what’s the Internet doing to your brain?

I’m currently reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.  Andy ordered it and I promptly nicked it, although to be fair he did inform me of its presence in the house, which is possibly asking for trouble.

Because it’s hugely relevant to my research – although my book focuses on memory (and the lack of it) it encompasses ways of thinking and learning.  Although Carr’s book is focused on how the Internet and related technologies change how we think, much of it is relevant and the rest of it is just plain interesting.

“I missed my old brain,” comments Carr near the beginning of the book, when he’d started to perceive how he was thinking differently – how he was skimming rather than deep reading, how it got harder to read longer pieces and still maintain concentration.  We are used the world of snippets, of hyperlinks, of immediacy.  Carr is not saying that modern technologies are bad things – he sees the advantages and the potential of them – but he feels a disquiet about what we might be losing.  His is a plea for balance – although it’s true that he seems to see the loss as being inevitable, as we are more and more shaped by the medium of the message, not merely the message itself.

I want to re-read it again after I’ve finished, this time with a pencil in hand – after Andy has read it obviously, I’m not that nasty – and will possibly post a few quotes here and there.  Enough to say for now that this is a deeply fascinating book and worth a look if you are interested in the Internet, how we think, or how they relate to each other, which is what this book examines.

the value of reading without distraction

WHILE WE WERE away recently, I was interested to read an article by Johann Hari in the i newspaper.  He was talking about the value of reading, in particular reading a physical paper book, and how it 'gives you the capacity for deep, linear concentration'.  It wasn't a tirade against the Internet but rather a plea for balance, and the value of reading without distraction.

Because most of the time, we are distracted.

'If you read a book with your laptop thrumming at the other side of the room, it can feel like trying to read in the middle of a busy party, where everyone is shouting to each other. To read, you need to slow down. You need mental silence except for the words. That's getting harder to find.'

- Johann Hari (article here)

He quoted a fair amount from David Ulin's book The Lost Art of Reading - Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time.  I've not read this book, but I want to, and have wanted to since I read about it previously, in another article.

I thrive on variety and communication in many ways.  But sometimes it can become so much the norm that I forget how to withdraw into a quiet place and feel contented doing so.  It's so easy, in a free five minutes or a quick coffee break to check emails, Twitter or Facebook. The article was well-timed for me - my deliberate withdrawal during our break from all these things helped me regain the ability for quiet focus, curled up reading a book without buzz - whether actual physical buzz or simply the buzzing in my head.

I've tried to continue it on returning home - taking care to use my break periods as times where I don't switch on the computer but instead sit down with a book or indeed another task or hobby which requires quiet depth of concentration, instead of constant multitasking and busy-ness.  Of course, often in these 'breaks' previously I have blogged - which may mean my number of entries may decrease or be less in depth - so be it.  Also I feel more able to write in a focused way and I want to prioritise that as my activity.

(Had an idea for a novel while away - am unusually besotted with it and have already written two chapters.  Usually I cringe at my own fiction writing but I appear, finally, to have found my voice.  It feels extraordinarily releasing.)

So I appreciate the art of reading and the depth of concentration it offers - also other things that require me to be alone with myself. We're not as good at being alone with ourselves as we used to be, it seems - it's not just about reading, is it?  But it is a good example.

'Reading is an act of resistance in a landscape of distraction.'

- David Ulin

Book and keyboard images from stock.xchng

Book Review: Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index

My initial reaction when I opened the package containing this book was one of surprise.  It was much smaller than I had anticipated, smaller than many other paperbacks.  This I found rather appealing as reference books are usually somewhat more hefty!

My husband picked it up and said 'what is it?' which is a valid question, so I'll tell you what it's not.  It's not a concordance.  Neither is it exhaustive.  The introduction could be seen as a little misleading on this front.

It is a topical index of subjects and words in the bible, arranged alphabetically, with sub-sections and occasional word studies. The word studies are interesting (from Strong's) although it seems a shame that it doesn't tell you whether it is a Greek or Hebrew word it's explaining.  The context usually makes this clear but for beginners this may be a bit muddling.  I like things to be both clear and thorough in these kinds of books, and adding abbreviations for 'Greek' or 'Hebrew' would not take up much space.

As I said, it's not exhaustive.  Looking up a topic I have been studying, I only found some of the references I knew were there.  Nevertheless, as a basic guide to a topic it's quite a nice starting point.  Also within the sub-headings there is a degree of interpretation from the writer(s) as to what certain passages are referring to, which may irritate some.

My general opinion is that I'm quite pleased to have this and it will make a handy little guide for me, as long as I remember what it's not. Therefore I come to it not expecting that it will tell me everything. Thus the tagline 'the best bible subject index ever' I find rather misleading and dare I say, incorrect (although no doubt it depends on what you categorize as a 'bible subject index'). Reviewing a reference book is not always easy, of course, as you get to know as you use it - and that takes time.

I want to like this little book, and in some ways I do. It is an extremely handy size, and I mean that sincerely. I love looking things up, and I will certainly use it when thinking or teaching about a certain topic.

