Published in Sci-Tech World
Feast your eyes on the following, copied verbatim from a few scrapbooks around the popular social networking website, Orkut http://www.orkut.com.
“Once upon a time there lived a guy his name was syed tayyab, he writes poetry and work for “nestle” the kit kat company. he was graduate and love to sit alone in park and chat with frnds on net... do u know who he is????? “meeee” lol will u be my frnd?
a:-yes
b:-no
ur answer?”
Another example:
“where you? M at Orkut. I likes ur profile. Don’t mind u have much friends, have me too”
And another one...
“heello how are you buddy? was viewing urs friend’s profile and saw urs pic there. achi lage thought chalo baat kertay hain. so am from islamabad do let me know if u wana talk”
Here is yet another one:
“Hi:) where in london do u live i’m eager 2 know just cuz i wanna make some friends of mine as well. Well now that I’m here, i think i should wid a lil help from u, take care karo larki:)”
You may be laughing your head off. We all have laughed silly over these. But we have also ranted about it, shaken a fist at our computers and come close to banging our heads against the wall. But nothing, absolutely nothing, seems to dissuade all those “desperados” who seem to have an infinite amount of time on their hands to write and copy/paste “frandship” scraps on just about every girl’s Orkut profile that they come across, hoping against hope that one of the many will reply.
Enough has been written about these “frandshippers” and their annoying habits on these very pages. There are girls who have proceeded to write in capital letters on their profiles that they do not want strangers adding them.
So why don’t people listen? It seems that everything goes right over the head of these people, who either think girls are as weird as they are to fall head over heels over a scrap written in atrocious English, or they have this drive to add as many girls as they possibly can to their profile to impress their equally weird friends.
Ever received profile invitations from guys you don’t know? Join the club.
When it comes to finding out a logical reason for this mania, there are many people who argue that some girls invite such messages given that most of them have extremely photogenic photo- graphs on display and seem to have gone through a dictionary to make their personal profiles sound (sickly) romantic. But if you closely look at the profiles in general, almost every girl seems to be a victim of these scraps.
It does not matter that she keeps a minimum amount of information on her profile or that she does not put photographs of herself either in the display picture or her album. Frandshippers abound everywhere, with no end.
Another impetus to these people is that annoying feature of Orkut which has recently been introduced. If you visit someone’s profile, it will log your visit and the person whose profile you visited will know you were there. It is all well if you visit the profile of your friend. But what if you read someone’s post on the community and decide to visit their profiles? There are instances where the profile you visit turns out to be that of a would-be friendship scrapper who is delighted that you visited his profile and decides he wants to know who you are.
But regardless of the reason, let us face the heat. Basically it all comes down to this: how to deal with these people so that they keep away from your profile for good.
First, my advice is to keep a “low” profile in every sense of the word, especially the personal details. Also, remove all your personal photographs from the album as well as display picture. Even though this will not prevent friendship messages, at least you will not have people telling you that you are the cause of these scraps.
Secondly, the key is to unite. Get together and make a “Death to Frandship” group blog or a community on Orkut. Invite all those girls to join who have either been a victim or want to put a stop to this friendship drama. Whenever any of you get an annoying, desperate scrap, spring into action. Not only should you post it on the blog/community verbatim, but also post the name and link of the person who sent you the message.
All the members of the community can then add that person to their ignore list simultaneously. It also will not hurt to report the profile as bogus and notify the authorities that the person is harassing you. If you do it in a large number there is no way the powers-that-be on Orkut will ignore you.
Another thing which I have noticed most people doing, and which you must never do, is to scrap the person back asking them things like “who are you” or “do I know you” or “why did you add me?” You may not realise it, but even this innocent sounding scrap is a world of encouragement to those desperados and chances are you will never be able to get rid of them. If you have an invitation from a person whose profile you do not recognise, simply hit the “deny” button and add that person to your ignore list immediately. In the rare case that the person turns out to be someone you know, simply explain you were taking precautionary measures. There is no need to feel embarrassed.
