Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Can We All Just Slow Down?

      By
      Scot Petersen
      -
      April 30, 2001
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        I dont make a habit of clicking through the links on my default home page, MSN.com (which Im too lazy to change), but every now and then something catches my eye, like “Read Moby Dick in 1 minute.” And so I did. The exercise, produced by Disney.com, is part of the sites Fun for Families Activities section, which includes other “Last Minute Book Reports” from such classics as “War and Peace.”

        The first time I read “Moby Dick,” it took me a few weeks, so I couldnt resist seeing how they did it in 1 minute (actually in 1 minute, 20 seconds). Surprisingly, they cram in most of the relevant plot information, but only because the voice that narrates the report sounds like a Rugrat on speed.

        Its all just fun and games, of course. Something for the family to do at night while sitting around the computer, and certainly more fun, I suppose, than finding the actual text on the Project Gutenberg site and reading the original words. Or reading the actual book. How boring is that?

        But this is what passes for high-brow culture in our ever-accelerating society. Our entire information-gathering experience has been reduced to just reading blurbs and headlines. And dont think that wily students wont sneak a peek at “Last Minute Book Reports” to assist them in a real last-minute report.

        Before the birth of the Web, when I used to teach English literature to college freshmen, I told them that, to truly understand a book, reading quickly to the end just to find out what happens is the worst way. Reading, especially reading great works, should be done slowly and casually. But who has time for that these days, especially when everything is available in condensed form?

        Information that comes to us faster isnt necessarily better. If we did try to slow down, just a little, we might not need the edited versions of everything. And we might enjoy them more.

        Avatar
        Scot Petersen
        Scot Petersen is a technology analyst at Ziff Brothers Investments, a private investment firm. Prior to joining Ziff Brothers, Scot was the editorial director, Business Applications & Architecture, at TechTarget. Before that, he was the director, Editorial Operations, at Ziff Davis Enterprise, While at Ziff Davis Media, he was a writer and editor at eWEEK. No investment advice is offered in his blog. All duties are disclaimed. Scot works for a private investment firm, which may at any time invest in companies whose products are discussed in this blog, and no disclosure of securities transactions will be made.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Android

        Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
        Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
        Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

        eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
        Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

        Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
        There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
        Read more
        Apple

        Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

        Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
        If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
        Read more
        eWeek


        Contact Us | About | Sitemap

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×