Reverend Ken's Blog: October 9, 2012

October 9, 2012 (Tuesday)
(Post 623, Day 283 of 2012, 648 days since 1st post)

Daily Comment

I love/hate computers.

I know, that's a big club, whose membership probably includes everyone who uses a computer (who isn't a hacker) (maybe even then).

But the good and the bad of it are as evenly-balanced as they are contradictory.

So many of the good points of computers are also bad ones. For instance, the computer and internet (does anybody distinguish between the two any more?) offer up more good reading than has ever been available in history. That's good, for reasons I think should be obvious. It's also bad, because the effect of having that much choice (and the few ways to know what content is good and bad) has a negative effect on our sense of well-being.

I see two fundamental problems with computers.

The lesser of the two is that, for most people, time on computers replaces time spent actually living their lives - that is to say, I believe most time spent interacting with computers is wasted. Certainly not all, but most.

In this formula, the computer has replaced television as a source of negative personal programming, and is, possibly even worse. With its lack of nuance and tone of voice, written electronic communications foster misunderstanding, instead of the opposite.

The greater evil is in the effect the computer has had on interpersonal communications. Too often, the computer is used as a proxy for other people. So, rather than meeting face-to-face, we let the computer contain our communication. I don't want to suggest that this is all bad - I hope everyone has had the good to reconnect with a friend who had been lost in the past.

But if the ensuing communication is limited to Facebook postings or even back-and-forth emails, I question how valid the re-established connection is - or even if any connection has been made.

It is my personal policy to always try and establish face-to-face, or at least, real-time conversation - e.g., a phone call - when I recognize an old friend from an internet communication.

The idea that an avatar can stand in for a person, no matter how interesting from a technological point of view, is to increase the me vs. them illusion. That's an illusion I think people can't really afford these days.

Then there's the matter of anonymous communication, which separates ideas from accountability for those ideas. This, I think, is a Very Bad Thing. It insulates a person from the responsibility of expressing noxious ideas, and leads to escalation of emotionally charged writing, which, in turn, leads to confusion as to what is untrue, and an emphasis on the sensational, which I believe is always a negative.

On the other side of the equation, we have all the wonderful capabilities for communication access to culture and learning beyond anything dreamed of when I was a student.

It is access that is the two-edged sword. On the net, one can find support for any position on any manner. If you're looking to reinforce a position, the possibilities are endless. However, the other side of the coin is that the opposite is also true, and it ends up being a question of balance.

If the balance is off, either because of a general prejudice (one side is disproportionately represented when searching), or because the knowledge-seeker is not looking at the other side, then there is misinformation, either by commission or omission, being propagated.

Still, when not looking at and for arguments, the access to cultural artifacts is spectacular, and the main reason, along with porn, for the popularity of computers (fundamentally, business machines) for personal use.

As with everything else, I'm winding down my computer use, waiting to see how my needs transfer once it becomes a more important communication device, and a less important media device.

Meanwhile, things like writing this blog, email and Facebook, photos and keep me plugged in and happy about it. Long term? We'll see how I evolve.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight: 204.2 lbs
Yesterday's Weight: 207.6 lbs
Day Net Loss/Gain: - 3.4 lbs

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011

Diet Comment

A full day's fast seems to have had an excellent impact on my weight. My little fails/cheats today were caused by boredom at work, where the phone system went down, making things even slower than normal. These will hopefully not derail me too much, although the day after a fast is typically a weight-gain day, without my helping at all.

Food Log

Breakfast
Cocoa-kale protein shake (almond milk, whey protein (36g protein), kale, chia gel, a large egg, cocoa, cinnamon, stevia-erithrytol blend). Fail: Workplace donut.

Lunch