How Much Smarter Are You Since The Evolution Of...

[LaoPo]

Many of us don't realize the enormous benefits of Evolution in Communication in the past 100-150 years.

HOW DID WE COMMUNICATE ?

Look at this:

Pigeon Messengers were used before the post-coach, ships, trains and planes took over

the good old Mail Coach; camels and mules were used in deserts and mountainous areas too

how would people living far away communicate without ?

early stage of Air Mail

Air Mail by Zeppelin

early telephone

1950 telegram to White House -READ IT !-

Telex -I used to work with this machine thousands of hours, communicating with Asia....-

Fax and first time it was possible to send images -now we send photos+video clip with our mobile to the other side of the world-

evolution in Mobiles/cell phones

state of the Art Laptop

With this last step we're communicating within seconds to the other side of the world, and.......we complain about slow connections sometimes

I am 'man' enough to admit that my knowledge about the world -in general- has improved enormous since I use Internet.

Tell me your story and how much smarter are you, since Internet ?

Would you have known so much about Thailand, without Internet and -thus- Thaivisa.com ?

NO!

Internet World statistics:

http://images.google.nl/imgres?imgurl=http...ficial%26sa%3DG

LaoPo

[lannarebirth]

One thing I like about the internet is that whatever I happen to be thinking about, if I want to know more about it, I can search and almost instantaneously I'm reading about it. No matter how obscure the topic theres more to know about it on the internet. While it's broadened my base of things of interest to me, I would say my scholorship has been hampered because someone elses knowledge is only a few keystrokes away and what you may read isn't always "vetted" for accuracy. Still, all things considered, I'm very grateful it exists.

I worry that the rate of change and information gathering is so fast in "advanced" societies and wonder if it will leave other societies behind. Conversely it could also enable those less technologically advanced societies to "catch up" rather quickly.

In the future I expect it will help to bring down a lot of borders, despite some governments efforts to control it's use.

Edited November 23, 2007 by lannarebirth

[meemiathai]

Am I more successful or happier than that jungle man in Congo who does not even know what a telephone is?

Anyway I am glad I have the internet. Very handy.

[LaoPo]

Anyway I am glad I have the internet. Very handy.

That's not an answer to the question: "how much smarter are you, since Internet ?"

I think my own knowledge has increased considerable since Internet. I know things now that I wouldn't have learned or heard about, without Internet, let alone the speed of learning about new things and news in general.

And, above all, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting new people on Thaivisa.

So, yes, I think I know a lot more now than in the many years without Internet; if I'm smarter has to be judged by others...

LaoPo

[lazeeboy]

Anyway I am glad I have the internet. Very handy.

That's not an answer to the question: "how much smarter are you, since Internet ?"

I think my own knowledge has increased considerable since Internet. I know things now that I wouldn't have learned or heard about, without Internet, let alone the speed of learning about new things and news in general.

And, above all, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting new people on Thaivisa.

So, yes, I think I know a lot more now than in the many years without Internet; if I'm smarter has to be judged by others...

LaoPo

im much smarter because of the internet as if i dont know something i can google it ,then within minutes i know what it is i dont know

[PhilHarries]

I would not say I am smarter per se because of the internet. What I would say is I have become a rounder sort of person because of all the varying and often conflicting views and opinions I am exposed to because of it. Before the internet I was very self opinionated, often based on flawed knowledge, but now I think I am more open to alternatives (some of you may disagree though).

The other advantage of www is I can be asked any question and I can find a semblance of an answer within a few minutes. This has helped in my professional life when I was asked to write a report on a subject I knew little about. Within a morning I had the outlines of a report that in the end pleased the client greatly.

The other advantage is being able to contribute to forums like TV and keep up to date with daily developments around the world without having to rely on newspapers and television. I think the world is becoming as better place because of it as governments and corporations cannot hide the truth so easily.

btw when I first went to Thailand back in '92 there was no internet and no e mail. People kept in touch by telephone, mail and fax and in a way that was better as it was more personal.

I remember moaning about my mother, who was born in 1924, being unable to grasp the complexities of the mobile phone. A colleague reminded me that in her lifetime air travel has become almost as common as catching a bus, man has split the atom, climbed the highest peak, walked on the moon and many more. In addition communications has come from a crackly, unreliable, clumsy luxury item to something we all take for granted and connects in seconds around the globe.

[SamuiBond]

"Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

That's not an answer to the question: "how much smarter are you, since Internet ?"

Funny thing is that what ever you (anyone) studied back in those years, it gave some of us the back knowledge, base to build on. Still we have people who will start to look at walls and want to leave when you start a sentence: I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS YOUNG... People who can't build on those blocks. Generally you have to have some interest span in order to learn and people who don't have that won't bother to get it from the web either.

They have hazy memories from the past of history, math, science and religion. When in conversation with these people they combine all these "TRUE" memories.

THAT is where web comes in handy. To check who was right who was wrong but saying that you have all that information at hand doesn't make you one bit smarter. As a kid you had 20 dictionaires at your home book shelves. Did you even once open one?

Internet= opinions, knowledge base, instant news, your views against others...

Altogether. Internet has too many distractions for a person that is not interested in studying. They'll find the easy fun way when back in the day your options were mostly pen, paper, sunglasses and sleep. Your presentation hits the nail though. Its easy to remember those early days when electricity is cut off for few hours.

How much smarter...? You can't possibly even seriously present that question since it makes only hypothetical assumptions as answer. (Yeah, way smarter.)

Future will be internet' for sure but it does not make people smarter. IT MAKES PEOPLE LOOK SMARTER.

My final answer.

Edited November 24, 2007 by SamuiBond

[Crossy]

Agree ^^^, I'm not smarter per-se, I am however considerably better and quicker informed.

Not that many years back my job description actually included 'reading scientific and technical journals', unfortunately I've not managed to get 'surfing the internet' into a job description (yet!). I still read the technical journals though, starting at the back like all true engineers do (that's where the 'appointments' ads are).

I do fail miserably the 'smarter than 10 year old' test. That said, kids today get a far broader and more rounded education than we did xxx years back.

[intumult]

Since the internet (and technology in general) I am not sure I am that much smarter than I was before, as - at my age - I am not sure the brain is still developing (LOL).

BUT, I can now speak some basic Thai thanks to on-line dictionaries, I know more about computing and the internet, about much of the world in general and a plethora of other things.

As has been said earlier, I can access information at will in most cases but still have to use a modicum of common sense to help verify or deny the information I can glean from the internet.

One other thing I can do with the internet is go back in time. YES, time travel!!!

Noooo, I am not totally crazy, yet.

I have been able to travel back and find my ancestors dating back to the 1600's and also discover what life was like for them in those periods of time. Takes a little imagination but is one of the joys I really do get from the internet. Add to that, talking to cousins in Australia, USA, Canada and other places that I now know exist does, I think, help broaden my sphere - so to speak.

The internet can be a wonderful tool.

[Beardog]

I am not sure if it the internet really makes me smarter, but I do know for certain that I am able to compile a lot more info to digest(& try to remember). The best part is within a day or way less you can get information from others that have actually had experiences in your question your asking & through them or Google Ixquick or many other search engines. Get quick access to answers without going to the library & spending many hours hunting.

This site you can get some great info & some not so good opinions. That part the web is especially great for- if you think someone is giving you a crock of Quai Key, you can look it up quickly & find out if it is real or not.

So I guess in a roundabout way I can take in more information & get educated quicker. God bless the internet, even if it isn't always reliable.

Beardog