Why your computer slows down and Tips for avoiding bogus software

 Tips to improve PC performance

 One of the more frequent calls and requests I get at home as well as when volunteering is a person's computer being slow and/or pop-ups appearing on their desktop. Usually after a little investigation we find that "Optimization" software has been installed, sometimes repeatedly and from different companies.While no one can fault anyone for trying to keep their device running well it is important to understand that overall these optimization products which promise you greater speed, safety, and cleaning, on the whole don't work or can in some cases damage parts of the software the computer requires to operate properly. This is particularly true if the optimization product is free.

So here is a brief list of a few do's and don'ts as well as other tips to hopefully demystify why a computer might slow down in the first place. These are focused on Windows but the general concept can be applied to any computer or other electronic device. (For the purposes of this article "programs" and "apps" are the same, just different terminology for software.)

Reasons Your Computer Is Running Slow

1. The reason a computer slows down is usually due to one of three things. They can occur together or separately:

• Too many programs are running. Frequently when you download and install something, as a convenience, it sets itself up to start automatically when you turn the computer on. As more things are added to the computer chances are the list of programs starting up automatically grows. How you stop this from happening is different for each program. One thing to watch out for is when you first install the program if you have an option to choose a "custom install" that is the better way to go. If you choose the quicker option then there is no way to tell what really gets installed or how. If after you choose a custom install if the procedure looks too confusing I would personally recommend that you do not install the software.In my experience this is the most common problem

• .If the computer is about five years or older be aware that current apps often make the assumption that they will be installed on new hardware. As a result they use up too much memory or just expect the computer to do too many things at once. By "things at once" this may be something in the background which you don't see. Regardless be patient with older computers and realize they cannot do the latest and greatest things quickly, and sometimes not at all.

• Computers and their components do wear out. The hard drive may be reaching its end of life. One of the first things are hard drive will do regardless of its kind, mechanical or solid-state, is slow down. So if your computer is getting very slow make sure to backup all your material.

 

Free Software

2. Absolutely avoid all Free programs. Unless you are very clear about what the program is and does. Any program that calls itself a "Cleaner" or "Optimizer" should be treated as suspect. Cleaning a computer is a complex process which usually involves taking out software. Same goes for optimizing. There is no such thing as a quick fix. The problem with free programs is, they have to make money somehow and so they will be installing ads and other potentially unwanted programs. If you really must have a certain free piece of software then do diligent research. While there are many good free programs out there there are literally thousands of pieces of crap.

Be also aware that many free bogus programs masquerade as legitimate ones. This is especially true of virus checkers. The best way to spot something that is bogus is to look at the webpage address. All legitimate companies will have very clear names and usually a ".com" or ".org" suffix. Again as in other propaganda the fakes will probably be at the top of the list in search engines. Nefarious companies know how to manipulate the listings. Look down the list of results and check for several reviews. If you are unsure go to an actual physical store to buy or inquire about a product.

3. Sometimes despite all your best efforts after several years especially if the computer is used every day the machine will slow down because of all the changes made. Important note: only consider doing the following if you have made a backup of your documents and other important items.

In this case you may wish to have the operating system reinstalled. All modern computers and devices have this option and it will take the computer back to its original state when you first plugged it in after getting at home from the store. Be aware it will erase  everything, which is why you need to back your documents up before hand. Before doing this to make sure that it is not a physical issue like a hard drive going bad or other component in the computer wearing out. This should only be done by a technician or skilled person.

4. On most search engines the first few results in regards to apps or software downloads are advertisements. Go much farther down the list. Once you find the product page for the item you are considering getting to another search with your favourite search engine to find reviews of the product from several sources. Please be sceptical, because once something is downloaded and installed on your machine it can be more complicated to remove it if the product turns out to be a scam or useless.

5. The best way to keep the computer running properly is to use a minimum of software. If you are installing something new consider removing something old don't just let it hang around. If you are into free games then if you can I would suggest getting a separate computer just for that. Free games are notorious for including other unwanted programs. So if you got to go to the candy store make sure you're doing it on another machine. My own personal advice is avoid installing all games on any machine you use for work.

