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Reading "Don't Fear the Digital" feature by Steven Johnson, I agree with what he says (especially about not needing algebra). Although my parents may have thought I was just a lazy kid on the computer, I was actually learning helpful utilities that will truly impact my life in the future. It may look simple to some, but customizing a myspace page really does takes a lot of work to make it just how you want it. In a sense, this perfectionist traits that are being shown do appear in other parts of my life. Now in other things, I become finnicky, almost obsessive with details.

And not just customizing a profile, but Johnson touches upon multitasking. Even as we speak, I am listening to music, writing this blog, reviewing the article, text messaging on my phone and thinking of about four other things in my head, and (at least I think) this sounds somewhat coherent. If I didn't have a computer handy when I was a kid, I feel that I wouldn't be capable to do more than two or three things at a time, and even those would be at a diminished pace. Now that I think about it, when I was a kid, I used to play typing games on my old computer (Mario Teaches Typing, I believe). And although I thought it was fun as a kid, I think about how much my typing, and therefor affecting everything else I do on the computer, benefits because I was having fun and learning new technology and techniques at the same time!

Reading the second article, I see the other side of multitasking. The destruction of the nuclear family as we know it. They say in there that "Thousands of years of evolution created human physical communication...that puts broadband to shame in its ability to convey meaning and create bonds". This is definitely true, if you've ever had a comment taken the wrong way and spent the rest of the day feeling like Lindsay Lohan's PR people. But this is something that our parents and the older generations have to become accustomed to, because it is impossible to stop. Tom and Mark started this huge social networking avalance and there's nowhere for it to go but to keep on growing. But regrets to the family, this new way of accomplishing many tasks simultaneously will change the world. As I've read in the Friedman book, people in India are answering my help calls for my computer. This flattening of the world can't be stopped, and if you can't adjust to it, then move to the mountains (preferably in a nice little cave, with plenty of berries and stream water (we'll be ordering groceries online soon, so don't even think about walking into the Big M without your groceries being ordered ahead of time). 'Cause the world won't wait for you to adjust on your own schedule. It could frankly care less, because there are enough people out here that are ready to take on this challenge, while texting, recording a podcast and updating a wiki on David Wright.