Ben Murray - Latest Comments

Re: Alone together

Ben Murray — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:00:45 -0000

Glad to know you've read "The Shallows" and that you liked it - it's on my list. Throughout history, there have been critics of new forms of media that decried their impact on society. Just read older essays on the detrimental effect of novels and books on society's children for a good laugh. So, I frequently wonder whether this is just the same thing. Andrew Keen writes about the Cult of the Amateur, and while I see his point, it's difficult not to read most of his book without sensing a deep bitterness on his part.

Does Carr contrast some of the neurological changes he sees today with presumed changes in function from the past? That would be interesting.

Even still, I'm definitely not one of those people that decries Facebook and Twitter and such for ruining our attention spans or preventing us from being the cerebral and intelligent people that we can be (as you clearly were at the end of high school, haha). It's up to us to decide how we use the technology. I imagine some of these skills will be taught to younger generations just as we learned time management in a more traditional sense.

You can have an iPhone or Blackberry without abusing it. You can use Facebook and Twitter without being obsessed with it. You can choose not to engage in hyper-emotional texting and superficial reliance on instant feedback. I think once more people start to make that choice, the nature of how the public at large shares information online will shift quite a bit.

Re: Alone together

Marlen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:46:06 -0000

Nice thoughts Ben.
I have just read a book by a neuroscientist Nicholas Carr called 'The Shallows.' Therein Carr argues similarly to Turkle, but from a more brain science perspective, that the Internet is fundamentally changing the way humans think and comprehend information. Perhaps, explaining the short, twitter-like communication Turkle has highlighted.
Carr is romantic about the past century's human ability to read and think deep; process meanings in a focused manner for a long duration. Internet however, he argues, is changing this capability, from focused reading towards information scanning and data collection. And he says, our brains' neurotic functions are changing. For better or for worse, he has a point.
I have come to realize that I find it difficult these days anymore, to sit down and write essays that flow by just putting a pen on the paper. As my thoughts jump around disconnected, my paragraphs need multiple edits. Even to this little note here I have already made way too many edits... - Not quite like writing my 6 hour essay with a pen on a paper at the end of my high school. It was clean, it had a flow and a coherent argument - all by just starting writing at the beginning of a page.
However, like you say, choice of depth can be a deliberate choice of ours. Reading and immersing ourselves at times in literature, may also help - keep us still and thinking things through a little more, taking a break from the snap-shot-like fast lifestyle of information exchange of the everyday.

Re: My iPhone tracks me

Ben Murray — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:38:21 -0000

Thanks, Pete. Always good advice to encrypt and password protect. Why isn't all this press mentioning the previous research on this? Seems a little...sensationlist!

Re: Welcome to London

Bradley Portnoy — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:18:10 -0000

Stop making me miss London.

Re: I’m moving to London

Ben Murray — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:32:52 -0000

Thanks, Michelle. How are you? Let's catch up soon.

Re: I’m moving to London

Michelle Walton (Sa'id) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:45:55 -0000

That sounds fantastic. Congrats Ben! I hope you find all that you are looking for in London and then some.

Re: Leave no trace – Avoid the gotcha text

Dave — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:25:23 -0000

re: supreme court cert grant. you are welcome

Re: How I Use Google Voice

Ben Murray — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:05 -0000

Too bad you deleted your GrandCentral number back in the day. They're also out of (202) numbers, which is preventing some in the district from signing up.

Happy to help.

Re: How I Use Google Voice

Kyle Long — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:48:40 -0000

I got an invite to join, but get blocked during signup for being out of country. But I would like a US number. Any suggestions? Want to sign me up?

Re: Taking a moment

eleventh hour cast — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:17:04 -0000

Wow I didn't know you heard their conversations.... hahaha