And this brings us to the most important thing. Never feel guilty about doing any of the above. There are people who feel that the friendship mania is just a hyped-up situation and that the best thing to do is to ignore it. But the situation at present is a glaring proof of the fact that ignoring the problem is not the solution. You can ignore one scrap and hit delete and never think about it again. But what if there are people out there sending tons of friendship invitations and scraps and you are just sitting and taking it instead of doing something about it?
So think outside the box, take the initiative and tell yourself that you will do everything you can to dissuade people from scrapping you for friendship.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Webwatch
Game theory
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/biology/kprestwi/behavior/ESS/ESS_index_frmset.html
For those of you who are interested in the game theory, check out this comprehensive website. It not only makes use of text but of simulations as well. And it makes one thing clear: game theory is not just for the economists. It is for biologists as well, which is what makes this website truly unique.
Volcanology
http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/volcanology.html
Have you always been fascinated by how volcanoes work? Here is one website which is dedicated to different aspects of volcanoes. You can read all about the hazards of volcanoes, how they are monitored, what their topography is and how did different mountains that were prone to volcanic eruption fare in history.
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/biology/kprestwi/behavior/ESS/ESS_index_frmset.html
For those of you who are interested in the game theory, check out this comprehensive website. It not only makes use of text but of simulations as well. And it makes one thing clear: game theory is not just for the economists. It is for biologists as well, which is what makes this website truly unique.
Math guru
http://www.terc.edu/mathequity/gw/html/
If you are one of those students who have always ended up cursing mathematics, here is a website which can rescue you from the misery. It features various software which comprise games designed to clear your mathematical concepts. You can browse them by age or in an alphabetical order and read detailed descriptions and reviews.
All things scientific
http://scienceblogs.com/nosenada/
This website is actually the blog of Kevin Vranes, who has a PhD in physics, oceanography and climatology. And predictably, he blogs extensively on scientific events and issues, commenting on the different news stories as well as posts by other bloggers. This is one blog which definitely makes for an interesting and enlightening read.
Volcanology
http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/volcanology.html
Have you always been fascinated by how volcanoes work? Here is one website which is dedicated to different aspects of volcanoes. You can read all about the hazards of volcanoes, how they are monitored, what their topography is and how did different mountains that were prone to volcanic eruption fare in history.
Saturday, May 6, 2006
Freedom of Expression
Published in Sci-Tech World
6th May 2006
Freedom of expression is one slogan that is raised quite frequently these days. Whether it is an individual or an organisation, suddenly everyone has realised that they should be able to exercise their right to express themselves without being subjected to restraints. At the same time, they are quick to point out that absolute freedom is not what is sought, but rather a freedom to express oneself with responsibility.
A group of concerned individuals and organisations met at Makati City, Manila, from to April 19 to 21, 2006. The three-day conference was held under the aegis of the South East Asian Press Alliance and the Philippine Centre for Investigative Journalism. It was titled, “Free Expression in the Asian Cyberspace”. The participants were mainly bloggers, podcasters and/or human rights activists.
The aims of the conference, as outlined by Roby Alampy, Executive Director of SEAPA, were to discuss how individuals and organisations can better explore opportunities to exercise their freedom of expression in the online world and combat the different threats which are arising from it.
In the opening speech, Sheila Coronel, executive director of PCIJ, not only discussed the use of blogs as an alternative media in the hands of people without big resources, corporate names or profit motive, but also narrated the background of the PCIJ blog. The PCIJ blog which was put up last year found itself in the middle of a huge scandal only six weeks later when it uploaded taped conversations of the president with election officials.
“In the last year, there have been one million downloads of that recording and the mobile-phone ring tones that nameless composers fashioned from snippets of the phone conversations. Half a million downloaded the transcript of the conversation in the past year. When our blog crashed, because of the sheer number of downloads, the blogging community came to our rescue, putting up mirror sites where the recording could be accessed,” explained Ms Coronel.
“Throughout the crisis, we posted our blog breaking news reports, analysis and unedited documents and audio material that allowed our readers to sift through the original information themselves,” she further elaborated.
