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posted by mrpg on Friday August 31 2018, @11:59PM   Printer-friendly
from the read-this-slowly dept.

Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd

[...] When we have any function, whether it's language or vision or cognitive functions like memory, we aren't dealing with a straight line to the brain that says "This is what I do." The brain builds a network of connections, a network of neurons that have a particular role in that function. So when we have a new cognitive function, like literacy, it doesn't have a preset network. Rather, it makes new connections among older networks, and that whole collection of networks becomes a circuit. It's a connected scaffolding of parts.

The beauty of the circuit for functions like literacy is its plasticity. You can have one for each different language, like English or Chinese or Hebrew. And then something miraculous happens: the circuit builds upon itself. The first circuits are very basic — for decoding letters as we're learning to read — but everything we read builds upon itself.

So what's changing now with technology? How is that affecting our circuits?

The fact that a circuit is plastic is both its beautiful strength and its Achilles' heel. Reading reflects our medium. And to the extent that a digital medium is going to require us to process large amounts of information very quickly, it will diminish from the time we have for slower processing work.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/27/17787916/reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf-neuroscience-brain-changes


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  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:24AM (4 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:24AM (#729039)

    EF thinks Hillary is in charge... whooooo.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:27AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:27AM (#729040)

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

  • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:32AM (#729042)

    The man's - Yuipson's - eyes opened wide in shock. That was too fast. Sure, he knew how fragile these were, but still, that was much too fast. Frustrated, Yuipson grabbed the next one and began angrily pumping. This process of moving from one to the next was known as 'The Shuffling'. And shuffle he did.

    The little girl's head slammed against the wall as Yuipson aggressively violated her from behind. What's more, the large man was slamming her back with one of his fists. It really couldn't be helped: The other little girl had died all too quickly from a mere slashed throat, angering the man profusely. It didn't take long for the man's anger to reach catastrophic levels; once that happened, it certainly did not take long for the brutalized little girl to slump to the ground lifelessly.

    "Damnit!" Yuipson screeched. They just didn't make these things like they used to! So, he shuffled to the next one. Then, the next one. And then the next one. And then the next one. The Shuffling continued until all that remained in the room were Yuipson and a pile of lifeless puppets that just so happened to resemble children. Righteous fury indeed.

    At this scene, Yuipson boldly declared, "The Shuffling will continue!" Yes, although there were no more left, but all he had to do was acquire more resources...

  • (Score: 2) by Pino P on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:40PM (1 child)

    by Pino P (4721) on Saturday September 01 2018, @12:40PM (#729209) Journal

    Former First Lady Hillary Clinton is still in charge in one way: The organizations she oversaw as Senator and then Secretary of State have institutional memory among civil service employees retained on the merit basis of the Pendleton Act 1883 [wikipedia.org] and its successors. This institutional memory, called the "deep state" by some in the right wing, adds a layer of inertia that allows government to continue to function across changes in top-level leadership. The alternative would be the spoils system [wikipedia.org], where an incoming president can bring everything to a halt by firing everyone not sufficiently loyal to the agenda of the month.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday September 01 2018, @03:36PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday September 01 2018, @03:36PM (#729251)

      By these measures, Jimmy Carter still has influence too. Hillary was more recent and highly placed but "her people" were never presidential level influence.

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