Finally if you absolutely need or want to download a free program or app, do so  only at the company website for the product. Do not go to third party download site. There is no guarantee that these sites have quality control and they may in some cases bundle additional software in with the product you are actually intending to get.

At the end of the day, please remember that it takes money to run a website or create a program. Companies need to generate revenue somehow and that includes ads and free programs. During the installation of any software there is always a section where they ask you to agree to a license or other document. It is worthwhile to read these. You will be surprised what a lot of them say in regards to extra software or advertising.

Stay save everyone, enjoy the Internet.
More tomorrow :-). Patrick

How aware are you of your thoughts?

If you think about it, when an idea occurs to you it's a moment of mental focus. You suddenly become aware that you have an "idea" and then proceed from there. Ever wondered what's going on in your head the rest of the time? Clearly, you are thinking and doing things, and hopefully not on too much mental autopilot (See related article: Presence of Mind ).

When I was in my 20s I went to a psychologist trying to deal with my spasms brought on by my Cerebral Palsy rather than using drugs. One of the things they had me do was in the morning carry with me a recorder and then during the next session with him we would review what was picked up. There was a little prep involves in that I was asked to not hold anything back just verbalize what ever occurred in my head. Boy was it an eye-opening experience. I could not imagine a 1/5 of the thoughts that went through my head. At the time it was very negative and very emotionally based.

Now, it is my belief that when you have Cerebral Palsy it is like being a biological biofeedback machine. There is a tendency for your body to react a little more obviously to every single stressor. It literally means that you get a clearer indication of what is affecting emotionally and environmentally. I suspect in an able-bodied individual these things might go unnoticed. But together the doctrine I turned a disability into a positive, combined with the awareness of what I had been saying to myself.

In a nutshell what came out of it was, it is not the grand big thoughts you have that effect your life to a great extent, it is the small ones, the ones in the background they fly underneath your radar which have a massive cumulative effect. If you're lucky and they're mostly positive and you are probably a great person to know right now. But in this crazy world you might have also taken on a lot of baggage or have avoided dealing with things and it is built up. So I suggest you grab your self a recorder and for the next few days pick a time every day when you record your conversations and thoughts.

The routine should go something like this:

1. Pick a time which you can consistently do this.
   
   
2. Make an agreement with yourself to verbalize everything that occurs to you. This may seem odd at first but after a day or two would become second nature and that's when things will get really interesting.
   
   
3. Let a few days pass before reviewing the recording. This is to give you some distance from whatever you were verbalizing so you can listen to it a little more objectively. If you have a trusted friend you can get them to sit in with this review. It can be very useful to have a second opinion.

You will be amazed at first what bubbles to the surface.( I sure was… To this day I still remember the first few recording review sessions with my psychologist, I was flabbergasted. ) Then of course the next step is to make a plan to move forward. It is likely he will find this recording ritual in itself not only revealing but it may help to lighten your load by getting these thoughts out in the open.

When I was doing this it was all on cassette tapes and I kept doing it for a long time, ending up with a closet shelf of stacked cassettes. I wish I had kept them because they would be very interesting to review right now. How often do any of us get to listen to ourselves 40 or more years ago in such fine detail. Heck I may start a audio archive and review it a few years from now. It would be an interesting the side project :-).

Have a great day everyone and thank you for visiting. I'll be putting up a video this weekend on some topic. As always if you have an idea just leave a comment.

Take care Patrick.

Entitlement: The Darkest Sin.

 

 I have met many people throughout my life thus far and a fair number are truly astounding individuals. They not only get a great deal out of life but add tremendous amounts back in creativity, effort, and sheer inspiration. These people are most often tremendously happy. They understand that it takes effort and engagement to truly benefit from all life has to offer and they don't shy away from a challenge.

