My Computer Stole My Memory

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   kephriraposted 14 years ago

   I had an experience today which somehow seemed to me to be a metaphor for the modern world.
   
   Just over a year ago I joined a website and created a username and password for it. The very first time I logged in my computer offered to remember my password for me, and I agreed to let it do that. Today I wanted to log into that site from a different computer, and realized because I had not used or even thought about my password since the day I made it up I couldn't remember what it was and so couldn't access the site. I had let the computer remember it for me and so hadn't remembered it myself.
   
   We live in a world where there is such a vast amount of information at our fingertips that I think we often don't bother to keep it in our heads anymore, the way people used to.
   
   That's fine if you know that you need a piece of information, but often knowing something can affect your opinions and thoughts on a myriad of related subjects, and I wonder whether relying on technology so much is perhaps having a negative affect on human intelligence, culture etc.
   
   I would be very interested to know anyone else's opinions on this.

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   1. 72

      lorlie6posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      While I do see your point, kephira, I try my best to stay off this machine as much as possible.  I write important info in an old fashioned address book.  That sort of thing.
      It's just too risky to give up my humanity entirely to the computer, however it is one of the most incredible tools I've ever used.

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         kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I absolutely agree that it is an incredible tool, and I'm no luddite that wants to get rid of computers, but I think we should be more aware of the law of unintended consequences when it somes to technology.

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            lorlie6posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I do agree.  And I don't think we'll know of those consequences for ages.  Technology is so incredibly pervasive.

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