Listener comments!

🤖 ♥ 5:53pm
: Mark! Techtonolastics! ♥ 6:00pm
StringOFperils: Google ate my homework. 🤖 ♥ 6:01pm
Deano de los Muertos: Oh, Hi Mark ♥ 6:02pm
Ironside: Hey Mark and all those in need of the Tonic   6:02pm
Andrew in Toronto: Mark!   6:03pm
Andrew in Toronto:

↳ ultradamno @5:53

ultra! 🤖 ♥ 6:03pm
ultradamno: Hiya Andrew! 🤖 ♥ 6:04pm
chresti: Hi Mark and markers!   6:05pm
Andrew in Toronto:

↳ chresti @6:04

How long have you been listening to WFMU for? 🤖 ♥ 6:05pm
disco_nap_: Who’s going to Summer of Ludd?!   6:07pm
Andrew in Toronto:

↳ disco_nap_ @6:05

Hi disco! ♥ 6:08pm
StringOFperils: Social engineering. Electro-Stalin 🤖 ♥ 6:09pm
chresti: Get em while they're young 🤖 ♥ 6:11pm
Will thee SG OCNY: Good evening Mark Hurst and all!!! 🤖 ♥ 6:12pm
chresti: Use devices as baby sitters to keep em out of your hair   6:13pm
Andrew in Toronto: How long have you been listening to WFMU for? 🤖 ♥ 6:13pm
herb.nyc: Hola. Excellent subject; glad I’m not a parent. (My library laptop is at dumb dot co, fyi)   6:14pm
Andrew in Toronto:

↳ herb.nyc @6:13

Hi herb! 🤖 ♥ 6:15pm
Webhamster Henry: We had Math Lab in Jr. High after school (1968-70) :   6:15pm
Viv: Great topic to debate. There’s of course many pros of devices for disabled & neurodivergent students but many cons as well for any student. The pandemic definitely must have accelerated the cons. ♥ 6:15pm
StringOFperils: Turn your offspring into useful devices. Turn them into the tentacles of Alphabet Inc ♥ 6:16pm
PaulRobeson1926: Neil Postman - to what problem is this technology created to solve? 🤖 ♥ 6:16pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ Webhamster Henry @6:15

I'm one of the dozen people for whom the "New Math" actually worked. www.youtube.com... 6:16pm
High_Quality_Fun: If we worry about computers causing computer addiction, why don't we worry about books causing book addiction? 🤖 ♥ 6:19pm
chris in the redwoods:

↳ High_Quality_Fun @6:16

because the world needs more librarians and book sellers? :) 6:20pm
High_Quality_Fun: oh please, you can get the same reaction when you take a ball away from a 4 year old, it's not just with tablets ♥ 6:21pm
DanFA: I gamify donating to WFMU. If that's a crime, lock me up, chief.   6:22pm
crei6hton: Evening 🤖 ♥ 6:22pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ DanFA @6:21

Yes, we all get pledge badges! ♥ 6:23pm
StringOFperils: The profound stupidity of the world demonstrates a dearth of book addicts out there. Relatively rare, book addicts. Although, it could be that they know enough to hide from all this.   6:24pm
eva: Wired magazine article stated that Sam Altman uses a pen and notebook. Hmmmmm. ♥ 6:25pm
StringOFperils:

↳ eva @6:24

Cant be hacked. ♥ 6:26pm
DanFA:

↳ Webhamster Henry @6:22

We don't need no stinking badges. 6:26pm
High_Quality_Fun: the #1 thing causing stupidity is by far stupid TV shows, nothing new about that ♥ 6:27pm
StringOFperils:

↳ High_Quality_Fun @6:26

Where'd you get that? TV? ♥ 6:28pm
Busbiker: human beings tend to talk out of both sides of their mouths, if your kids school couldn't afford computers and the newest teaching technology the same people crying about too much tech would be bitching about not enough access to the tech. ♥ 6:28pm
Cooh John: Unplug from the digital images of flowers and smell the roses. Hello Mark and techtons. 6:29pm
High_Quality_Fun:

↳ StringOFperils @6:27

for sure, I'm prime example, I grew up watching tons of TV and I'm pretty stupid in many ways ♥ 6:29pm
Busbiker: so google is a bad word? ♥ 6:31pm
DanFA:

↳ Busbiker @6:29

It's like saying goddamn in a church for Mark. ♥ 6:31pm
Busbiker:

↳ DanFA @6:31

kinda childish ♥ 6:32pm
DanFA:

↳ Busbiker @6:31

I agree. We can talk seriously about these things without having to sink to "you can't say that company's name." What is this, Lord Voldemort? 6:32pm
High_Quality_Fun: before computers I used to have to look up info in Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia and it totally sucked, totally generic info ♥ 6:32pm
StringOFperils: I'm glad I didn't make any kids. It would really suck, having to worry about this part of the existential threat cluster the world has become. ♥ 6:35pm
PaulRobeson1926: “… the protal to your life.”

That’s the Faustian Bargain Neil Postman talks about. All technology gives us something* but it also takes away

♥ 6:36pm
zachary: Just tuned in. Former ed biz person here.

Fascinating discussion. This is a great reason why families should start their own schooling endeavors.

