Is Google a new god?

Information seems to be the epicenter of our society. The internet (especially google) allows anyone to obtain knowledge about every subject. Do you have a medical question? You can look up symptoms to form a base diagnosis, without ever having to go to a doctor, you can find tutorials to knit or carve. The internet has information that provide users to pick up skills and learn to facts extremely fast, before the internet people would have to go to the library or take a class. I think now we have become “information junkies” expecting immediate gratification in finding exactly what we want to know. We also want a lot of space to hold things like pictures, videos, and music. What’s interesting is that in most religions there is a god or deity this is either all-knowing or knows more than any mortal worshippers. Now it seems that people can easily get a hold of information and that instead of a “god” possessing all knowledge sites like google does. Before sites like google people could just assume they didn’t know everything or all the universe’s secrets but now anyone with internet access is able to find a plethora of things online.

The Night the Internet Went Out

In class we’ve been talking about google and the internet and how they relate to religions. In religions there are practicers that our very devote and being heavily involved in their church/temple/mosque etc. Lately, I’ve been noticing how devote people are to the internet. People spend hours on the computer everyday; updating facebook and twitter religiously and checking inboxes. I think people don’t understand how much of a hold the internet has on our lives. Last week the internet went out for hours at night at Lawrence and chaos ensued. No one knew what to do with it, my roommates and I just starred at each other, in fact, we ended all going to bed because we had no idea what to do. The next day I thought about what a weird concept that is because not so long ago there was no internet. People had to entertain themselves in other ways, they didn’t have the constant gratification of doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted on the internet. It made me think of the article “Is Google Making us Stupid” I don’t necessarily think google is making us stupid, I think it is making us extremely impatient.

Google and God

After reading Google’s mission statement “10 things we know to be true” it is clear that Google has a few things that they passionate about. Google bases its company off the idea that it is important to make things easy for customers, to constantly be innovating and willing to change, and to be open and honest. I think that after reading these statements I am an even bigger fan of Google’s corporation. It is a breath of fresh air to see that a company is concerned with how genuine they are with their customers. I think if organized religions were focused on openness and growth like Google, things would be very different. People wouldn’t be so concerned with how right their personal beliefs are and more open to expanding their horizons. There would be a lot less “my religion is more right because…” and more “well maybe it is flawed in this way but we can progress.” Google also shapes itself around its costumers unlike when some followers of religion disagree with some aspects of that religion and agree with others.

What's the Point of an iPad?

For this week we have been investigating Apple’s iPad. I’ve never really used an iPad until this week but I’ve always thought “what’s the point of these? Anything you can do on the iPad you can do better on a laptop or using your iPod or iPhone.” After using the iPad I have to say that my opinion hasn’t changed at all. It is definitely a nifty device and I can see why people would like them, but if you already have a computer and iPhone, do you really need an iPad?’ I wasn’t sure if maybe I was missing something awesome that an iPad could do so I looked up different forums and articles to see if maybe this really is a special device. It turns out that not only does the iPad lack anything really substantial; it also doesn’t have USB capabilities, that means no importing or exporting files and no uploading pictures off your camera. This reminds a lot of when the MacBook Air came out and it was really thin and everyone thought it was awesome…but it lacked a CD drive. Apple is great at making cool looking products but it seems that by doing so they sacrifice the important functional parts in the process.

Steve Jobs' Vision

The iPad is a slim tablet with a simplistic design and the user-friendly technology Apple is so well known for. Looking back at the first Macintosh it is hard to believe how different the iPad is. When Jobs was first developing the very first Macintosh computer he was extremely meticulous about the external design, even going so far as to find his own shade of beige because the hundreds of options he had offered to him were not his exact vision. It is clear that the iPad is a continuation of Jobs’ dedication to the design of his products. The iPad is very visually appealing, very sleek and made up of one giant screen that is completely operated by touch. Part of why Jobs was so difficult to deal with (and successful) was his relentless pursuit of sticking to his goals. The iPad was basically a movement of a new technology; the tablet, and even though tons of electronics companies have produced their own tablets the iPad continues to be a leader in the field. Steve Jobs was able to create an image for Apple based on his own stubborn tendencies, and those tendencies definitely were apparent in the iPad’s design.

Technology Creating More Distant Children

I was very interested in the chapter; Finding Oneself and especially the part on leaving home in Habits of the Heart. In many cultures children should stay at home with their parents and take care of them as they grow old and die. In America it is expected that we leave the house as soon as we reach adulthood otherwise you look like you’re unsuccessful or cannot support yourself. As Americans we put a huge emphasis on independence, even as children being able to do many things on your own is expected. Doing things as a family regularly is pretty rare for most American families, I know personally in my family we all do our own activities separate. I thought a little bit about what children on are doing independently and why, and have come to the conclusion that a big part of the issue is that we give children a lot of tools to make them independent. Television is a big part of it, it’s easy, its keeps the kids calm and out of their parents hair, and is often referred to as a personal baby sitter. Video game are another big thing for kids, it’s easy for them to sit in their rooms for hours playing video games or watching T.V, so being alone isn’t new to them and it probably doesn’t bother them very much either. Having all of this technology that is easy to use for children is a tool of sorts that prepares children for independent lifestyle. This is definitely not necessarily a good thing, it is important to interact with other people, especially family members. Below is a link on how TV can affect children of different ages:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html

Shunryu Suzuki and Steve Jobs

                Listening to Shunryu Suzuki Roshi speak is a very different experience than Steve Jobs. Suzuki has a very humble and soft way of expressing himself as opposed to Jobs’ crassness he is so well known for. What I found instantly similar was how Suzuki says his teacher said that to be successful he should leave, so he moved to his teacher’s temple at age 13 and later moved to America where he founded the San Francisco Zen Center. Jobs, similarly, was able to decide when it was time for him to move on (leaving school etc) with ease.

                Shunryu Suzuki has a certain fluidity about him, every word is carefully chosen to give the fullest meaning to what he is trying to teach. In one of Suzuki’s lectures he talks about meditation and how a Buddhist meditating may be look four or five feet ahead but they are not looking at anything they are simply meditating. I think Jobs would have a hard time with that, he is constantly having ideas and is always very intense. In one part of the chapter “Atari and India” it is mentioned that Jobs struggled with meditation, probably because he is almost frantic in trying to find a sense of meaning, and that is counterproductive to Buddhism. They say in Buddhism that the only people with issues are the ones who think they have issues, Jobs was definitely one of those people, he had some clear baggage about being adopted, that event obviously prompted his search for an inner self.