Recently I have been in contact with another segment of humanity however, those that feel the world owes them something. They feel they are "entitled" to something. It doesn't matter what they feel they should get for free, and I use the word Free deliberately because the same people also insist on not putting in any effort. Never mind changing any aspect about themselves. They seem to be continually seeking to get more, and for their efforts they get only frustration. It is because they are not willing to be involved in humanity itself. They want to have all the benefits and not change any aspect of themselves. They just keep going and going and going... And are astonished when I or someone else tells them that the reason they are not getting what they want is because they are not willing to accept responsibility for whatever it is. To clarify this I'll give you an example:

Someone in my building wanted to get a dog actually became almost a demand because they were in a wheelchair. I got curious at this point because they already have a pet cat. I asked him how they were going to walk the dog several times a day and their response was "Oh, I will get the staff to do all that." Pursuing this I then asked "Most dogs need a fair bit of attention, they are very social, are you aware of this?" The response was "I will treat them just like my cat." At this point I became a little concerned because dogs and cats are very different animals. Cats are independent and don't really need connection or to be social. Dogs on the other hand might go a little crazy treat them like a cat. As we talked it became clear to me that what this person wanted was an imaginary image of what they thought taking care of a dog was. Not at all the real thing. Personally I be worried about the poor dogs mental health. Not to mention I think it would be a disastrous situation in the long run because this person doesn't think things through. They just desire the image of something. Most importantly, the desire to have something but they don't plan on changing anything about themselves.

To give you another example I recently met someone who demanded that they can do whatever they want whenever they want. This would be relatively okay if they were able-bodied and could take care of any situation they found themselves in. But there was an expectation in their demand that someone else would be there to clean up or deal with any unforeseen issues. Not to mention my place is an assisted living building which means that the staff take care of the core health needs. They are not butlers, and frankly even if they were there are limits for even a butler. Again this person's perception were very one-sided and the entitlement was very much obvious. They felt that the world really old them something big because they had become disabled. That kind of attitude never works and frankly gets me pretty riled up.

Indeed I suspect people like this with this overriding entitlement and the perception that they have all the fun and there none of the responsibility is probably what at least partially led them to their current health concerns. You cannot drink 15 cans of Coke a day and not expect your body to absorb it without any incident. This is not hyperbole I have met people that do this and expect their life to just go on and on fine. Then they bitterly complain that someone should have fixed things when it does not and that "someone is never them".

I wonder what it takes to wake these people up. Their attitudes are of course their own choice but that is why I called this article "Entitlement: The Darkest Sin" because it really is their choice and in my perception they are making the worst choice possible, one that has negative repercussions for all those around them.

It reminds me of the Star Wars movies in some respect. You have the Dark Force, which appears to be easy but carries with it a tremendous cost personally. Then there is the Light Force which offers effort on the part of the person but will end up benefiting many. Life I think is very much like that, you get out what you put in.

When I look at all the great wonderful people I have known, and have yet to meet. It is obvious they have made a commitment to society and the greatest sense. They also have great understanding which has been achieved by effort and labour. I really do believe there is no easy way to kind of fly through life. That is how it should be, because we learn the best when we put effort into the task. At the end of the day I have had a great life, and continue to have a great life. I have absolutely no regrets. :-).

Those that feel entitled however are miserable and often confused. They see individuals like myself as receiving special treatment magically. Again they are not looking deeper. I collaborate with people and work out ways to achieve things which benefits everyone involved. I want the world and humanity to grow and achieve its own goals. It takes some time and indeed effort. There is simply no getting around that. I will forever be grateful for the ongoing engagement and super creativity of everyone in the world who is undertaking similar tasks.

So if you know anyone who is "Entitled" trying to get them to change because effort is needed if anyone is going to alter their path. Every one of us if we are successful will not be the person down the road we are today. Life is dynamic and fluid and human beings are part of that. To be in the entitled state is to be stagnant and still it which is guaranteed to create conflict and incompatibility down the road.

The best skill they can learn is to embrace change and to learn how to let go of perceived power. Power after all is not the dominance over something, it is in truth learning about that very something and growing with it so at the end, All sides benefit.

Take care everyone. Once again have a great day. I have a couple of videos in the works and I think I'm going to add this one to them. Yes it looks like I'm going to have a busy weekend. So check back next week on this article to see if I've added a video. I will do my best. And as always learning in the process.

Patrick

Has humanity begun to think globally, or are we still thinking like a tribe?

1915 World map
Click to enlarge

Photo by Patrick Barry License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Are we used to the big picture yet?

By "The Big Picture" I mean the world and to some extent beyond. Humanity is come a long way in the last 200 years. New hardware and technologies of bound, it really is quite cool to see some of the things that can be done and part of me would like to live for another 200 years to see what the human race gets up to.

