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I Google everything

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Re: I Google everything

#91

Post by cdcarter »

FuzzyDunlop wrote: post #72
corin_ wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes, that's the same thing I was referring to. Talking shit (with no modifier) is, in my experience, an uncommon phrase to use in a sentence No, no, no! In the UK it is not uncommon! People over here are talking shit all the time, often not about anyone.

Indeed, we often like to talk shit every Friday night after work, typically over a few pints. Though you may encounter the odd person in everyday life who is 'full of shit'. Such is the British way, we tend to use these as terms of endearment just as much as genuine insults.

Similarly, my best friend is absolutely "a little shit" and I love him for that fact.

Re: I Google everything

#92

Post by derleth »

CodeCube wrote: post #30

The problem with this is that while it's super easy to look up facts, it's also super easy to spread false information on the web and make it look official and correct. It's quite amazing how many conspiracy videos are on youtube (along with 'true believers' sharing them on facebook). You can look at it as enabling niche information to get out, or you can look at it as a mass fleecing of a generation.

Whatever you do, never look up Velikovsky or Von Däniken. It will shatter your ideal image of the pre-Internet era as one when idiotic nonsense didn't spread.

Re: I Google everything

#93

Post by dagw »

PakG1 wrote: post #41
dagw wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And they don't seem much interested in the answer when I provide it, actually. I'm the sort of person who would happily spend an entire conversation trying to guess the population of Greece and frown upon anybody who tried to Google it. I like the fun, social 'game' of trying to work out random stuff from a few first principles . Having someone Google for it and tell me is like someone telling me the ending of a movi…

That's nice if the purpose of the conversation is only to figure out the population of Greece and to pass the time. I hope that you don't take the same line of thought into conversations that have other purposes though, where Googling clearly has benefit to help the conversation achieve its goals faster. I say this not to you, but to people on the board in general. Given that I've seen self-centred comments like "I c…

I hope that you don't take the same line of thought into conversations that have other purposes though

If I'm in a situation where the demographics of Greece actually matter to an important decision, then chances are I knew I'd be in this situation beforehand and have spent plenty of time collecting, verifying and correlating every nugget of demographic fact and statistic I could lay my hand on.

But obviously sometimes haste if of the essence and then Google is great, but if I'm hanging out the pub with my mates, haste is almost never of the essence.

Re: I Google everything

#95

Post by sstrudeau »

edanm wrote: post #27

Great article. A side point, but one that is more interesting to me: in my social circle, I'm the only person who actually Googles everything. When I sit down to have a conversation with most people, and questions about facts come up, I instinctively start Googling. Almost no one else does this. People will prefer to spend an entire conversation trying to guess the population of e.g. Greece, rather than spend 5 secon…

This reminds me of one of my favorite Tom Waits' quotes:

"Everything is explained now. We live in an age when you say casually to somebody 'What's the story on that?' and they can run to the computer and tell you within five seconds. That's fine, but sometimes I’d just as soon continue wondering. We have a deficit of wonder right now."

A lot of people I know argue against this line of thinking but they're usually missing the point. The "problem" isn't that information is readily available ("that's fine," he says) but that the exercise of wondering is often worthwhile and under-appreciated. There's value in not knowing and wondering why.

Re: I Google everything

#96

Post by aurelianito »

blaabjerg wrote: post #70
minikites wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watch out for the Anchoring Effect: http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/07/27/anchoring-effect/ Is the population of Venezuela greater or fewer than 65 million? Go ahead and guess. Ok, another question, how many people do you think live Venezuela?

That's interesting, thanks for the link. Apparently I'm not like most people, as I guessed 20 million. Maybe the fact that you made me aware of potential cognitive bias affected the outcome, I don't know.

I did guess the same. Are we both affected the same way by those cognitive biases?

Re: I Google everything

#97

Post by Skillset »

I also like to Google everything, even individual words or proper names I already know the meaning of, just because I can. I use the Google Dictionary Extension for Chrome. Just double-click anything on the web and it pops up. Pretty awesome stuff.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mgijmajocgfcbeboac...

Re: I Google everything

#98

Post by freehunter »

cdcarter wrote: post #91
FuzzyDunlop wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, we often like to talk shit every Friday night after work, typically over a few pints. Though you may encounter the odd person in everyday life who is 'full of shit'. Such is the British way, we tend to use these as terms of endearment just as much as genuine insults.

Similarly, my best friend is absolutely "a little shit" and I love him for that fact.

I think this chain just points out that fact that "shit" can be used in many contexts. Still doesn't answer the fact that the way the author used it is ambiguous.

Re: I Google everything

#99

Post by illuminate »

Claudus wrote: post #87
illuminate wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All you're doing here is endorsing sophistry over knowledge. There's a place for logic and there's a place for facts. Focusing on one over the other leads to persons being so "open-minded" that their brain falls out.

What a nonsensical comment. > All you're doing here is endorsing sophistry over knowledge. What? First, sophistry, has little to do with anything I wrote. Second, I'm most certainly endorsing knowledge. > There's a place for logic and there's a place for facts. Really? Do you have little slots for them on your spice rack? Logic and facts are the fabric of reality. This a comment I'd expect from someone desperately wa…

"I think you read my comment, self identify as a hipster or 'bullshitter'"

Excuse me?

You need to stop projecting your insecurities outward, if you're making statements like-

"Finding information is mainstream now, and all the pseudo intellectuals are crying because their power base of personally invented knowledge is crumbling and they lack the mental faculties to think freely on a higher level and reason for themselves"

Claiming you're a free thinker" and implying that others are "mainstream hipster sheeple" (or whatever pejorative of choice) does not endear you to others. Sure, there are lazy people, however your bizarre sense of superiority about all those OTHER bullshitters is not self-justifying.

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