Has technology affected our intelligence for the better or worse? Many would argue that technology has freed us from memorizing trivial information, allowing us to use our intellect in more meaningful ways. Others would argue that as we store more phone numbers, names, appointments, and to-do lists in our devices, our intelligence and memory are suffering the consequences. Do we rely too much on technology and use our brains less than we should?
C|Net has published the first article in a series on the topic of
Intelligence in the Internet age. Several important figures in the technology field weigh in on the subject including Jeff Hawkins, the co-inventor of the Palm Pilot, Treo smartphone, and author of the book
On Intelligence. From the article:
Working with the Treo handheld computing device he helped create, Jeff Hawkins can easily recount exactly what he did three years ago on Sept. 8, factor 9,982 and Pi, or describe a weather system over the Pacific Ocean. But without his "smart" phone, he can't recall his daughter's telephone number offhand.
Is technology making us smarter or dumber? Please vote in the poll and weigh in on the subject in the discussion thread.
Read the full article
here.