I'm seriously bummed

But isn't Socrates immortal?

Because of all we've seen
Because of all we've said
We are the dead

'Cogito ergo sum'
René Descartes

This seems relevant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotard_delusion

WIRED needs to UNWIRE -- just a bit.

My conclusion was "Wired is dead", which isn't quite as logically sound, but much more likely to come true.

Are we dead?

No, but many are becoming 'one machine' zombies as we speak.

Well we're not dead, only in a quandary -- huge new cultural potential, old cultural mores holding us back. How to satisfy both? Not the first time we've dealt w this.

I just don't see the benefits of this supposed 'New Cultural' that reads less (jumping from one headlines doesn't count) and spends way too much time watching videos. It reminds me of the cultural version of 'New Coke' and it tastes just as bad.

Here’s two of my favorite quotes on progress:

"The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us."- G. K. Chesterton

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”-C. S. Lewis

Dead, eh? Hey, it's not so bad.

Well, this 'New Culture' certainly has its ups and downs. Downs is what John Schoettler already explained in one of his comments above. However the ups are still pretty good. Yeah, you have some people mindlessly watching videos all day, but others have found ways to use the web to be successful or make a living off of it. The 'New Culture' could work but everyone needs to be a part of it. Everyone agreeing to one topic... this is probably what Wired meant by "The Web is Dead."

because dead men also walk

Just finished reading The Shallows. Plan on rereading several chapters. As a professor of mathematics at Florida State College at Jacksonville and a graduate of Boston College and Teacher's College, C.U., I am very interested in the implications for teaching. My college continues to emphasize Online Learning and de-emphasize classroom interaction. I will only teach in a classroom, where I can engage my students in group dialog that builds on learned concepts and skills. My training in philosophy, Cooperative Learning, Paideia Seminars and NLP have enabled me to push beyond the working memory and predispose my students to the pleasure of being able to think.
Like any "time saving" device, the Internet allows us the opportunity to do more work in less time. What we need to care about is the nature and quality of the work.
At risk is our ability to see beyond our computer screens to the reality beyond. Few of our powerful leaders seem to be able to understand the concept of followup or consequences. Senate Bill6 was a prime example an inability of legislators to see the consequences of their actions.

judging from Wired's past form, I wouldn't worry too much... oscillating between contrarianism and boosterism gives one plenty of editorial scope, but doesnt do much for credibility... but, we all know, people have always bought the print Wired for the ads and read it online because everyone else does

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