E. M. Forster’s The Machine Stops (excerpts)

E. M. Forster’s The Machine Stops (excerpts)

Excerpts of E. M. Forster’s 1909 futuristic dystopia The Machine Stops

By Mo Lotman | January 8, 2020 | Automation, Culture, Environment, Philosophy, Relationships, Society | Atrophy, Communication, Computers, Decadence, Dependence, Dystopia, E. M. Forster, Fiction, Internet, Nature, Progress, Social Commentary, Synthetic Food, travel

The World Wired Web

Despite marketing imagery to the contrary, the “cloud” remains very much grounded in physical infrastructure, including unfathomable miles of wires.

By David A. J. Reynolds | July 24, 2019 | Environment, Media | Amazon, Bandwidth, Britain, China, Choke Points, Coaxial Cable, Communication, Content Providers, Data, Entertainment, Facebook, Fiber-Optic Cable, France, Google, Infrastructure, Internet, Internet Traffic, ISPs, Long-Distance, Railroads, Servers, Telecoms, Telegraph, Telephone, The Cloud, Undersea Cables, US, Wires

Podcast #17: Cal Newport on Deep Work

For a computer scientist, Georgetown professor and author Cal Newport is hard to reach via email. But it’s part of his philosophy that focused concentration–so elusive in our overstimulated world–is the key to a better and more rewarding work and personal life.

By Art Keller | March 14, 2018 | Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Cognition, Employment, Ethics, Podcasts, Society | Accessibility, AI, American Girls, Attention, Automation, Boredom, Business, Clarity, Communication, Computer Science, Concentration, Deep Work, Depression, Economy, Effort, Email, Exercise, Extrovert, Flow, Georgetown, Impulse, Impulse Control, Introvert, Jerry Seinfeld, Jobs, Laptops, Learning, Meaning, Multitasking, Open Office Plans, Opportunity Cost, Outsourcing, Overstimulation, Practice, Productivity, Quick Checks, Quiet, Robots, Shallow Work, smart phones, Training

Google’s Smart Reply: Convenience Over Connection

Gmail offers users canned responses to emails, based on AI interpretations of the contents and the user’s typical writing style. This convenience, unknown to the recipient, comes at a social cost.

By Samantha Maxwell | December 20, 2017 | Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Ethics, Relationships, Society | Automation, Communication, Connection, Connectivity, Convenience, Conversation, Email, Friendship, Gmail, Google, Love, relationships, Smart Reply, Social Interaction, Speed

Developing Brains Need Socializing, Not Screens

Parents often use digital devices as babysitters, but these devices interrupt the social and physical interactivity needed for healthy brain development.

By Meghan Carron | July 12, 2017 | Cognition, Family, Health, Media, Psychology, Relationships, Society | American Academy of Pediatrics, Attention, Bonding, Brain Development, Children, Communication, Digital Media, Distraction, DNA, Executive Functioning, Fitness, Focus, Interactivity, Nurturing, Parents, Physical Activity, Play, Serve and Return, smart phones, Social Interaction, The Center on the Developing Child

An Apple® a Day Keeps Attention Away

From kindergarten to college, the US education system is investing more and more into putting iPads, e-readers, interactive whiteboards, and [...]

By Abigail Patrick | April 20, 2016 | Education, Psychology | Attention Span, Classroom, Communication, Creativity, E-books, Facebook, iPads, Reading, Social Interaction, Social Media