I suppose my frustrations are mainly that it implies something about itself that feels a little exaggerated, and lacks some of the thoroughness I normally appreciate.  But then, can you have thoroughness without heftiness?!  I wonder.





I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

pronouns, paraphrases...and Psalm 23

Today a line of thought led me to a memory.  I remembered a time many years ago
 when a kind lady prayed for me at a conference.  As part of this, she read 'over me' Psalm 23 - but she switched the pronouns.  Instead of praying 'The LORD is my shepherd', she prayed 'the LORD is your shepherd' and continued to read with different pronouns throughout the Psalm (since the Psalm itself does a bit of pronoun switching when talking about /to God, this requires a bit of practice!)

I found it an effective way of making a very personal connection from a very familiar Psalm, and it accompanied a moment of genuine healing. By using scripture in these creative ways, it becomes a great tool for prayer and intercession.  Of course, you could also, if you were comfortable with it, switch pronouns again, as I have done in the following.  I've used 'Yahweh' rather than substitute 'the LORD' as I love using His name.  Read it through slowly and 'listen' to the words.

I, Yahweh, am your shepherd - you shall have no need for anything.
I bring you to rest in green and fertile fields,
I lead you beside peaceful waters;
I restore your soul.
For the sake of my name, I lead you in paths of righteousness.

Even though you may walk through the deepest, darkest valley,
fear no evil.  I am with you.  
My rod and staff are here to comfort you.
I prepare a feast for you in the presence of all those who are against you.
I anoint your head with oil; your cup is filled to overflowing.
Goodness and mercy will follow you every moment of your life,
and you will live in my house forever.

You may notice the occasional bit of paraphrasing.  Paraphrases should never be taken as a translation, but they can give a different 'take' and add a freshness to familiar words.  Personally I love digging down to the meaning as close as possible to the original text; I like to know what I'm reading is what it really says.  But with familiar passages, paraphrases can re-invigorate the old words.  Of course, a paraphrase tends to carry the voice, dialect and culture of the one doing the paraphrasing.

Once, again a few years back, I led a youth group for a short time and during one session I asked them to write the Lord's Prayer in their own words.  The results were creative, and enabled us all to think about what the words meant.  Sometimes, doing your own paraphrase of a well known passage helps you think about its meaning in a deeper way.

If you're not comfortable with this, try reading it differently.  Put the emphases on different words.

Consider:

The Lord is my shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd.

This is a very simple exercises which may bring elements to the foreground which had previously been unnoticed, or lost their impact.

The over-familiar can suddenly have great intensity - if we try some different ways of reading it.

on books: layers of imagining

Went to book club last night, where we discussed The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson, which provoked some lively discussion. It is an absorbing book - circling round the issues of belief and believability, the nature of mental illness, truth and perception. Lots of material for discussion!

After coming home, I started thinking some more about how we read, and what we like to read. Some books we might not say we 'like' but will still admit they are good books. We are affected by our perceptions, our experience of life, our likes and dislikes, the things that particularly interest us, the things that influence us. In reading a book, we are not merely listening to the writer's voice. There are whole nuances of our own that we bring to each sentence.

As I pondered aloud to the group yesterday, I may well read something quite differently from how the author would read it aloud if I heard him/her. We give each sentence our own emphases and inflections - or do not detect that which the author would assume to be there. Penny noted that she had once heard a book she had written read aloud by an American (after my noting that we even read in our own accent) and that he had brought out the tone of sheer irony throughout the book, which differed from her own reading of it. It opened her eyes to a whole new meaning.

The reader is an essential part of the book - all that we bring, all that we add, all that we don't see (and discussing books is a good way to see things we missed). Our imaginations take the words and form the pictures, in a way that may be entirely different from another reader - especially when there are marked differences in things like cultural background. We see through the lenses of our culture; often we do not even realise we do so. Because books fuel and provoke imagination, they morph into a different shape each time they are read by different people.

I could continue to waffle, but I will stop there. I may add more thoughts in a later entry. I am fascinated by words and how we use them - how we perceive them. It intrigues me how tone of voice and body language influence meaning (see also #17 in my 25 things!). And how one book can mean so many different things to different people - travelling further in thought and layers of imagining than the author ever envisaged.

Today: 4/10, medium

cakes, cameras, cards, and a bit about books & the weather...

Friday's little gathering seemed to go well. There were 11 of us in all - sadly Sarah was not well enough to come. It was lovely to see Rachel, however. Her archaeological dig was rained off on the Friday afternoon so she curled up on our sofa and read her book - with me joining her in between preparations! M surprised me by bringing a beautiful birthday cake she had made, as you can see, with the help of her 3 year old daughter. Rachel bought me an absolutely gorgeous orchid for my birthday present, which I am now trying to work out how to care for properly in our (somewhat cool) house - I have put it in the spare bedroom as that is likely to be the warmest. I don't know much about caring for orchids - any tips?

I've asked for money for my birthday, towards a digital SLR. Have been trying to do some research but it is difficult to know where to start. I want to get something good, versatile and something I can be happy with for a long time to come. Again, any tips? I'd love something I could use with the old lenses from my film SLR but I'm not sure which cameras take what and scrambling around on Google takes ages...

