Your Brain on Computers

The New York Times has had a series over the last year looking at how computers affect our brains. The premise of the series is that technology is changing who we are as people. The latest installment is looking at our tendency to be plugged in almost all the time, even when we are doing things like exercising. Some researchers believe that the brain works best and absorbs new material best when it has down time:

"Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.”

Do you have real down time away from all technology, or do you relax with a Wii, an XBox or your IPod? One of the most famous creative moments in the history of technology came one Sunday in 1765, when James Watt went for a walk on the Glasgow Green. Here he came up with the key insight that made his version of the steam engine much more efficient than previous steam engines. Would he have had that moment if he had had an IPod?

Now if you do have some time you want to fill up digitally, the Computer History Museum has just posted on YouTube, two videos of programs that I participated in this summer, one on Indians and their role in computing, the other on the history of semiconductor technology.