It is no surprise then, that the PCIJ blog was the first in the country to be sued for libel. Sedition charges were also brought up against some of the posts and a few cases are still pending. Projecting the truth is not always easy. This fact was reiterated by the delegates from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore and Burma who talked about the respective lack of press freedom in their countries and how they are using the internet as a platform to reach out to the people.
Specifically, Kunda Dixit, publisher of Nepali Times outlined the positive and negative aspects regarding the power of the internet. According to him, the internet has a diaspora reach - the entire world can know what is going on since the internet cannot be shut down like a print publication. Plus, there is a non-news format and the use of multimedia and opinion polls to inform as well as invite feedback.
Steven Gan, founder and editor of Malaysia Kini explained in the conference how the internet is the only medium in Malaysia which is not owned by the big corporations. The government too, is relatively lenient with the online medium which is why malaysiakini.com was up and running. However, it did get into trouble after it refused to reveal the identities of a few columnists and letter-writers.
The result was a raid on its offices during which computers were seized and documents were searched. However, in July 2005, the case was officially closed and computers were returned in batches. This goes to prove that the truth does prevail sometimes.
But when it does not, one can always return to the internet. Filipino journalist-blogger Manuel Quezon III, gave a few suggestions to those who wanted to push an issue online. He emphasised that the information must be mirrored on several websites so even if one is taken down, the others remain intact. Also, it is vital not to voice strong opinions on the information and let the public decide what stance they want to take.
Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices Online outlined the challenges for the online community. A major challenge is of course to bridge the digital divide. It is all too well to talk about alternative media and its potential. But the fact remains that there are people who do not even know the meaning of the word “blog.”This brings one to the next challenge and that is to do away with the myth that blogging is an elitist activity which has nothing to do with the masses.
Pakistani speakers got a chance to project their issues on the second day of the conference. Dr. Awab Alvi, who is recently running the “Don’t Block the Blog” campaign to get the blogspot ban lifted in Pakistan, spoke on the issue itself which has adversely affected many Pakistani bloggers. Mr. Owais Aslam Ali of Pakistan Press Foundation spoke about the language barrier and how essential it is to put some effective translation services in place to make the internet accessible to all. It is important to analyse in this context: is the internet giving a voice to everyone or is it amplifying the voices that are already there?
A crucial issue discussed at the conference was how 9/11 had resulted in national security laws and the resultant clampdown on online freedom of expression. Jeff Ooi from Reporters Sans Frontiers reported that threats to press freedom had come in the name of anti-terror laws in different countries, with many cyber dissidents being arrested and incarcerated.
There was also an emphasis on the ethical issues in blogging. These were outlined by Melinda Quintos de Jesus from the Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility. She pointed out that bloggers had to imbue the same values as a journalist especially if they were reporting news through their blogs — they had to be balanced, fair and accurate.
There were various workshops, most notable being the one on internet security. How to know if you are being blocked or monitored and ways to get around it. It was conducted by Ethan Zuckerman of the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School and Nart Villeneuve. A survey was also conducted to assess how one could build up on whatever the conference had achieved and take further steps towards online freedom.
In short, the conference was informative as well as enlightening and it did make one appreciate the level of online freedom in one’s own country, given the extreme cases that were presented by some South East Asian countries. But in the end, it all comes down to one point — it is all too well to talk about the internet and freedom of expression. But how is one going to overcome the digital divide throughout Asia to ensure that everyone enjoys the same sort of freedom?
6th May 2006
Freedom of expression is one slogan that is raised quite frequently these days. Whether it is an individual or an organisation, suddenly everyone has realised that they should be able to exercise their right to express themselves without being subjected to restraints. At the same time, they are quick to point out that absolute freedom is not what is sought, but rather a freedom to express oneself with responsibility.
A group of concerned individuals and organisations met at Makati City, Manila, from to April 19 to 21, 2006. The three-day conference was held under the aegis of the South East Asian Press Alliance and the Philippine Centre for Investigative Journalism. It was titled, “Free Expression in the Asian Cyberspace”. The participants were mainly bloggers, podcasters and/or human rights activists.
The aims of the conference, as outlined by Roby Alampy, Executive Director of SEAPA, were to discuss how individuals and organisations can better explore opportunities to exercise their freedom of expression in the online world and combat the different threats which are arising from it.
