I’ve been really moved by the stories people have shared about how technology has helped them create, connect, or get through hard seasons. If any come to mind for you, I’d love to hear them!
Thank you Dr. Cort for giving us a chance to indulge in some memories.
I’m so grateful to the people who invented the internet. It literally opened the doors to the life I’d always dreamed of. I really felt that because I grew up in the pre-internet era. I remember desperately wanting to learn Portuguese but not being able to find courses, a dictionary, or even textbooks - living in a small provincial town back then.
Just a couple of years later, I didn’t need to hunt for dictionaries anymore. I was studying online with a native speaker from Rio de Janeiro and could listen to or read anything in Portuguese, no matter how far I was from Brazil.
These days, that’s all normal for most people, but back then, it felt like a miracle to me.
That’s amazing Alesia! Thanks for sharing 😊 I did not have the internet until I was 18 and I can relate to it feeling like a whole new world. For me, I was amazed how quickly I could find out information or how I could be chatting with someone half way across the world!
I am a physician and technology has definitely advanced our war on cancer. I have used ai and supercomputers for drug discovery and for ideas about puzzling patients. Using the Merlin app to learn and track/count birds, Duolingo to learn Spanish. I don’t play video games but that’s generational I suspect
Such amazing medical advancements! I’m not much of a birder but I have friends who are and love some tracking/identifying apps. I’m not much of a modern-day gamer either. I was an Atari/originak Nintendo kid. My kid has a Switch and Mario Kart is about as advanced as I get 😊
Haha, yes, I used to kick butt at it with my kids, but now the tables have turned! It is harder than it looks. Especially when I haven’t played in a while.
the way you described learning Logo by literally being the turtle unlocked a memory I didn’t know I still had haha aaandd the Commodore 64 shoutout made me smile. those machines were clunky as hell but they made you feel like you could build a whole world.
Haha I still remember the big, chunky brown keyboard and the clicks and clacks of the keys when typing. Or feeling super tech savvy loading DOS before my chosen game. I also (oddly) had a *California Raisins* game?? Man the 80s were a trip 😂
I was in awe the first time I could play a game on a computer. Loading DOS, plugging in the joystick, and waiting for all the very pixelated graphics to appear. Funny how seemingly fast things have advanced in a few decades!
I discovered that there two reasons why I fail with self-editing my novel:
1. Switching between multiple easy tasks (in one chapter I had over 50 potential problems that Claude detected, e. g. grammatical errors, unnatural words, Britishisms etc.).
2. Emotional shutdown when editing (rewriting) emotionally charged texts.
To reduce the first problem I wrote a little tool which shows me the time that has elapsed since I started to work on a small action item.
To reduce the second one I wrote a little application which reads heart rate data from an off-the-shelf sensor and calculates the heart rate variability (HRV). First I calculate the "baseline" values when I'm at rest. Then, the tool calculates HRV in real time and updates the display every 10 seconds.
Whenever the metric falls below the baseline (green and blue dashed line in screenshot at https://imgur.com/a/w37bUIu ) it means I need to take countermeasures -- breathe differently, or hum (the latter allegedly activates the vagus nerve and calms me down).
Now I'm figuring out whether or not these measurements actually help me to stay immersed enough in feelings of characters to write about them, but not too much (so that I don't get overwhelmed by those feelings and end up sleeping instead of writing).
I supported my study with ai visuals as a modern creative art therapy and it gives really effective stimulation for embodying of visualizing for the comrehension of the situation.
I love the memories ... brought me back to my days learning how to use a Tandy! Yes, it allows for possibilities. For me, it has allowed me to develop an online career that carried me for years and now a new business venture. And, while there are pitfalls to navigate today .... I love the connection and community this technology can bring.
I had that too! I remember downhill skiing; my brother and I arguing over which country we were from. And yeah, I’m with you about being a generation that's experienced both no/low-tech and the current tech explosion. Didn’t even own a computer (w/ internet) or an email address until I was 18!
Hands down, technology has allowed me to meet and become friends with people that I most likely would've never met in real life. It has shown me new ways of doing things that I would've either taken forever to figure out or never have. Overall, we have benefited immensely from tech, but we are at a critical point where we need to assess its impacts through a safety, cultural, equity, and generational lens, as we have seen the bad actors and situations it has caused.
I’m still astounded when I think about the speed at which I can do things, like get directions to where I’m going, compared to 10, 20, or 30 years ago. I just had a high school friend visiting, and we were laughing about a time back in 1999 when I had to give her directions over the phone (she pulled over to use a payphone) using an atlas when she got lost driving back to Boston. An atlas! Now we just plug an address into our pocket computer and BAM, a lovely voice tells us where to go. My 1999 brain still explodes thinking about it.
‘Yet, technology can support mental health when it helps people find language for experiences they didn’t have words for.’
This is precisely why I created my custom AI tools, and it’s been so powerful for so many people for this exact reason!
