Information Overload

I first took the idea about information overload seriously when I read an article by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic magazine in which he wonders out loud if we are being 'googled to death.' He argues that because of the instant retrieval of information that google provides, we are losing the ability to concentrate over long periods of time.

A recent article featured on the NPR website, Digital Overload: Your Brain on Gadgets, reveals that scientists are rapidly discovering that prolonged exposure to the high volume of information available at our fingertips can impact the way we perceive our world and our sent of time. Several reports state, for example, that the average computer user visits 40 websites a day. Technology journalist Matthew Richtel refers to the phenomenon of retrieving information from so many technological sources (Internet, e-mail, twitter, laptop computers, iPhones, iPads) as "information juggling." All this juggling is making it much easier for us to become distracted.

The author Alain de Botton decries our addiction to all things technological when he writes, "To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible." He is right. I remember years ago when I was at the lake I saw a couple sit t down at a picnic table across from each other and pull out their laptop computers. They did not speak to each other or notice the beautiful sunset. How sad.

But de Botton has a suggestion: Our minds, no less than our bodies, require periods of fasting.

Simply put we need to disconnect.

From August 6, 1945 to November 2010

For me August 6th has always had a special meaning for me. One, because it is Bolivia's day of independence (1825) and two, because it marks the day that the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima becoming one of the most horrific man-made catastrophes inflicted upon humankind. I still remember John Hersey's vivid "Hiroshima" for my ninth-grade English class and how struck I was by the encounters and people he came across.

For many people, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima epitomized America's cognitive dissonance: on one side the country holds high regard for human life and freedom; but on the other side it does not hesitate to resort to violence to achieve its political goals. Similarly, the US condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 but vehemently defends its actions on that fateful day of August 6, 1945. For others, it represents the ultimate act of terrorism (the 145,000 people killed by the attack dwarfs the 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. I doubt the debate will subside anytime soon.

There is, however, an  opportunity to take a step toward healing the pain that has spanned across generations, barely masked by the quiet and elegant dignity of the Japanese. Five Nobel Laureates are calling on President Barack Obama to join the delegation that will visit Japan in November to renew calls for a world without nuclear weapons. Former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, of Poland, former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk, East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to join them in Japan in November in an act of solidarity with that country. So far he has not made any comment or commitment. The decision is not an easy one, but then again the decision to drop the bomb was not easy either. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

It seems that it is easier to go to war than to arrive at peace. That is the true tragedy.

The Shrill of it All

Watching ESPNs 360 this evening I was astounded by the ignorant and downright buffoonish words coming out of the mouth of US Lacrosse President and CEO Steve Stenersen. The show focused on the disturbingly more frequent head injuries to female lacrosse players. When asked by the interviewer if the association would consider having female lacrosse players wear helmets like the men do, Stenerson scoffed and vehemently argued against the use of helmets, claiming that they did not protect against concussions and other head injuries. I asked myself, what is this guy smoking? According to Stenersen, having the women wear the helmets would allow them to become more aggressive and physical, like the men. Apparently, to this guy he is more interested in the aesthetics of the game than the safety of its players. I would argue that he is more interested in the market value of having spectators and television audiences view the visages of the female athletes unencumbered by the burden of a helmet. This would not be the first time marketers stressed the athletes' femininity over their athletic prowess: in 1999 marketers asked the US Women's National Soccer team to remove their wedding rings to convey the illusion of their accessibility to the male audience.

A 2010 study by the Centre for NeuroSkills revealed that more female lacrosse players suffered head injuries (30%) than their male counterparts (18%). It is time for them to wear helmets.I wanted to get a quote from Mr. Stenersen, but I was told he was unavailable. He was arguing that you don't need a parachute to go skydiving.

A sad anniversary

Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of one of the most despicable displays of public support for lynching. NPR did a nice feature on this and I thought I would share it with you. On August 7, 1930, an angry crowd of white townspeople stormed a jail and removed Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith from their cells. They had been accused, but not convicted of murdering a white man and raping his wife. The photograph of the lynching, taken by Lawrence Beitler, has become one of the most iconic illustrations of that era and came to inspire the civil rights movement. The picture captures the same power, emotion, sadness as the famous Dorothea Lange photo "Migrant Mother" which came to represent the anxiety and desperation of the Great Depression.

Check out NPR's Strange Fruit: Anniversary of a Lynching  to read more about this moment in our history. While you are at it, listen to Billie Holliday's classic Strange Fruit.

In 1993 Sting recorded his version of this song, but it does not top the original.