In the opening speech, Sheila Coronel, executive director of PCIJ, not only discussed the use of blogs as an alternative media in the hands of people without big resources, corporate names or profit motive, but also narrated the background of the PCIJ blog. The PCIJ blog which was put up last year found itself in the middle of a huge scandal only six weeks later when it uploaded taped conversations of the president with election officials.
“In the last year, there have been one million downloads of that recording and the mobile-phone ring tones that nameless composers fashioned from snippets of the phone conversations. Half a million downloaded the transcript of the conversation in the past year. When our blog crashed, because of the sheer number of downloads, the blogging community came to our rescue, putting up mirror sites where the recording could be accessed,” explained Ms Coronel.
“Throughout the crisis, we posted our blog breaking news reports, analysis and unedited documents and audio material that allowed our readers to sift through the original information themselves,” she further elaborated.
It is no surprise then, that the PCIJ blog was the first in the country to be sued for libel. Sedition charges were also brought up against some of the posts and a few cases are still pending. Projecting the truth is not always easy. This fact was reiterated by the delegates from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore and Burma who talked about the respective lack of press freedom in their countries and how they are using the internet as a platform to reach out to the people.
Specifically, Kunda Dixit, publisher of Nepali Times outlined the positive and negative aspects regarding the power of the internet. According to him, the internet has a diaspora reach - the entire world can know what is going on since the internet cannot be shut down like a print publication. Plus, there is a non-news format and the use of multimedia and opinion polls to inform as well as invite feedback.
Steven Gan, founder and editor of Malaysia Kini explained in the conference how the internet is the only medium in Malaysia which is not owned by the big corporations. The government too, is relatively lenient with the online medium which is why malaysiakini.com was up and running. However, it did get into trouble after it refused to reveal the identities of a few columnists and letter-writers.
The result was a raid on its offices during which computers were seized and documents were searched. However, in July 2005, the case was officially closed and computers were returned in batches. This goes to prove that the truth does prevail sometimes.
But when it does not, one can always return to the internet. Filipino journalist-blogger Manuel Quezon III, gave a few suggestions to those who wanted to push an issue online. He emphasised that the information must be mirrored on several websites so even if one is taken down, the others remain intact. Also, it is vital not to voice strong opinions on the information and let the public decide what stance they want to take.
Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices Online outlined the challenges for the online community. A major challenge is of course to bridge the digital divide. It is all too well to talk about alternative media and its potential. But the fact remains that there are people who do not even know the meaning of the word “blog.”This brings one to the next challenge and that is to do away with the myth that blogging is an elitist activity which has nothing to do with the masses.
Pakistani speakers got a chance to project their issues on the second day of the conference. Dr. Awab Alvi, who is recently running the “Don’t Block the Blog” campaign to get the blogspot ban lifted in Pakistan, spoke on the issue itself which has adversely affected many Pakistani bloggers. Mr. Owais Aslam Ali of Pakistan Press Foundation spoke about the language barrier and how essential it is to put some effective translation services in place to make the internet accessible to all. It is important to analyse in this context: is the internet giving a voice to everyone or is it amplifying the voices that are already there?
A crucial issue discussed at the conference was how 9/11 had resulted in national security laws and the resultant clampdown on online freedom of expression. Jeff Ooi from Reporters Sans Frontiers reported that threats to press freedom had come in the name of anti-terror laws in different countries, with many cyber dissidents being arrested and incarcerated.
There was also an emphasis on the ethical issues in blogging. These were outlined by Melinda Quintos de Jesus from the Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility. She pointed out that bloggers had to imbue the same values as a journalist especially if they were reporting news through their blogs — they had to be balanced, fair and accurate.
There were various workshops, most notable being the one on internet security. How to know if you are being blocked or monitored and ways to get around it. It was conducted by Ethan Zuckerman of the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School and Nart Villeneuve. A survey was also conducted to assess how one could build up on whatever the conference had achieved and take further steps towards online freedom.