Relying on the State to teach your children will always lead to the lowest common denominator being taught to students.

6:38pm
High_Quality_Fun:

↳ Busbiker @6:29

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's textbook sales tactics are probably worse than google ♥ 6:39pm
PaulRobeson1926:

↳ PaulRobeson1926 @6:35

I love you, Neil Postman. & Mark and WFMU and G-D   6:39pm
Andrew in Toronto: Mark,
thanks! ♥ 6:40pm
zachary: Three words: Public records requests.

If anyone needs any help, feel free to DM.

♥ 6:40pm
zachary: Can the system be reformed, though? 6:44pm
High_Quality_Fun: we need to get tech out of schools and get education system back on track to turning our children onto the endless treadmill of debt & consupmtion! ♥ 6:45pm
zachary: This has been an interesting read so far and reminds me of the current technology arguments: en.wikipedia.org...

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television is a 1978 book by Jerry Mander,[1] "who argues that many of the problems with television are inherent in the medium and technology itself, and thus cannot be reformed".[2]

Just got it on Saturday.

🤖 ♥ 6:46pm
Webhamster Henry: Using AI hones your editing skills independently from your creative writing skills. ♥ 6:46pm
zachary:

↳ High_Quality_Fun @6:44

Hear, hear. The easiest way to do that is to teach your children directly and not rely on the external, formal educational institutions. 🤖 ♥ 6:47pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ zachary @6:45

I've had it since it came out. There's a great part about lying on the ground and staring at a patch of grass and starting to see how much activity there is there. 6:49pm
High_Quality_Fun:

↳ zachary @6:45

I bet it makes a lot of sense - there's so many things causing problems, TV is a big one - to dumb it all down now to just big tech is trendy & silly 🤖 ♥ 6:52pm
ultradamno: Are we really going with Gen Alpha? Is there any way to stop that? Gen XXL, anything else. ♥ 6:53pm
zachary:

↳ Webhamster Henry @6:47

Ha! Love it. Someone else brought it up when we were discussing technology.

I am skipping around in it right now and enjoying some of the lines. I have liked his criticism of McLuhan.

We often, on walks, stop and watch the activity around us. Lots of birds, ants, bees, rabbits, etc. Magical.

Do you re-read it? I am seeing a lot of similarities with social media, too. Even more direct and harmful.

6:53pm
High_Quality_Fun: when I was young it was "The MTV is ruining these kids brains" ♥ 6:55pm
zachary:

↳ High_Quality_Fun @6:49

Yes. It is an oversimplification and makes it instantly relevant by only referring to the popular technologies.

It is a well worn path that we keep cycling. The manufacturing of culture via technology is the unifying theory.

The same arguments against TV work for all media based technologies.

6:55pm
High_Quality_Fun: Before that it was "that rock & roll music is ruining these kids brains"   6:55pm
yippie: i miss the days when st. marks was all drug zombies.
did they give you any special treatment when you were there because you have the same name as the street? ♥ 6:56pm
Tome: don';t even think chalk is allowed or used even much in schools anymore ,,, it's harmful lol !<>!   6:56pm
JJ-NY-CA: How about the way they've carved out a piece of the Boomers to call Generation Jones? Do you think that will catch on? Do you think anyone cares? 🤖 ♥ 6:56pm
Ken From Hyde Park: Thanks, Mark & Nicholas. 🤖 ♥ 6:56pm
ultradamno: And before that is was novels are ruining their brains ♥ 6:57pm
Busbiker: whiteboards and dry erase, which is great 6:57pm
High_Quality_Fun: Cave Men: "Fire is ruining these kids brains, back when I was young we to think about how to digest uncooked food!" ♥ 6:57pm
StringOFperils: A shoddy underfunded educational system that does not provide tools for young people to become whole individuals. New tech is one more way to toss off that social responsibility to Zuck and Musk etc. It makes good cannon fodder and good serfs. Serfs and soldiers don't need to think. 🤖 ♥ 6:57pm
Deano de los Muertos: Great interview, thanks Mark and Nick! ♥ 6:57pm
bleubombersune: Thanks Mark and Nicholas all stray safe and be well ♥ 6:57pm
Busbiker: now to watch jeopardy   6:57pm
Persimmon: Prof Smyth… great guest! 6:58pm
High_Quality_Fun: thanks - I don't always agree but I like listening!!! 🤖 ♥ 6:58pm
Deano de los Muertos: Matt Warwick fillin in next week! 🚮   6:58pm
Bay Ridge Danny: Great show, thank you. ♥ 6:59pm
Ironside: Thanks Mark and Nicholas!!   6:59pm
Ochre Ogre: Thanks Mark, good 2 wks to you! ♥ 6:59pm
StringOFperils: Thanks Mark and Prof. Smyth. 🤖 ♥ 6:59pm
ultradamno: Matt Warwick to fill-in ♥ 7:00pm
Mark Hurst: Thanks, everyone! ♥ 7:00pm
zachary:

↳ StringOFperils @6:57

This is a compelling reason to not rely on the State to teach you or your children.

Thoughts on self-education and small local teaching communities?

🤖 ♥ 7:00pm
chresti: Hot Steppa! ♥ 7:01pm
zachary: Thanks Mark and Nicholas. Callers. Everyone.