I also have my own personal tools that help me with my work. I named one ‘my collaborator’ because that’s exactly what it is. It’s the best co-worker I’ve ever had…
There is certainly a fine balance between the pros and cons of technology, and while being overly connected to the screens is certainly an issue, the connection, creativity and education technology has given me has been so important. Through technology, I have learned so much about myself health that doctors and books from my education could not provide me. I have connected with so many people with similar interests that are not in my immediate area, and have been reminded that life is what I make of it. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for commenting! Yes, I agree the benefits of tech (for me) have definitely outweighed the drawbacks. Even in my academic work, having access to digital materials for research and teaching is an invaluable time-saver.
Technology has its problems, but it comes with incredible benefits. The average person now lives better than most royalty in the middle ages. Look at the advances in medicine, machines, transportation. We have access to information like the Oracle of Delphi and fly like Daedalus.
Absolutely. Sometimes when people think “technology” they only reference social media or smartphones. Of course it’s so much more wide spread than that! But even with “modern ills” like socials or phones, the advantages are plentiful. Hence why my core thesis isn’t that tech is inherently *bad* but rather it’s all about our relationship to it.
I appreciate your essay very much. I think you’re right that it’s our relationship with technology that is the essential thing. How do we define that relationship and bring a hopefully wise perspective to it?
I remember those days, too, when using computers was like being in an open field of play and discovery. It still can be, but that’s up to our discernment, as you pointed out.
In some ways, I think the joy has been sucked out of modern technology. The focus on optimization and making everything clearer, sharper, “better” has flattened much of it to render it pretty boring. Not all, of course. But even with social media platforms, so many of them are blurring all together as they compete with each other.
I agree with your assessment. So many platforms and applications and so forth are chasing after the same thing, rather than searching for an individual, creative path.
I’ve been really moved by the stories people have shared about how technology has helped them create, connect, or get through hard seasons. If any come to mind for you, I’d love to hear them!
Thanks to those that have already shared! I’m really curious, what’s one way technology has genuinely made your life better?
Better relationships? Mental health? Learning? Creativity?
I’d love to hear more real-life examples.
Thank you Dr. Cort for giving us a chance to indulge in some memories.
I’m so grateful to the people who invented the internet. It literally opened the doors to the life I’d always dreamed of. I really felt that because I grew up in the pre-internet era. I remember desperately wanting to learn Portuguese but not being able to find courses, a dictionary, or even textbooks - living in a small provincial town back then.
Just a couple of years later, I didn’t need to hunt for dictionaries anymore. I was studying online with a native speaker from Rio de Janeiro and could listen to or read anything in Portuguese, no matter how far I was from Brazil.
These days, that’s all normal for most people, but back then, it felt like a miracle to me.
That’s amazing Alesia! Thanks for sharing 😊 I did not have the internet until I was 18 and I can relate to it feeling like a whole new world. For me, I was amazed how quickly I could find out information or how I could be chatting with someone half way across the world!
Oh yes, chatting with anyone anywhere in the world, that impressed me a lot too.😃
I am a physician and technology has definitely advanced our war on cancer. I have used ai and supercomputers for drug discovery and for ideas about puzzling patients. Using the Merlin app to learn and track/count birds, Duolingo to learn Spanish. I don’t play video games but that’s generational I suspect
Such amazing medical advancements! I’m not much of a birder but I have friends who are and love some tracking/identifying apps. I’m not much of a modern-day gamer either. I was an Atari/originak Nintendo kid. My kid has a Switch and Mario Kart is about as advanced as I get 😊
Mario Kart is tough. It like he steering wheel is loose. I am by far a better driver than my kids and yet I always lose!
Haha, yes, I used to kick butt at it with my kids, but now the tables have turned! It is harder than it looks. Especially when I haven’t played in a while.
the way you described learning Logo by literally being the turtle unlocked a memory I didn’t know I still had haha aaandd the Commodore 64 shoutout made me smile. those machines were clunky as hell but they made you feel like you could build a whole world.
Haha I still remember the big, chunky brown keyboard and the clicks and clacks of the keys when typing. Or feeling super tech savvy loading DOS before my chosen game. I also (oddly) had a *California Raisins* game?? Man the 80s were a trip 😂
I remember those times! Funny how tech was just starting out but for is it was mind blowing and how fast it went
I was in awe the first time I could play a game on a computer. Loading DOS, plugging in the joystick, and waiting for all the very pixelated graphics to appear. Funny how seemingly fast things have advanced in a few decades!
> How has technology genuinely helped you with
> your creativity, relationships, or well-being?
Re creativity and well-being:
I discovered that there two reasons why I fail with self-editing my novel:
1. Switching between multiple easy tasks (in one chapter I had over 50 potential problems that Claude detected, e. g. grammatical errors, unnatural words, Britishisms etc.).
2. Emotional shutdown when editing (rewriting) emotionally charged texts.
To reduce the first problem I wrote a little tool which shows me the time that has elapsed since I started to work on a small action item.
