Does Using Google Make Us Stupid?

Does Using Google Make Us Stupid?
March 12, 2011
by Bill Lentini

On my desk I have a dictionary and a thesaurus. Our offices at GAI (www.gunwel.com) are a big open space where we all sit facing each other and often times I’ll say “someone give me a word for…” (as I’m too lazy to open the thesaurus) and instead of someone just giving me a word or phrase you hear …tap, tap, tap of the keys as they google for a word or phrase. The internet is changing our brains. Neurologists and psychologists have discovered that our brains process Internet pages differently than they do printed pages. That can affect how much we learn when we read – and even alter our brains themselves.
The human brain “rewires” itself depending on how it is used, an ability neurologists refer to as “plasticity.” Apparently spending one hour per day on the internet for just one week alters our neural pathways. The neural rewiring could have unfortunate consequences. For the past five centuries, reading books has helped train human brains to concentrate intently over extended periods of time, an ability that has helped our species produces ideas and inventions. If we abandon books in favor of the Internet, our ability to maintain focus and think up new ideas might diminish. Here are other consequences of Internet use and what we can do about them…

Interruption System: When we read online, words are not the only information coming at us. There usually eye-catching advertisements alongside the text and hyperlinks in the text in case we wish to jump to different Web pages on related topics. We might have our e-mail program open and a Facebook feed, too, alerting us each time a new message arrives. Even when a printed book is transferred to an electronic device connected to the Internet, it turns into something very much like a Web site, with links and other digital enhancements. These distractions don’t just slow our reading, they also make it less likely that we will understand and retain new knowledge. What to do: When you wish to give your full attention to online or eReader text, close your e-mail program, your Facebook page and other competing information feeds on the screen. Also, use software settings that minimize interruptions.
Less is read: The Internet puts more information than ever at our fingertips – yet evidence suggests that it actually leads us to read and rely upon a smaller set of information resources, encouraging uncreative group thinking. The trouble is that the Internet does not just provide information. It also subtly evaluates it for us. Search engines typically sort their results in order of popularity, and few if us scan past the first page of results. What to do: So scan beyond the first page of results when you use a search engine to explore a topic of interest. This at least gives you a chance to learn more than what almost everyone else interested in the topic already knows. When an Internet search for a piece of information leads you to a compelling article, book or Web site, jot down its name, then explore it more fully when you have more time.
Less Social Intelligence: The Internet is no longer confined to our desktops. E-readers, smartphones and even vehicle dashboards increasingly allow us to bring the online world wherever we go – a trend that will accelerate in the years ahead. The danger of digital distractions while driving already is well publicized. Less discussed is the potential danger that such portable distractions pose while we’re just sitting around with friends or loved ones. The distractions created by the use of mobile Internet devices make it less likely that we will fully grasp the psychological states of other people’s moods, the less able we are to show appropriate empathy, weakening the bonds that hold together human communities, families and friendships. What to do: Turn off digital devices when you spend time with others…nuff said.
And for my part in writing this blog the only hyperlinks that I’m going to put in here are those to my website. I don’t want you to be distracted! Gunwel Tax & Bookkeeping Service is very tuned into the social networking aspect of business, yet when you are our client and we are meeting with your or working on your tax returns or books…we are fully concentrating on you. We are 100% present. We love what we do and our clients love our results. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what the Internet has done to your brain…Give us a call at 212-979-6830 or stop by for a visit. See you soon!

http://gunwel.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/does-using-google-make-us-stupid/

Why a Donald Trump Presidency will Trump All

Why a Donald Trump Presidency will Trump All
Alan Dunn | Apr. 11, 2011, 1:28 AM

When it comes to choosing political parties I have been Democrat since the time I was allowed to vote. My family has different party affiliations and the people in my life choose one party over the other for reasons of their own. Ultimately no one forced me to become a Democrat, it just happened.

Under George W. Bush the Republican Party reminded me of exactly why I choose to be Democrat yet the Obama presidency has left me to wonder why I choose any party at all.

Politics may be very well about choosing a side and making sure the stars line up to have your side collectively come to a decision but when it comes to getting things done we need someone who has experience on the street, after all how worse can things get?

When the Yankees are down 3-1 in the 9th inning you can bet a designated hitter may be called up. Well, we are down 16 Trillion dollars so don’t you think it’s time to vote someone in office who has a hit home run or two?

Donald Trump may not be the best candidate for president however do we need another politician in charge or someone who is actually aware of the financial mess America is in and has a personal interest in making the country whole again?

Some of the most successful political and global leaders in the world have all come from men and women with entrepreneurial backgrounds yet in America we hardly ever ask questions about a political candidate’s actual experience and vote based on how they make you smile, what party they are affiliated with and more unrelated factors to the actual ability of the person to do the job.



"American no longer needs a figurehead – we need a designated hitter"

The only way to getting people more interested in politics is to bring somebody in we all want to be. There is not a single person in America who would not want to be a part of the Trump lifestyle and that alone will get people talking politics again.

The housing market is essentially gone in many areas of America, we are a bankrupt nation and the government was actually even talking about shutting down. Personal consumer bills like car insurance, gasoline, property tax and food all continue to escalate however unemployment is still at the highest levels in decades.

This is not the American Dream

So many people are having their own personal crisis they simply can’t get mad about the country’s financial mess. Sadly the reaction among many seems to be a common “of course we are in a mess” feeling but everybody goes on with their day since somewhere, someone will just create new credit for the government and life will go on as normal again. If only life was that easy for citizens and small business.

What is the Plan? Continued “prosperity” created by adding to a national debt? This bubble has already busted - The country needs to change.

Donald Trump is well known to everyone. He has had many public failures but every time rebounded with the glory we all wish we had. His successes are so well known that the Trump family name is not just a name but a brand of power, luxury and dreams.

If America, Inc. was part of the Trump family we certainly would not be as broke as we are today.

At the end of the day Donald Trump may be republican but he is also an undeniable leader, a respected businessman, a financial wizard and a global brand.

This time around it’s a wise decision to bet on the man, not on the party.

On the other hand, if Mr. Trump decides not to run I wouldn’t blame him either.
After all, who really wants to be in charge of this mess?

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-a-donald-trump-presidency-will-trump-all-2011-4

Sorry, Fools, There's No Way Japan Will Default On Its Debt

Sorry, Fools, There's No Way Japan Will Default On Its Debt
Dean Baker, CEPR | Mar. 18, 2011, 7:15 AM

Dean Baker's title for this post is "Everyone Should Read Floyd Norris".

Floyd Norris has a good piece about how overconfidence in the ability to deal with risks led to both the financial crisis and the crisis with Japan's nuclear power plant. The piece makes the essential point that seems to have escaped great economic thinkers here, that there is no way Japan can default on its debt.

Even though Japan's debt is more than twice its GDP (about three times the size of the U.S. debt), there is no risk of default since its debt is in its own currency. In this way Japan is like the United States and the United Kingdom, and unlike Greece and Ireland.

In the worst case scenario, Japan or the United States would print lots of money and see inflation. Given that Japan has been flirting with deflation for almost two decades this doesn't seem like a plausible scenario, but in any case it is not the story of Greece being held at the mercy of the bond vigilantes who will not buy its debt.

The people who hold up Greece's crisis as a possible scenario for Japan and the United States deserve our contempt if they are deliberately misleading their audience or our empathy if their mistake lacks from their problems with understanding basic economics. However their arguments do not deserve serious consideration by people involved in policy debates.

http://www.businessinsider.com/everyone-should-read-floyd-norris-2011-3