Andy keeps squirrelling away my birthday cards as soon as they drop through the letter box! I'm afraid I adore receiving birthday cards. I am terribly, terribly sad, because I even count them (sigh). That is my confession for today (!) Seriously, though, the wonderful thing about birthday cards is that they tell a story, of where you are, what new friends you have made, who you've lost - and maybe regained - touch with.

My back aches, which is aggravating. Pfft! I have just finished reading Bram Stoker's Dracula which completely absorbed me the last couple of days - not the subject matter per se, although of course suspense is what is aimed for, but the style of writing. It got to the stage where I was annoyed that I had to stop reading because my eyes were hurting. I did the same thing with the Lord of the Rings once, reading the trilogy in three days flat - yeech!! I was a student on holiday; I had time for such things! Was weird 'waking up' to normality after I'd finished that, if I remember rightly.

Anyway.

A welcome respite from the rain today. The news from Northumberland and other areas, particularly poor Tewkesbury, which was completely flooded only 14 months ago and is suffering the same again, is appalling. I can't imagine losing every thing, attempting to recover, only for the same thing to happen all over again. They are saying that more rain comes in tomorrow...all over the world, the weather rampages...

Today: 4.5/10, medium

inspiration

I have put together a proper first draft of my anthology! I had collated a few of those I thought appropriate, but was attempting to write one in particular, but kept stalling. I hate sounding twee when I write poetry. And the fact is I'm out of practice. So playing with words in that particular way has been more difficult than it has done previously; although thinking about it inspiration has always ebbed and flowed throughout my life. It's the working at it when inspiration is low which is the challenge - a necessary challenge for anyone serious about writing in any form.

Anyway, I was taking Rest Stop 4 when inspiration hit, and I'm afraid I did rouse myself to scribble a few lines, lest they dwindled during the half hour I'm supposed to be calm and restful and 'empty my mind'. When I got up properly, I was suddenly able to re-write the one that was bothering me, plus the other one that 'hit' while I was lying down. And with those two, my anthology seems to be complete. I want Andy to read through it, and also my parents, who I'm seeing next week (I'm going away with them for a few days). Just checking the appropriateness of my selection and also the order. Then I need to write a little introduction explaining the purpose, a final proof read, and then we'll go to press!! Well, er, a photocopier.

Was lying there thinking (yes, I know I shouldn't be!) about how easy it is to sink back into life even after the revelatory moment I experienced, and the sudden compassion for the women of Darfur (see here). Actually, shortly after this I saw an advertisement for Kay Warren's book, Dangerous Surrender. I read the blurb and was so struck by it under the circumstances that I knew I should read it at some point. (It's about how she had all these plans for her life and ministry, but how God broke her heart and called her instead to work on behalf of those suffering the effects of HIV and AIDS.) Andy went into Wesley Owen today and saw it while he was there, so picked it up for me. I'll take it with me next week as my 'holiday reading'. On the back it says: You have a plan for the rest of your life. God has a plan for the rest of your life. Are they the same? This is so in tune with my own thoughts at the moment. I've felt such a challenge lately - that all those dreams and visions I've had for my life, all the ways I think I should use my gifts and talents, all the things I wish I could do...all those things may not have anything to do with what God wants of me. There would have been a time when I would have found that terribly hard to accept. At the moment though, it thrills me. Every now and then I have a spiritual skin prickle.

Listening to Casting Crowns in the car when we were driving this past weekend, there were some songs I'd not got round to listening to yet, as Andy only got this particular album fairly recently. And the song 'Somewhere in the Middle' gave me that same prickle...on the same subject.

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle.
With eyes wide open to the differences
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle?


Previous to all this has been my fervent prayer that I would discover who God is, not what I would make him. Now, I discover the impact on my own life - my plans, my assumptions, my dreams...all mine.

With eyes wide open to the differences
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle?
(Casting Crowns)

After such a long time of apparent silence, these little arrows of insight leave me breathless, grateful, and longing for more. I am finally at that point, after a lot of grief and tears and bitterness, when I can honestly say I am excited, not afraid, about God's plans for me, and willing to set aside any ideas I had about it. Big words, I know, and I know it won't be that simple. But I am, at least, beginning to hear.


Today: 4-5/10, medium high

Your Wife is a Big Hippo!

I love reading, but there are times, when after a'run' of reading good books, I suddenly feel...stagnant. I feel...bleah, and don't feel inspired to read anything. Ironically, I still feel like reading. And so it inevitably happens. To banish the 'bleah' blues I go to the book shelf and pull out a Pratchett (which sounds somewhat like 'pick up a penguin', but doesn't involve eating, unless you have a taste for paper). It is very hard to feel 'bleah' when you are frequently forced to titter.

I was sniggering over Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett when Andy came into the room.
'Your wife is a big hippo!' I crowed with delight.
Thankfully Andy has read Interesting Times and hopefully understood the context. After all, it occured to me afterwards, I am his wife, and although I'm not entirely sure I could still fit comfortably into my wedding dress, I would not even compare myself to a small hippo, let alone a big one.*






*Of course, anyone reading this who has not read the book in question will be suitably perplexed. Sorry.