Would you be as smart as you are...

[theprodigalrebel]

For a lot of people, I am the smartest guy they know of (thanks to my time on Internet Forums). But compared to some of the people on here, I know I'm nowhere close the uber-guru they make me out to be.

Now as a kid, I spent a lot of time with encyclopedias and books, absorbing information on all kinds of stuff - history, art, cultures, medical science, astronomy etc. etc. But I'm pretty sure I would have lost interest by the time I hit my mid-teens and got distracted with other worldly pleasures (chicks, lethargy etc.) I know I haven't spent any time in a library since I got into senior high school.

So the question is: If it weren't for Google/Wikipedia/The Internet, would you still have the same drive for pursuing knowledge?

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Theres a 4th option lacking

"I would be smarter"

 

[TheoPetro]

YAY! first yes

 

[ForumMaster]

i admit it. the internet has certainly helped. before the net was mainstream i read a lot of books for school. now most of my sources are through the net.

 

[Kaido]

I think "knowledgeable" is a more appropriate word. You can be smart but if you don't have any knowledge to use it with, it's not real useful The Internet has been a great way to gain knowledge for me. Anytime I have a question, I can usually find the answer by googling it. Anytime I don't know what something is, I can usually find it in Wikipedia. The Internet is a messy place though; it seems that my method of learning has gone from slowly figuring things out on my own to searching for it on the Internet and organizing the results I find. It's a much faster process with the Internet. I think Google should unleash an organizing tool for Internet content in order to make data more accessible. The way I learn a new subject is usually something like this:

1. Read the Wikipedia entry on it and then Google for more data to get a better idea of the specific "world" it's in
2. Pick up a Dummies book to cover the basics quickly
3. Pick up a more hardcore book to cover specific details

For example, I recently put in my first Windows Small Business Server 2003 system at work. I am a Unix/Linux guy as far as servers go and only have experience with Windows desktop operating systems like 2000 and XP. I started out the project by doing some research online - googling and reading on Wikipedia about the basics of the Windows server family. Once I had a general idea, I picked up a Dummies book which led me through the basics of installation, configuration, maintenance, etc. After that I started on one of those 1,200-page reference books that give you step-by-step instructions for configuring different aspects of the server. It's a fairly simple drill-down method of research that the Internet was a key part of. Bottom line, my continuing education would be much more difficult if I didn't have the Internet.

 

[Eska]

Seriously, internet has become the door to the world for me in recent years.

 

[Azraele]

The Internet has made finding answers to questions easier than it used to be. As for whether I'm smarter because of it...ehhh. I've always done a lot of reading and Discovery Channel watching.

 

[DrPizza]

People often have a look on their face when I'm able to give them pieces of knowledge that no human should be carrying around in their mind.

Sometimes, I'm not sure that is a look of awe, or if they're considering me to be some sort of freak. I think they're leaning toward freak sometimes. "Hey, there was an article in the news yesterday about that very same thing." "I didn't see it in the newspaper." "It wasn't in the newspaper. When I get back to my computer, I'll send you a link. It was an Associated Press article, but it didn't make it into our newspaper." "whoa How did you know about it/find it?"


There's one scene in a movie that perfectly fits with knowledge I learn here or elsewhere online every day: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - when the bridge keeper says "What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?" "What do you mean? An African or a European Swallow?" "huh? I don't know that? AAAAAhhhhhhhgggggggghhh" "How do you know so much about swallows?" <--- that's where the amazement occurs. I have some sort of detailed knowledge that no normal person would possess, and it just seems to randomly be useful.

 

[uberman]

I believe I'd be more intelligent without the Internet. There's nothing wrong with reading books or debating something in an educational setting. We look for effortless answers on the Internet and end up handicapping our own problem solving abilities.

 

[xSauronx]

id probably still be religious if it wasnt for the internet

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Originally posted by: uberman
I believe I'd be more intelligent without the Internet. There's nothing wrong with reading books or debating something in an educational setting. We look for effortless answers on the Internet and end up handicapping our own problem solving abilities.

Hehe, my uncle told me the same thing about calculators when I was growing up!

I think I agree with the bit about calculators and spell-check: I used to be a spelling-bee champ and now, I have trouble remembering simple words (is it occasionally or occassionally? Judgment or judgement?) Auto spell-check HAS messed my spelling ability...but I guess the thread is about being smart - or as Kaido put it, knowledgeable.

Calculators, luckily, haven't messed with my ability to solve simple-to-moderate calculations in my mind, thank god. A lot of people I know take more time than they should converting...say, 55 miles per hour into kilometers per hour.

 

[j00fek]

Nope. Google > Libraries