To reduce the second one I wrote a little application which reads heart rate data from an off-the-shelf sensor and calculates the heart rate variability (HRV). First I calculate the "baseline" values when I'm at rest. Then, the tool calculates HRV in real time and updates the display every 10 seconds.
Whenever the metric falls below the baseline (green and blue dashed line in screenshot at https://imgur.com/a/w37bUIu ) it means I need to take countermeasures -- breathe differently, or hum (the latter allegedly activates the vagus nerve and calms me down).
Now I'm figuring out whether or not these measurements actually help me to stay immersed enough in feelings of characters to write about them, but not too much (so that I don't get overwhelmed by those feelings and end up sleeping instead of writing).
So glad this post gave you something to think about 😊 Appreciate your comment!
I supported my study with ai visuals as a modern creative art therapy and it gives really effective stimulation for embodying of visualizing for the comrehension of the situation.
Wow, how cool! Thanks for sharing.
I love the memories ... brought me back to my days learning how to use a Tandy! Yes, it allows for possibilities. For me, it has allowed me to develop an online career that carried me for years and now a new business venture. And, while there are pitfalls to navigate today .... I love the connection and community this technology can bring.
Awesome!
This is such a great conversation. Loved the intro and the throwback to the turtle 🐢
Thank you 😊
Comodore 64 had a winter olympics game that I loved as a kid. I still remember playing the bobsled game in it.
I think it’s cool that I’ve seen both sides of the technology coin in my life. The one we’re in now and the one from before where we had none of it.
I had that too! I remember downhill skiing; my brother and I arguing over which country we were from. And yeah, I’m with you about being a generation that's experienced both no/low-tech and the current tech explosion. Didn’t even own a computer (w/ internet) or an email address until I was 18!
Had soooo much fun playing that game!
Hands down, technology has allowed me to meet and become friends with people that I most likely would've never met in real life. It has shown me new ways of doing things that I would've either taken forever to figure out or never have. Overall, we have benefited immensely from tech, but we are at a critical point where we need to assess its impacts through a safety, cultural, equity, and generational lens, as we have seen the bad actors and situations it has caused.
I’m still astounded when I think about the speed at which I can do things, like get directions to where I’m going, compared to 10, 20, or 30 years ago. I just had a high school friend visiting, and we were laughing about a time back in 1999 when I had to give her directions over the phone (she pulled over to use a payphone) using an atlas when she got lost driving back to Boston. An atlas! Now we just plug an address into our pocket computer and BAM, a lovely voice tells us where to go. My 1999 brain still explodes thinking about it.
OMG yes! I remember the first time I drove to Philly by myself with printouts from MapQuest!!!
Haha, I used to tape MapQuest printouts to my dashboard for directions. And even that seemed high-tech compared to the Atlas days.
Yes!
‘Yet, technology can support mental health when it helps people find language for experiences they didn’t have words for.’
This is precisely why I created my custom AI tools, and it’s been so powerful for so many people for this exact reason!
I also have my own personal tools that help me with my work. I named one ‘my collaborator’ because that’s exactly what it is. It’s the best co-worker I’ve ever had…
Oh, that’s cool. What’s your preferred AI platform?
ChatGPT for the moment. That’s what I’ve built my products and personal tools on.
There is certainly a fine balance between the pros and cons of technology, and while being overly connected to the screens is certainly an issue, the connection, creativity and education technology has given me has been so important. Through technology, I have learned so much about myself health that doctors and books from my education could not provide me. I have connected with so many people with similar interests that are not in my immediate area, and have been reminded that life is what I make of it. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for commenting! Yes, I agree the benefits of tech (for me) have definitely outweighed the drawbacks. Even in my academic work, having access to digital materials for research and teaching is an invaluable time-saver.
Technology has its problems, but it comes with incredible benefits. The average person now lives better than most royalty in the middle ages. Look at the advances in medicine, machines, transportation. We have access to information like the Oracle of Delphi and fly like Daedalus.
Absolutely. Sometimes when people think “technology” they only reference social media or smartphones. Of course it’s so much more wide spread than that! But even with “modern ills” like socials or phones, the advantages are plentiful. Hence why my core thesis isn’t that tech is inherently *bad* but rather it’s all about our relationship to it.
I appreciate your essay very much. I think you’re right that it’s our relationship with technology that is the essential thing. How do we define that relationship and bring a hopefully wise perspective to it?
I remember those days, too, when using computers was like being in an open field of play and discovery. It still can be, but that’s up to our discernment, as you pointed out.
In some ways, I think the joy has been sucked out of modern technology. The focus on optimization and making everything clearer, sharper, “better” has flattened much of it to render it pretty boring. Not all, of course. But even with social media platforms, so many of them are blurring all together as they compete with each other.
I agree with your assessment. So many platforms and applications and so forth are chasing after the same thing, rather than searching for an individual, creative path.