In short, the conference was informative as well as enlightening and it did make one appreciate the level of online freedom in one’s own country, given the extreme cases that were presented by some South East Asian countries. But in the end, it all comes down to one point — it is all too well to talk about the internet and freedom of expression. But how is one going to overcome the digital divide throughout Asia to ensure that everyone enjoys the same sort of freedom?
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Webwatch
Delights
http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/delights/
If you are interested in experimenting with chemicals, this is just the website for you. Here, you can have creative fun to your hearts’ content. Most of the website comprises chemical experiments and demonstrations that you can try out in the laboratory with your students/teachers. A list of safety precautions is also given alongside each experiment.
Earthquake record of the day
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~polet/recofd.html
If you want to read more about the earthquakes, this is a really useful website. Instead of rambling about dates and events, the site basically takes the “this day in history” approach. That means you will know what earthquake-related thing happened on the day you view the website. Unfortunately, the website has been discontinued now but the archives are still there for you.
Coffee story
http://sovrana.com/libstory.htm
Ever wondered why coffee is called coffee and how is it made? You will find your answers in this his website which not only traces the history of coffee but also analyses its scientific aspects. The entire scientific make-up of a cocoa bean is discussed as is the different species of coffee. This website will definitely serve as a treat for all the coffee lovers out there.
Super science
http://library.thinkquest.org/6048/
This is a small but a very neat website by three youngsters. It basically focuses on the very fundamental concepts of astronomy and chemistry and delves a little into the metric system. Overall, the website is useful if you want to clear your understanding but there do not look up for too many details about each subject.
http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/delights/
If you are interested in experimenting with chemicals, this is just the website for you. Here, you can have creative fun to your hearts’ content. Most of the website comprises chemical experiments and demonstrations that you can try out in the laboratory with your students/teachers. A list of safety precautions is also given alongside each experiment.
Earthquake record of the day
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~polet/recofd.html
If you want to read more about the earthquakes, this is a really useful website. Instead of rambling about dates and events, the site basically takes the “this day in history” approach. That means you will know what earthquake-related thing happened on the day you view the website. Unfortunately, the website has been discontinued now but the archives are still there for you.
Coffee story
http://sovrana.com/libstory.htm
Ever wondered why coffee is called coffee and how is it made? You will find your answers in this his website which not only traces the history of coffee but also analyses its scientific aspects. The entire scientific make-up of a cocoa bean is discussed as is the different species of coffee. This website will definitely serve as a treat for all the coffee lovers out there.
Super science
http://library.thinkquest.org/6048/
This is a small but a very neat website by three youngsters. It basically focuses on the very fundamental concepts of astronomy and chemistry and delves a little into the metric system. Overall, the website is useful if you want to clear your understanding but there do not look up for too many details about each subject.
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Webwatch
Digging into black holes
http://www.blackholegang.com/
Bored with your textbooks? Then log on to this website and join the Black Hole Gang as they team up and lead you through the different fun adventures which will definitely make science interesting. There is also a section for teachers, featuring cool science resources, and a separate section dedicated to scientific books.
Chill out!
http://www.nyelabs.com/
Looking to relax on a hectic day? Check out this website for some science-related content presented in a great interactive manner. You can mull over the question of the week, send an e-card or two and peruse the fun facts. Also featured are science experiments that will surely make life memorable.
Explaining earthquakes
http://www.ktca.org/newtons/12/earthquk.html
If you are a teacher wondering how to approach the topic of earthquakes in your class, check this website out. It offers a number of vocabulary lists and activities which can make the lesson more interesting. The website also features links to other sites.
Exploring science
http://library.thinkquest.org/11771/
This is a comprehensive website offering information related to specific science topics. It discusses issues in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. The mathematics section has additional puzzles and testing centres.
http://www.blackholegang.com/
Bored with your textbooks? Then log on to this website and join the Black Hole Gang as they team up and lead you through the different fun adventures which will definitely make science interesting. There is also a section for teachers, featuring cool science resources, and a separate section dedicated to scientific books.
Chill out!
http://www.nyelabs.com/
Looking to relax on a hectic day? Check out this website for some science-related content presented in a great interactive manner. You can mull over the question of the week, send an e-card or two and peruse the fun facts. Also featured are science experiments that will surely make life memorable.
