Clive Thompson
Clive Thompson
memories computer social
Memory has always been social. Now we're using search engines and computers to augment our memories, too.
thinking knowing people
Ambient awareness is the experience of knowing what's going on in the lives of other people - what they're thinking about, what they're doing, what they're looking at - by paying attention to the small stray status messages that people are putting online. We're now able to stitch together these fantastic details and mental maps of what is going on in other people's lives.
amount arguing everyday huge information recall relying stuff talking
A huge amount of our everyday thinking - powerful, creative, and resonant stuff - is done socially: talking to other people, arguing with them, relying on them to recall information for us.
lets produce thousands total truly
The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.
argue attempt begun main message people technology ways
The main message of 'Smarter Than You Think' is an attempt to look at the productively new and interesting ways that we have begun to learn about the world, to think about what we found, and to mull it over and argue about it with other people as we use technology.
globe scientists statistics stop warming
Railing at scientists for massaging tree-ring statistics won't stop the globe from warming if the globe is actually, you know, warming.
carefully figure risky studied
Insurance firms have always carefully studied real-world data to figure out what, precisely, constitutes a risky activity.
people
We're dumber and less cognitively nimble if we're not around other people - and, now, other machines.
business develop firm goal interrupt love media models people selling social stare
Personally, I'd love to see more social media firms develop business models that aren't reliant on advertising. If you're a social media firm selling ads, your goal is to get people to interrupt what they're doing all day long so they come and stare at your service as much as possible.
answering engaging people productive tend themselves thinkers
The people who tend to get the most out of being social thinkers are the people who themselves are helpful. They're always talking or answering people's questions or engaging in productive conversations. They're not being trolls. They're tamping down other people that are being trolls.
birthday expert fans favorite passionate retain subjects topic truly works
When you're an expert in a subject, you can retain new factoids on your favorite topic easily. This only works for the subjects you're truly passionate about, though. Baseball fans can reel off stats for their favorite players, then space out on their own birthday.
consult documents impossible knowledge manipulate material paper pencils recall scratch store type
We use paper documents to store knowledge so we can consult and reconsult it, giving us a type of recall impossible with our unaided minds; we use pencils to scratch down material so we can manipulate it in a fashion impossible in our unaided minds.
complaint designed endorse reply
The one complaint about the Internet that I wholeheartedly endorse is that most of these tools have been designed to peck at us like ducks: 'Hey, there's a new reply to your comment! Come look at it!'
mini
I lust after iPods or Mini Coopers not because they're unique, but because they've been so artfully made that I couldn't imagine doing it better myself.