot of info, but I don't retain it as well as I used to before 1996 (when actual useful info began to creep onto the Web:). All I seem to be able to remember is where to find the information.

I think something has been lost (for me at least) with the removal of more physical/sensorial activity (eg. researching at the library) during information foraging. The limited tactile feedback from using the keyoard and the mouse have limited value and are not generally related to anything I might learn (other than typing a URL).

Basically, I blame society for making me a white suburban punk without memory.

Posted by: Matthew Oliphant (formerly fajalar) on September 15, 2003 10:40 AM

I completely relate to frustration as a kid in the 70's/80's to the lack of information resources beyond our really pitiful small-town public library. On the other hand, today I'm often overwhelmed with how much information is at my fingertips --- there's more than I could ever read, and yet my exposure to it makes me want to read it all. I currently have on my desk a HUGE stack of articles printed from the Web (many found via this site) which I know will feed my hunger for knowledge -- if I could just find the time to read them. So, in retrospect, maybe less exposure to so many possible topics of information exploration had one advantage - less frustation around our inability to consume it all.

Posted by: Barry Kirk on September 15, 2003 11:53 AM

I just want to say a hearty "I agree" and to thank Webword profusely for writing that entire essay without using the word "Google".

Posted by: Michael on September 17, 2003 06:21 AM

I'm someone who would like to improve my writing skills and appreciation of the written word. But you know what? The Internet hasn't helped me very much at all. Yes, it's a fantastic source of information, but I feel the quality and standard of writing to be found on the printed page is superior to what you can find online (I mean this in a general sense, not specific to a particular subject). I say this as someone who thought the Internet would make libraries outdated and irrelevant. Of course, the type of information you can find online is often unavailable elsewhere. But reading from books, magazines and newspapers has given me a better appreciation of the written word - and of language in general - than reading from the Net. :-)

Posted by: A. H. on September 20, 2003 04:36 PM

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