Explaining earthquakes
http://www.ktca.org/newtons/12/earthquk.html
If you are a teacher wondering how to approach the topic of earthquakes in your class, check this website out. It offers a number of vocabulary lists and activities which can make the lesson more interesting. The website also features links to other sites.
Exploring science
http://library.thinkquest.org/11771/
This is a comprehensive website offering information related to specific science topics. It discusses issues in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. The mathematics section has additional puzzles and testing centres.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
The ‘always on’ culture
Published in Sci-Tech World
What would you call a person who, while waiting for his amusement park ride to take off, whips out his mobile phone and starts checking his emails? Also, which term can be used to describe a housewife who daily reads Google News on her PC while running back and forth between the kitchen and her room? Is addiction an understatement for people who check their emails about ten times in five hours?
An article in the New York Times says that there is an all-encompassing term which comprehensively describes all of the above, and more, conditions — all of the aforementioned people are apparently suffering from Online Compulsive Disorder or simply, OCD.
OCD is characterised by an impulse to connect to the internet even while doing the most ‘offline’ of activities, like talking to a person, sitting in a classroom or reading a book. Interestingly, this term has actually made it to the Merrium-Webster’s Open Dictionary where it has been described as “addiction to web-based activity such as checking e-mail.”
A sophisticated term that is used for those suffering from OCD is multi-taskers, since they are essentially trying to accomplish more than one task in the minimum possible time. But more often than not, these multi-taskers actually end up accomplishing very little. This is because, according to David E. Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, people trying to do two tasks at once hamper their own productivity. They would finish both tasks faster and efficiently if they did them separately and focused on each one in turn.
This is actually true. If you have ever tried to finish an assignment online and chat with a friend on MSN Messenger you will know what the downfalls of multi-tasking are. Either you end up taking longer than usual to finish the assignment or you end up annoying your friend really badly. Same goes for whenever you are reading an article online and trying to listen to streaming audio through your headset. Either you will have to read the article twice to get the gist of it, or you will be wondering how the song finished so early.
However, despite these downfalls, the ‘always on’ culture is on the rise. This can be gauged from the fact that the aforementioned article was picked up by webmasters and bloggers, who then had the time of their lives ripping it apart. There were some who heavily criticised Prof Meyer and called OCD as something that they considered beneficial for themselves. Others blatantly denied that there was anything as absurd as OCD. There was a vast majority, though, which actually did agree with him and his research, and quoted numerous examples in support of the phenomenon.
A few posts and comments from such blogs are definitely worth quoting here. Irish journalist and teacher Eamonn Fitzgerald put some pertinent questions in his blog . “Are ‘always on’ and ‘multitasking’ responsible for what is now being referred to by some medical specialists as “online compulsive disorder”, and by others as “pseudo-attention deficit disorder? Do bloggers exhibit traits that suggest they are addicted to “the constant stimulation provided by incoming data”?
“I’d say the answer is, yes. But that is the price we pay for incorporating these new, powerful technologies into our lives. The next generation will be better able to deal with the pace of change, and if it turns out that they have developed shorter attention spans, then they will need to be given the kind of tasks that will not produce the frustration associated with long-term projects. The physical craving for short bursts of info stimulation, which is seen as a negative now, could well end up being harnessed as a driver of creativity. Those who prove that they can thrive on the stress of managing constant information might well end up in jobs that we cannot even conceive of now.”
Justin Blanton, , a law student working for an IP firm, wrote about how he needed to be continuously connected. “It’s the constant fear of becoming bored or complacent and the ever-present feeling that I need to learn as much as possible that drives me. Case in point: as I read the said article, I checked my e-mail three times, replied to two, began typing this post, and helped a friend set up a weblogging tool — all because of the slight delay incurred while going to the next page(s) of the article.”
About multitasking being non-productive, he had to say the following, “Honestly, I think that the whole multitasking argument presented in the article is moot simply because different people operate, well, differently. The fact is, some jobs and lifestyles absolutely demand multitasking, in which case the word becomes a slight misnomer as it no longer evokes the idea of doing multiple jobs at once, but rather doing the job, which happens to require you to divide your attention.”