However, many of us individually as well as on a societal level are still perceiving things as though we were still a small tribe, the "us versus them" mentality. Human beings naturally have a individual sense of self and a fairly early age but when it goes beyond that to the groups of human beings you interact with there is indeed a problem. It simply doesn't work anymore, and as a matter of fact it is getting rather dangerous to think in terms of one group versus another one. This only promotes stratification and a lot of the problems we are now seeing.

We have to begin to develop more rapidly socially, to be not just politically inclusive but begin to go beyond the old models. I find myself wondering what if a map of the world never had borders or even countries drawn on it, and further to that, what if there was no concept of a country. We would still develop individually and personality wise but we would not have imposed divisions. This is of course emphasized when we are quite young and forms the bedrock of a lot of our thinking and perceptions, to the point where it is hard to conceive of any other system on good old planet Earth for the human race. It makes sense that humanity had to develop this way initially, we were small groups split apart from others geology. There was simply no other way to survive and no master blueprint, no common anything, pretty much. But we can't afford to take a thousand years for our social norms to catch up. Indeed the idea of "society" will have to change fundamental because within the current definition is it built in division. And along with society politics will go through a similar situation... If one can ever truly unravel one from the other.

So I answered my own question: We are indeed still thinking like a tribe. But there are little indications that this may be beginning to change. I have seen this at meetings and when dealing with people individually and as a group. We are a little more aware… Just a little more… But the beginning is clear. The old and new behaviours are running in parallel right now. Man I would really like to see the world in 200 years. I would probably be completely confused. But then again knowing myself, I would adapt.

So any speculation on what society (for lack of a better word) will evolve into in that time? Post your thoughts here.

Take care and have an excellent day.

Presence of Mind

 

One important skill that is all too frequently overlooked in our busy day to day lives is "The Presence of Mind" I've written a related article, about this several years ago but I think it is now more important than ever so here is a refresher.

First, it is important to understand why you need to be aware of the moment, or to put it another way, not on autopilot. Autopilot and routines can be useful especially if you're involved in something which must progress very efficiently. But they also will remove you from reality and since you only have one life to live, as far as you know at this moment, and really you don't want to miss anything. Because mother nature does not believe in the concept of reruns.

The steps are for putting yourself in the present are straightforward:

1. If you are multitasking while you are reading this short article, stop and pay attention to what you are reading now. Become focused on just this one task. If only for a few minutes, but make those few minutes count.. Be prepared to put a little effort into this if your mind wanders off after a few seconds. This is especially true if you spent a lot of time in autopilot. The brain does not like a change in routine.
   
   
2. Take stock of your environment. Look around, not swiftly, but deliberately. Take note of any emotions or thoughts which occur. If you have an urge to write them down or otherwise record them do so.
   
   
3. Check in with your feelings. Are there any stressors or other emotional aspects you weren't aware of before you put the brakes on the autopilot? If so pay attention to them and make note of any actions you would like to take.
   
   
4. You should do this short routine three times a day. It will help put you in the centre of control and is usually quite eye-opening after being done for a few days.

The reason that the presence of mind steps can be so "eye-opening" is because when we are spending large parts of our lives and in automatic mode we frequently don't notice the issues affecting us on various levels and therefore don't pay the necessary amount of attention to them they require. By being aware of yourself and surroundings including emotions you can frequently deal with issues while there are still small and save yourself a lot of grief down the road.

Personally I am convinced especially now that I have lived in assisted living for four years that is in some measure determined by how much listen to your surroundings. There are quite a number of people in my building who are constantly distracted and very reactive. The trouble is they don't know what they are on ultimate autopilot and I frequently find myself thinking "No wonder, they are in poor health. Things have probably been going wrong for them physically for a long time and I haven't stopped to notice." An analogy would be, if a phone was running low on battery power and yet the owner insisted on keeping the brightness set to maximum, then it is no wonder the phone died. But if they had charged the unit up regularly not only with the phone not be running out of power, but the battery would probably last longer.

In summary then: One of the keys to improving one's life is to stop and pay attention, then take the actions necessary.

