Re: [NNagain] science and reading scores peaked in 2009 and 2012

[rjmcmahon <rjmcmahon@rjmcmahon.com>]

Hi Dave,

Merry Christmas!

It think you're right in that connection is a fundamental need for all 
mammals, including humans.

The internet and devise aren't the source of the issues you describe. 
It's more likely addiction.

Maybe play these videos on the plane.

https://youtu.be/oyvFVsTUQS8?feature=shared

The antidote to addiction is compassion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11U0h0DPu7k

The internet can be a vehicle towards supporting others. It's really our 
choice on how we each spend 86,400 given per day. Spending some of it on 
connection with family & friends can be hard for many. I hope we each 
spend it that way today!

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/638920-imagine-there-is-a-bank-account-that-credits-your-account

“Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning 
with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening 
the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to used during 
the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course? Each of us 
has such a bank, it's name is time. Every morning, it credits you 86,400 
seconds. Every night it writes off at a lost, whatever of this you 
failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It 
allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each 
night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's 
deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against "tomorrow". You 
must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get 
from it the utmost in health, happiness, and health. The clock is 
running. Make the most of today.”

Bob

> Not that slashdot is a particularly good source, but I do read the 
> atlantic...
> 
> https://news.slashdot.org/story/23/12/23/0544206/are-phones-making-the-worlds-students-dumber
> 
> In my case I was just on two American planes where absolutely everyone
> was on their phone, tablet, or laptop. In one walk to the bathroom at
> the back of the plane, in the middle of the afternoon, there were
> three conversations going on, about 5% people working, the rest all
> watching a different show (not a single shared experience). I sat next
> to someone from an VR company that did project management there who
> spent the entire trip texting (with TWO phones) over the viasat
> service ($15/hr) to dozens and dozens of people. Max time off the
> phone was no more than 15 seconds, long enough to open a cracker. She
> seemed to never have an internet issue (though with all the
> multitasking perhaps the latencies were hidden). I finally got a word
> in edgewise on landing... I had great hope she knew what a packet was,
> but she didn´t. She grokked "latency", had not heard of bufferbloat.
> 
> The new movie Maestro is really excellent, btw. I watched some of it
> from between the seats ahead of me, with my head otherwise down trying
> to block out all the internet access around me.
> 
> While I worry all the more about all we have done to humanity´s
> ability to communicate physically and with strangers I wish y'all a
> merry christmas and a happy new year, with your families!