What has actually fuelled the “always on” culture is the cable internet. The 24-hour connectivity that it offers without the burden of the land-line being engaged is a great boost. There was a time when certain hours were set apart for internet surfing and connecting at any other time (especially at the peak time of phone calls) was unheard of. Now, cable net is so common that there is virtually no concept of setting aside any time for internet surfing and email.
All the time is now at the disposal of an average internet user. So checking emails five times in an hour is no problem at all. Add to that the convenience of desktop email notifiers, which you can glance at whenever you pass the computer. As soon as you see it blinking, you sit down and open the browser. So in reality, you are never really offline in any sense.
But of course there are downfalls. Online Compulsive Disorder is really a more sophisticated cover for internet addiction, if you really think about it. Addiction of any sort, even if it is in the form of unlimited connectivity, is never really a very desirable thing, because there is a life outside the computer and the cellphone, which is just as important. Being “always on” should definitely not substitute the very vital things that are part of an “offline” world. So if you think you can strike a healthy balance, go ahead and be a part of this culture.
But if you think you will destroy your offline world simply because it is way too much effort to drag yourself away from your PC, then you would be well-advised to practice caution, get a dialup connection and only stay online as long as it is necessary.
What would you call a person who, while waiting for his amusement park ride to take off, whips out his mobile phone and starts checking his emails? Also, which term can be used to describe a housewife who daily reads Google News on her PC while running back and forth between the kitchen and her room? Is addiction an understatement for people who check their emails about ten times in five hours?
An article in the New York Times says that there is an all-encompassing term which comprehensively describes all of the above, and more, conditions — all of the aforementioned people are apparently suffering from Online Compulsive Disorder or simply, OCD.
OCD is characterised by an impulse to connect to the internet even while doing the most ‘offline’ of activities, like talking to a person, sitting in a classroom or reading a book. Interestingly, this term has actually made it to the Merrium-Webster’s Open Dictionary where it has been described as “addiction to web-based activity such as checking e-mail.”
A sophisticated term that is used for those suffering from OCD is multi-taskers, since they are essentially trying to accomplish more than one task in the minimum possible time. But more often than not, these multi-taskers actually end up accomplishing very little. This is because, according to David E. Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, people trying to do two tasks at once hamper their own productivity. They would finish both tasks faster and efficiently if they did them separately and focused on each one in turn.
This is actually true. If you have ever tried to finish an assignment online and chat with a friend on MSN Messenger you will know what the downfalls of multi-tasking are. Either you end up taking longer than usual to finish the assignment or you end up annoying your friend really badly. Same goes for whenever you are reading an article online and trying to listen to streaming audio through your headset. Either you will have to read the article twice to get the gist of it, or you will be wondering how the song finished so early.
However, despite these downfalls, the ‘always on’ culture is on the rise. This can be gauged from the fact that the aforementioned article was picked up by webmasters and bloggers, who then had the time of their lives ripping it apart. There were some who heavily criticised Prof Meyer and called OCD as something that they considered beneficial for themselves. Others blatantly denied that there was anything as absurd as OCD. There was a vast majority, though, which actually did agree with him and his research, and quoted numerous examples in support of the phenomenon.
A few posts and comments from such blogs are definitely worth quoting here. Irish journalist and teacher Eamonn Fitzgerald put some pertinent questions in his blog . “Are ‘always on’ and ‘multitasking’ responsible for what is now being referred to by some medical specialists as “online compulsive disorder”, and by others as “pseudo-attention deficit disorder? Do bloggers exhibit traits that suggest they are addicted to “the constant stimulation provided by incoming data”?
“I’d say the answer is, yes. But that is the price we pay for incorporating these new, powerful technologies into our lives. The next generation will be better able to deal with the pace of change, and if it turns out that they have developed shorter attention spans, then they will need to be given the kind of tasks that will not produce the frustration associated with long-term projects. The physical craving for short bursts of info stimulation, which is seen as a negative now, could well end up being harnessed as a driver of creativity. Those who prove that they can thrive on the stress of managing constant information might well end up in jobs that we cannot even conceive of now.”