Take care Patrick

"This is what I learned, and This is what I know. I am staying put."

 I was working with someone today who was still using Windows XP even though they had a much newer Windows 10 machine available. Of course the old computer had no end of problems and they were still using it to surf the Internet... More accurately tried to surf the Internet. Yet they were absolutely clear, that they were not going to move away from the older machine. They said "This is what I learned, and this is what I know. I am staying put." Now I've been around computers and technology long enough to know that when someone is that fixated on something it is a waste of time to try to resist. Yet it is a struggle to get these old machines even remotely to a safe state. In the coming days we are going to backup the contents of the old machine to the new one. Because we are talking about the original hard drive and I find that a frightening thought.

[Side note: the more I've been thinking about this, the more I think it needs a short video to really explain things and to give those a chance of never seeing Windows XP more reference. So here it is. Posted on February 26, 2023.]

This all brings up an interesting point though and it is something I believe we all do it some point. That is that there is something in our lives, some aspect or some issue that we just lock on to and refuse often aggressively to buge. What is going on here when this happens. Why is this thing or item so important? From my perspective nothing last forever so why carry with you a great deal of baggage, it just doesn't make sense to me. Yet it is obvious that we get something out of holding on. But now that I think about it I think the item or event may be more symbolic of something else although I admit I don't know what it would be. Maybe it is not so much the "something else", may be what is important is the why we are holding on. The event or item therefore becomes a symbolic indicator of something going on in their emotional or mind system.

My goodness human spirit is a complex beast and when it decides to go into stubborn mode it probably has a very good reason from its point of view. That is if it's aware of its own point of view. I frequently find that what we think is the motivating event or reason ultimately turns out to be rather far removed from the real bedrock issue. For the person I worked with the computer is symbolic actually I think it's the phrase "Windows XP because they used it a great deal in their conversation.

So what do you think? What are some of the things and the wise people hold onto things? I can hardly wait for the weekend where I can explore these issues more. As a side note and encouraged me to set up a virtual machine (that's emulating an entire computer in software) and install Windows XP on it. What a trip down memory lane that was. As a matter of fact that will be the graphic for this post.

Take care and I will talk with you more tomorrow or more accurately write more tomorrow.
Patrick

"Opportunity"- The Fastest Horse In Town

 

This article is going to expand on another I did earlier "Seize the Moment! Act on the idea". I will also do a video to go along with this article since everyone seems to like them. The video however will probably have to wait until the weekend, or at least a few days because it does take about 48 hours to do all the postproduction. The actual video takes very little time, but if you want to do it right and add something of value to YouTube, there's a fair bit to go through. Anyway let's get on with this little article.

The longer I live the more I begin to really believe one should listen to their impulses, but not be ruled by them, do pay attention though and decide which way to go. Because it seems like a fast horse opportunity appears and then, races off into the horizon. The key point is that the "initial impulse" is there to draw your attention. Make a note of it if you can quickly. Then returned to the idea when you get some time and make a commitment to do that, find that time.

Also be honest with yourself as to what it's going to take to pull that inspiration off. To make it something real. You'll know you're on the right track when you begin to understand where the idea is going and you should be okay with the fact that it probably will take a fair bit of sustained work. Opportunity may indeed be a multistage event. One in which you work on the idea but the first time things don't evolve the way you want them to. Then step back, and regroup and be fearless about trying the idea again. If you pay attention you will usually noticed that each time you gain some insight. Yup this can be the slow way of doing it that's for sure but when you do things in this manner you will ultimately will win. These insights you gain will have a tendency to benefit you everywhere.

If you have to start very small with the idea and that is what you do. Each time you add a layer take stock of what you've learned. You will be surprised. Be honest as well, some ideas do not work out so be fair but clear with yourself.

Our horse, named in this article, is of course just a fictional construct to illustrate that you should react to an opportunity immediately if possible. The task of following your opportunity can be a little like a staircase. One step up, evaluate and then and take the next step up and so forth.

Most importantly have fun in what you are doing. You must ensure that you get more back ultimately then you put out on some level. This will pretty much guarantee your success and allow you to sustain your adventure.

