Are smart phones dumbing us down

[demographic]

Weirdly enough I was under the impression that the increase in technology has helped democratise education from the well off elite to a far wider base. I suspect that exam results show this trend.

Yeah there will always be people who do nothing but update their facebook page all day "I'm just nipping to the bog for a poo LOL" but on balance I think its helping.

The universities are a bit worried at the moment because of the increase in online courses where a person doesn't have to spend thousands on a year at uni, they can do it from home. Admittedly I think they miss out on the whole living on their own thing but it does mean they finish the course without crippling debt. That to me is a good thing.

Now smartphones are good enough they are a part of the equation.

 

[Robbi]

The one i find absolutely terrifying ( being a motorcyclist myself ) are the headsets that go inside a helmet so that you can answer the 'phone when riding your motorbike ! complete madness in my opinion !

 

[Goatboy]

One of my pet hates is though I usually drive older cars not worth very much I still have spent a few quid and bought a hands free. Not that I use it unless in dire straights. Then you see a posh car where the driver could quite easily afford a hands free with a phone in hand at one ear.

I think CB and police coms are exempt as it's a single switch to talk, not a series of fiddly distracting buttons with a screen.

 

[Swallow]

Weirdly enough I was under the impression that the increase in technology has helped democratise education from the well off elite to a far wider base. I suspect that exam results show this trend.

Yeah there will always be people who do nothing but update their facebook page all day "I'm just nipping to the bog for a poo LOL" but on balance I think its helping.

The universities are a bit worried at the moment because of the increase in online courses where a person doesn't have to spend thousands on a year at uni, they can do it from home. Admittedly I think they miss out on the whole living on their own thing but it does mean they finish the course without crippling debt. That to me is a good thing.

Now smartphones are good enough they are a part of the equation.

On that note:

[h=1]Jimmy Wales: Boring university lectures 'are doomed'[/h]"I was taking an advanced calculus class and my instructor was reputed to be a fabulous researcher, but he barely spoke English. He was a very boring and bad teacher and I was absolutely lost and in despair.
"So I went to the campus tutoring centre and they had Betamax tapes of a professor who had won teaching awards. Basically I sat with those tapes and took class there. But I still had to go to the other one and sat there and wanted to kill myself.

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22160988

The other interesting thing I tripped over last night was a study on the social networks of the Hadza

[video=youtube;It-pHyDrkTM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It-pHyDrkTM[/video]

 

[bilmo-p5]

Don't text and drive

Coincidentally, I came across this on Saturday...

When I suggested that texting whilst riding might be dangerous I was treated to a blank look.

The woman walking alongside looked like she was there under sufferance and obviously didn't give a damn so I looked about to see if there was a(nother) responsible adult in the group, and saw this...

There seems little hope sometimes.

 

[Harvestman]

At least the intelligent one of the party (the horse) is looking where it is going.

 

[Stringmaker]

The universities are a bit worried at the moment because of the increase in online courses where a person doesn't have to spend thousands on a year at uni, they can do it from home. Admittedly I think they miss out on the whole living on their own thing but it does mean they finish the course without crippling debt. That to me is a good thing.

It depends on the subject.

If I was about to have an operation for a brain tumour I'd damn well want to know that the surgeon hadn't got his qualifications off Wikipedia.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I think Suzzannah's signature line sums it up quite nicely...

The Stone Age was defined by the clever use of crude tools, the Information Age is being defined by the crude use of very clever tools!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Swallow]

It depends on the subject.

If I was about to have an operation for a brain tumour I'd damn well want to know that the surgeon hadn't got his qualifications off Wikipedia.

Very short sighted I know, but I'd be looking at how long they'e being doing it and what their results where, not where they got their cert from.

I think Suzzannah's signature line sums it up quite nicely...

The Stone Age was defined by the clever use of crude tools, the Information Age is being defined by the crude use of very clever tools!

ATB

Ogri the trog

Perfect.

 

[Stringmaker]

Good point; that is the best indicator, but it is likely to be closely connected to the first topic.




Perfect.[/QUOTE]

 

[British Red]

This made me laugh

[video=youtube;oSJqBJ1TF-E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSJqBJ1TF-E&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Jared]

More evidence

http://news.sky.com/story/1145439/waterproof-iphone-advert-owners-fooled

 

[British Red]

Pretty sure that is conclusive proof!

 

[Macaroon]

That's a well put together video - if you can't get it now you deserve what you get, in my view.................atb mac

 

[Jared]

And there is more...

[video=youtube;rRwcIumf-mI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwcIumf-mI[/video]


Girl sleeping in a sealed!? garbage bag. Darwin in action.

And the guy responding to the question of which colour idiot phone he's getting

"Gold... You think I'm going to stay here for 8 days and not get the gold, do you think I'm stupid?!"

Uhmm let me think on that...

 

[Arya]

Coincidentally, I came across this on Saturday...

When I suggested that texting whilst riding might be dangerous I was treated to a blank look.

The woman walking alongside looked like she was there under sufferance and obviously didn't give a damn so I looked about to see if there was a(nother) responsible adult in the group, and saw this...

There seems little hope sometimes.

Haha! The situation looks familiar. And it is not okay.
I used to see teenagers riding with the phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Back in the days that is.
If it´s of any comfort (probably not), riders will not answer the phone if they are riding a young, skittish or unsafe horse.