Justin Blanton, , a law student working for an IP firm, wrote about how he needed to be continuously connected. “It’s the constant fear of becoming bored or complacent and the ever-present feeling that I need to learn as much as possible that drives me. Case in point: as I read the said article, I checked my e-mail three times, replied to two, began typing this post, and helped a friend set up a weblogging tool — all because of the slight delay incurred while going to the next page(s) of the article.”
About multitasking being non-productive, he had to say the following, “Honestly, I think that the whole multitasking argument presented in the article is moot simply because different people operate, well, differently. The fact is, some jobs and lifestyles absolutely demand multitasking, in which case the word becomes a slight misnomer as it no longer evokes the idea of doing multiple jobs at once, but rather doing the job, which happens to require you to divide your attention.”
What has actually fuelled the “always on” culture is the cable internet. The 24-hour connectivity that it offers without the burden of the land-line being engaged is a great boost. There was a time when certain hours were set apart for internet surfing and connecting at any other time (especially at the peak time of phone calls) was unheard of. Now, cable net is so common that there is virtually no concept of setting aside any time for internet surfing and email.
All the time is now at the disposal of an average internet user. So checking emails five times in an hour is no problem at all. Add to that the convenience of desktop email notifiers, which you can glance at whenever you pass the computer. As soon as you see it blinking, you sit down and open the browser. So in reality, you are never really offline in any sense.
But of course there are downfalls. Online Compulsive Disorder is really a more sophisticated cover for internet addiction, if you really think about it. Addiction of any sort, even if it is in the form of unlimited connectivity, is never really a very desirable thing, because there is a life outside the computer and the cellphone, which is just as important. Being “always on” should definitely not substitute the very vital things that are part of an “offline” world. So if you think you can strike a healthy balance, go ahead and be a part of this culture.
But if you think you will destroy your offline world simply because it is way too much effort to drag yourself away from your PC, then you would be well-advised to practice caution, get a dialup connection and only stay online as long as it is necessary.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Webwatch
High achievers
http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/
Of course, when it comes to science and technology, there are many people who can be credited with furthering the field and acting as pioneers of advances in different disciplines. This is one website which pays tribute to some of those people by featuring their detailed profiles. You can read all about the people behind health, medicine and biomedical research, in particular.
Nervous already?
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
If neuroscience is your weak point, this is one website you can use to brush up on your basics. Not only can you learn more about the nervous system in a highly interactive environment, but you can also read about the latest research and breakthroughs in research related to the brain. To clear your concepts, you can ask your own questions on the website’s network.
Pooling the news
http://www.tidepool.org/
Wondering what are the most important environmental issues these days? This website collects news stories from various sources and updates its website daily with the most pressing environmental issues. Though it is a bit restricted geographically, you can still get a lot of information here.
Newton’s apple
http://www.tpt.org/newtons/
Although this website is the homepage of a scientific show on television, it features quite a lot of interesting stuff for geeks. There is a whole collection of do-it-yourself science experiments, with detailed synopses and background information for each episode of the show.
http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/
Of course, when it comes to science and technology, there are many people who can be credited with furthering the field and acting as pioneers of advances in different disciplines. This is one website which pays tribute to some of those people by featuring their detailed profiles. You can read all about the people behind health, medicine and biomedical research, in particular.
Nervous already?
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
If neuroscience is your weak point, this is one website you can use to brush up on your basics. Not only can you learn more about the nervous system in a highly interactive environment, but you can also read about the latest research and breakthroughs in research related to the brain. To clear your concepts, you can ask your own questions on the website’s network.
Pooling the news
http://www.tidepool.org/
Wondering what are the most important environmental issues these days? This website collects news stories from various sources and updates its website daily with the most pressing environmental issues. Though it is a bit restricted geographically, you can still get a lot of information here.
Newton’s apple
http://www.tpt.org/newtons/
Although this website is the homepage of a scientific show on television, it features quite a lot of interesting stuff for geeks. There is a whole collection of do-it-yourself science experiments, with detailed synopses and background information for each episode of the show.
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