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     “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.”

Luke 21:26.

Update: Cognitive Overload: a Slow and Painful death by Adobe Flash Modern Flash technology is turning us into 'brain dead lab rats'

Tuesday, 7 December 2010
  PDP Tracker

Increasing levels of information overload from flash enabled computers and other devices has turned us into sophisticated brain dead lab rats.

This is the message of Nicholas Carr, former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review, who in his book: The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains, suggests as we become ever more adept at scanning and skimming, we lose our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection.

Carr suggests that cognitive overload causes a 'bottleneck' in the brain that prevents deep thought. For each new bit of information our brain releases a dose of dopamine -- thus reinforcing our desire to continue checking.

"Our flash enabled gadgets have turned us into hi-tech lab rats, mindlessly pressing levers in the hope of receiving a pellet of social or intellectual nourishment," Carr told Esquire magazine.

The natural impulses that helped early humansfind food and avoid predators are causing us to regress to a state no more sophisticated than a rat in a laboratory, he said.

Mr. Carr said the abundance of information we are exposed to through various screens "gets in the way of deep thinking" and "obstructs understanding, impedes the formation of memories and makes learning more
difficult".

He explained: "When we take in too much data too quickly, as we do skipping between links, our working memory gets swamped. We suffer from what brain scientists call cognitive overload."

This leads to us retaining very little information and failing to link new information to experiences stored in our long-term memory -- resulting in thoughts that are 'thin and scattered'.

Carr bases his views on recent discoveries in neuroscience which reveal that the technologies we use to find, store and share information can literally re-route our neural pathways. This he says has happened through the centuries -- be it the alphabet, maps, the printing press or computers.

Previous message:

Cognitive Overload: a Slow and Painful death by Adobe Flash.

Dear Pastor,

I could not understand why my 14 year old son, Josh had a mental breakdown.

We had to take him to numerous Doctors and child Psychologists who did not seem to come up with a conclusive diagnosis.

He was becoming psychotic and was having severe mood disorders. He is now having to take numerous types of medication to try and stabilize his conditions.

I am now beginning to understand what has happened to him!

He would play Flash video games for hours and would constantly be watching flash videos and flash presentations on the computer!

I have now had to report this to his doctors and they seen to be in agreement with Cognitive overload as the problem. A problem that had even escaped their attention, but is becoming more and more prevalent problem then people realize. The Psychological problems will be with him for some time and hopefully he will get better!

We have now removed all Flash programs and contents from our home and our home computers.

There is something seriously wrong with that Adobe flash! As my husband says it is program on steroids and a disaster waiting to happen!

I am shocked that they would allow such terrible programming to be let loose on the public.

Thank you for your stand against Flash and we are now warning every one we can in our area and on our mail list to get rid of it before it inflicts a disaster on their kids and family members.

Mrs.Sonia Gravis

Message:

Cognitive Overload: a Slow and Painful death by Adobe Flash.

Dear Pastor Morgan

Thank you for bringing public attention to an ever increasing problem amongst kids and adults alike.

And that is information over load. We refer to this as Cognitive Overload Psychology

It was kindly pointed out by a colleague, The university had been talking about a new study which has shown why Adobe Flash can actually detract you from reality, overload you with information either subliminally or right up front and can cause severe headaches andpsychological damage.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia found the brain is limited in the amount of information it can absorb -- and
presenting the same information in visual and verbal form -- like the continuous viewing of flash presentations on You-tube or other flash blasting services -- can seriously overload the brain.

Been there - done that!

I remember when at university the hardship of viewing numerous computer generated flash presentations (which shall remain unnamed).

Anyway, I have always tried to avoid using Adobe Flash  and I hate the fact that the students seem distracted from what I'm saying. The times that I did use flash I found myself suffering the most horrendous migraine headaches and was popping painkillers like crazy.

Recent research and studies do show something though, that as teachers we should really be aware of the psychological effects of information overload and not to overwhelm ourselves and others with shotgun blasted information such as provided through and by Adobe Flash

That's my two-cents anyway.

Maurice

Message:

10 Reasons You Should Avoid Adobe Flash.

1- Adobe Flash is not the Industry Standard and Adobe Systems is trying very hard to push itself and its technology into and through the media market place.

2- More and More companies are opting out and refusing to use Adobe Flash after numerous customer complaints.

3- Adobe Flash is extremely irritating, intrusive, annoying to computer owners, webmasters, server administrators, media companies,  producers, programmers or developers and any and all users alike - with pop ups - pop outs, pop overs, pop unders and other numerous annoying gimmicks and
trickery that flash programmers use to foist their wares on you  - the unsuspecting public - by using Adobe Flash and its components. - A known deception Technique of The Last Days

4- On portable devices, Adobe Flash is extremely Power hungry and drains batteries quickly and the program is also riddled with flaws and security holes.

5- Prolonged viewing of flash content can quickly give viewers and web surfers alike, a splitting headache.

6- Apple Corporation and Microsoft Corporation and numerous others, refuse to dedicate any resources to Adobe Flash

7- Adobe flash can and does produce eye strain in those with eye related problems.

8- A Prominent Psychology Professor at a Leading University states that Adobe Flash can produce lingering Psychological damage to the brains of susceptible people and children, similar to having your brain implanted with subliminal messages and Hypnotic suggestions. A known and practiced brainwashing technique.

9 - Adobe Flash is extremely secretive, always covering up and hiding its streaming sources, Streaming Servers and streaming files and their locations. Just what is it they do not want you to know??

10 - Rumor Has it that Steve Ballmer and the Board of Directors at Microsoft have issued an internal memo stating that they intend to buy out and take over Adobe Systems and convert it to Microsoft Technology!

Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and delete Adobe flash and it components from your, web sites, Servers, computers and portable devices  - you
will live longer - Your customers will be extremely happy and they will be free of annoyances and possible medical problems - Do what you can to
save your customers, viewers and or listeners and web surfers all lot of pain, suffering and grief. You will be happy and they will thank you for it - forever! - Instead do yourself a favor, and only use only Microsoft's Windows Media Technology for streaming audio and video presentations or for radio and television. You will win in the end - once the flash in the pan hysteria dies out.