Is Google really making us stupid? When was the last time you RTFM?

Perhaps it goes back to the introduction of the instruction manual, even further back to the tendency of most homo sapiens to read the instructions fully.  Many issues I have found in my daily troubleshooting is a lack of reading comprehension. 

In Nick Carr’s recent article in the Atlantic Monthly, he uses examples of the use of technology, with Google being at the forefront, is changing the way our brains develop. I’ve been intrigued with Mr. Carr’s thought inducing topics and titles and I highly suggest you read his article in it’s entirety, if you can.   In the age of Internet articles that are created in lengths to be digestible, I do find even myself searching for the soundbite, the nugget of information so I can move on to something else.

Where this converges with the IT industry is that most of issues that I hit on a regular basis are covered in the users manuals.   But how many of us have time, or even the attention span to read them?  I am not implying an end user “reference” guide to Carr’s comparison with the notable literary works of the classic authors.  But I do ask, is Carr appropriate in his statement?

Google Maps, Finally includes Panoramio (like Google Earth)

First post made to panoramio, GPS tags need to be in every camera now!

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10204354

Just think what Microsoft’s photsynth from last year could do when the whole planet gets populated

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/video.html