Article 1 Response: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

     When reading this article about how the internet has changed the way we read, I found myself zoning off and having to reread sentences. The author, Nicholas Carr, states that before the luxury of the internet and other electronics, he spent his days reading long books or passages. He'd find himself deep in thought and sucked into the storyline. Research that once required days in the stacks of books at the library now require only a couple of minutes with a quick Google search at the tap of a finger. Nowadays, Carr finds himself spending a lot of time online and he noticed a difference in the way he reads. Instead of the long in-depth reading that once was, Carr will drift off in his thinking and become fidgety after a page or two of reading. He constantly finds himself dragging his brain back towards the text; the reading that use to come easily to him is now a struggle. Since I have always lived with the luxury of the Internet, I don't know what it is like to spend hours on end reading and researching a single topic from only books or article sources. I have always gone straight to the internet on my computer or phone when I had a simple question. You don't even need to know how to spell because the computer autocorrects misspelled words for you. Even though I haven't had the same history as Carr, I did have the same characteristics he described when reading. I thought Carr might have made the passage he wrote so long on purpose just to prove his point. I got bored and wanted to skip over sentences and paragraphs. I am drawn towards shorter articles and books that I think will be easier to read and critique. I think we live in a world that is constantly moving and in order to keep up we must live a fast-paced life.
     
      The main point of the article was to show how media not only supplies but shapes the process of thought. Carr wanted to point out how internet has taken away the human concentration and contemplation and alters mental habits. It also carries on past the computer screen to TV programs, magazines, and newspaper. Carr said, "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski." I think that this is not only true for Carr, but also for me and many others who find themselves stuck in the internet world. I don't think this way of thinking will ever revert back to the way Carr remembered it. I believe our word is constantly changing and evolving and we can only move forward, or become more stupid, from here.

Reading Response #4: Opinion- Why We Make Bad Decisions

      Since I am waiting for the third and final book of the Divergent series to be released, I googled interesting articles to find anything that sparked my interest. I found an article published by Noreena Hertz in New York Times. Hertz is a professor of economics at University College London and the author of “Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World.” She wrote about the reasons human beings make poor decisions based on her own opinion, personal experience,  and research in hopes that her readers may learn and hopefully make smarter decisions in their future.       
      The short article explains how she came across the topic of personal bias and common mistakes. Hertz became very ill and searched for an answer for her unexplained sickness. Seeing many professionals across the world, she got a lot of diagnoses and conflicting opinions from medical experts. She was not sure which was the right decision to choose and so she decided to research decision making in fields like neuroscience, psychology, sociology, information science, political science and history. To her surprise, Hertz found that physicians tend to get things wrong, yet most people never question experts. In her article she stated, "In a 2009 experiment carried out at Emory University, a group of adults were asked to make a decision while contemplating an expert’s claims, in this case, a financial expert. A functional M.R.I. scanner gauged their brain activity as they did so. The results were extraordinary: when confronted with the expert, it was as if the independent decision-making parts of many subjects’ brains pretty much switched off. They simply ceded their power to decide to the expert." Hertz then concluded that if we want to make the best possible decision in our favor we must turn our brains back on and come to medical consultations with plenty of background research done. We cannot let our personal biases get in the way of making an important decision either. Anxiety, stress, and fear are all emotions that can distort our choices. We must try to eliminate as much of our own flaws as others in the hope of coming to the right conclusion.       
      I really liked this article because it made me realize how nobody knows all of the answers. Even doctors make mistakes and it is up to us to decide who to trust, and ultimately, to make the final decision for ourselves. It reminds me a lot of a government website that advises you on making decisions and giving you helpful tips. The site is http://www.sba.gov/content/making-decisions. I'd advise you to check it out if you're having trouble with making the right choice. The article by Noreena Hertz is below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/why-we-make-bad-decisions.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&src=me 

Reading Response #3: An Ode to the Libero

       A couple of days ago, one of my volleyball coaches sent me a link to an article on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Blog (link below). I really enjoyed it and thought it would be cool to share with everyone else. The article is titled "An Ode to the Libero" and it is written by Meggie Gradel. If you haven't already guessed it, the article focuses on a certain position played in volleyball called the libero. Many people know this position as the person wearing the different colored jersey, but if you have ever played libero you know it is much more than that. A libero is responsible for the entire defensive aspect of the game. They are in charge of making the perfect passes, amazing ups, and diving saves. Many times, liberos are overlooked because viewers tend to focus on the big hitters at the net who are slamming down the balls and scoring the points. It is hard to focus on the small 5'6" libero when all your attention is being drawn to the 6'4" attacker. Nevertheless, liberos come out with the same intensity and drive every game no matter what. The article is meant to be a figurative pat on the back for all liberos whose hard work might have been overlooked in the past.
       I think this article really spoke to me because it portrayed my exact thoughts. When I began playing volleyball at the age of 11, I too wanted to be a hitter. Unfortunately, my height didn't agree with me. I was put in the defensive specialist and libero group and to this day I wouldn't have it any other way. I fell in love with the persevering mindset and endless reps. It taught me to work harder and never give up because there is always something to improve on. Gradel used the quote, "small in stature, big in heart" to describe this position and I couldn't have said it better myself. Yes, us liberos may be small but we make up for it by playing bigger. I know I've had my fair share of bloody noses and swollen lips, but it never stops me from stepping out onto the court. Gradel does a wonderful job of summing up the duties, frustrations, and rewards as a libero. I believe it is a well deserved compliment to all who play this position.

http://avcavolleyball.blogspot.com/2013/09/an-ode-to-libero.html