Have a great day everyone.
Patrick

They literally keep themselves locked in

How is it possible some people can appear miserable, and yet when they are provided with avenues to improve their state whatever that may be they decline? As a matter of fact some of them worked very hard at maintaining their status quo. They literally keep themselves locked in.

Usually these are quite bright people and I think there is the problem. That same marvellous mind they have also can provide an infinite range of rebuttals and rationalizations. If they worked a fraction as hard as that and getting out of their current situation they would be way ahead of the rest of us. I'm thinking of young person who is in their 20s and although they have physical limitations due to a disability they have one great mind. But every time someone comes up with an idea they shoot it down and usually do so well. Managing in the process to disenfranchise the friend who suggested the idea in the first place. You would think evolution would have removed by now this odd programming bug in the human psyche. I find myself wondering what's going to happen to this person as they start to age. They are currently not well-equipped for that aspect of life.

Growing older means in some ways you are given the opportunity to get even "tougher" because the autopilot that we had earlier so counted on has just submitted their resignation notice. For me that was when I was 45. I remember the night clearly. I had just prepared for going to bed and since I changed my clothes sitting on the floor I would then raise myself up to my hands and knees and then kind of crawl onto the bed. This was so automatic I never even thought about it. Well, on this particular night I did. I became acutely aware of how much energy this ritual took and it was quite the eye opener. It was although mother nature and the cosmos were saying, "Your warranty. It is now officially finished and all automatic features have now been turned off. Get used to being in manual mode." Fortunately I already had an optimistic outlook and was rather used to adversity. As long as I survived whatever adversity came my way I actually enjoyed it for the most part :-).

The person I was speaking of earlier however is in no such frame of mind. So the question is, what if anything should be done with them? Or should I just let them hit the brick wall, and they are going too. Then after the dust settles maybe they'll be more receptive.

I really am not sure about this one. But I just thought I'd posted here. Somehow seeing words in print seems to make my thought process a little more tangible and of course if you have an idea. Please let me know.

Take care Patrick

Are We Trading Off Our Emotional Intelligence to Automation?

 

We are at an interesting point of time, the Internet is still evolving along with the technology that supports it and I'm wondering if we are losing specific skill sets to automation. This may sound like the old headline "Millions Unemployed Due to Robots In Workforce!" but it is not. That has to do with physical activities. This time I would like to consider psychological and emotional skills.

When handheld calculators became popular in the 1970s, I remember clearly them being immediately banned in school. Anyone found with one, was in serious trouble. The reason was obvious, a bunch of kids would of course use them to get the answers to all the math questions you could think of. But, all of us in school at the time could do the math in our heads, we just didn't want to especially since there was an easier option and that was the calculator. The key point here is that we already had a skill established. So the calculator was an option, for those of us sneaky enough to get around the embargo.

But suppose one had access to the calculator from the earliest days of school. We would never have developed the ability to do math in our heads. That's a really important skill and if you generalize a little bit there is a real ripple effect, because we are talking about the brain actually exercising itself. Learning how to make pathways between the neurons. Remembering phone numbers, was another mental activity which everyone undertook. You always knew your best friend's phone number and now no one needs to do that. If we begin to multiply the effect of not being responsible for these activities are there critical aspects of brain and mind development which the current generation is being deprived of?

With the beginnings of artificial intelligence being combined with search engines on the Internet, we are looking at machines that can actually do the research on almost any given topic for us. Once that evolves and matures, how much thinking will the average person really have to do? This is bound to have a major impact on the whole person as a whole. They might never develop the skills needed for deeper understanding of a subject or indeed their relationship to others. It goes way beyond problem-solving skills. From my perspective it impacts the very process of thinking and understanding in their most fundamental forms.

History is demonstrated that we lose skills pretty quickly, if they are not in regular use. I have met people who do not know how to deconstruct a problem as the first step in finding answers to the issue. Without Google they stop dead in their tracks and are absolutely at loss as to what and how to break something down into its constituent parts. My own math skills have degraded to a pretty abysmal level now days as well, but at least I know how to get them back. I did the exercise once and can do it again because I have the fundamental groundwork and history to build upon.

But if you don't have that in the first place and especially if you haven't learned it early in life that makes starting off learning these skills a very difficult task and to some extent on the finer points may be impossible. So how does this impact the whole human being? More importantly how do we ensure that this does not happen, so that people today and tomorrow will have the fundamental building blocks needed for life. The first solution I can think of is that people must be introduced to certain aspects of technology only once they've demonstrated that they have the groundwork and mental experience necessary for going without it if need be. A "License to use Google". Even though it sounds ridiculous something like this needs to be put in place on some level when we deal with automation and devices which remove us from the responsibility of learning and growing.

The following is pure conjecture on my part:
I find myself also wondering if this has even broader impacts. A mind that is underused, that has fewer neural connections solidly wired, may indeed have less of a margin for the actual process of thinking and therefore may be susceptible to various disabilities later in life.

On the other hand, would it be possible, or would the brain actually take this offloading of tasks as an opportunity to evolve in different directions? I mean usually when you deprive the brain and mind of activities there is a natural tendency to fill that empty space with something.

Let's see now if we follow the "fill the empty space with something ", train of thought where does that lead? Well, cell phones have pretty much meant we don't need to remember phone numbers and the same with calculators we don't need to do basic math, so is there anything we've expanded ourselves with, have we developed any new attributes, subtle though they may be? Most of us multitask every day now. Is that a gain or loss? It's really hard to say. I mean historically if we look back we have gained immensely from the use of technology. But this time it's different because we are dealing with some of the aspects that actually form the personality and psyche of the individual.

There are more questions posed in this article, then answers that's for sure. Let me know what you think. This could really open up to an ongoing discussion and as you can see after I thought about it some more I have made a video. So take a peek at it if you like. As of this writing it may not be available publicly on YouTube yet and may be difficult to find when it is because I only have two videos up there at the moment. Nevertheless enjoy and comment.

Take care Patrick

Clarity of communication versus niche terminology...

 

...it sure is a work in progress.

I was in a meeting the other day with the group representing a particular subset of the disabled population and as the various discussions progressed I noticed a lot of niche terminology being used consistently. This group was verily big and a diverse in age as well so I found it amazing that the people using the terminology didn't check in with everyone to make sure that the definitions for the words were all clearly understood. I can't remember the exact phrase which really stood out to me, and I wish I could right now, because I would write the presenter of the meeting a letter asking "What the heck were you talking about?" Again it was in a very trendy context. Sometimes I do wish that people would speak directly especially when dealing with the larger public. If they are in a group of professionals that I can understand because specialized terminology can make things more efficient when you know your audience. It was even more surprising therefore when no one in the crowd asked for definitions or clarification. We all sat there rather quietly, not wanting to show our ignorance. But I'm telling you that is not a good thing to do. I'm a little mad at myself upon reflecting on this incident. I should've stood up and articulated my thoughts.

This is obviously going to be an opinion piece. But I really do think that as a society tries on one hand to be more inclusive and understanding of their fellow human being. it is on the other neglecting clarity and true communication. I wonder then, if this is just an indication that we are attempting to hide our own biases and prejudices. We use ambiguous words and acronyms to gaslight ourselves into thinking we are more open. But I'm not supposed we are more open now days… Society seems to be on the whole easier to offend and now days that outrage gets broadcast awfully quickly,and not necessarily dealt with just reacted to. So in some cases we are not really dealing with the issues at hand. An analogy would be, scratching an itch but not considering why one is itching in the first place. While short-term relief is achieved the underlying issues just fester away and as they get buried farther and farther down the problem gets more abstract.

My goodness this all sounds rather pessimistic and that is not like me. But on the other hand this issue has bothered me for a while and it was at this meeting that it really became obvious. How to move forward is the question: How does humanity finally begin to resolve some of these behaviours which can cloud clear communication?  if it were me, I would just speak directly deliberately avoiding all trendy terminology because my goal would be to convey information and encourage communication and understanding.

My hypothesis therefore moving forward would be that an over reliance on niche terminology or other unclear language is to hide something so that the speaker doesn't have to deal with it directly. This could be almost anything from a deliberate, act to subconscious motivations. -- Who among us, really knows themselves?  --   It is at best a journey of discovery for each of us.

 Let me know what you think.  Have a great day and take care.
Patrick