Comments on: “Where do you find the time?” Clay Shirky and the Cognitive Surplus http://rooreynolds.com/2008/05/16/where-do-you-find-the-time-clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/ What's Next? Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:26:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: roo http://rooreynolds.com/2008/05/16/where-do-you-find-the-time-clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/#comment-48053 roo Wed, 28 May 2008 23:28:33 +0000 http://rooreynolds.com/?p=591#comment-48053 More thoughts on this speech in a reply <a href="http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2008/05/gilligans_web_1.php" rel="nofollow">from Nick Carr</a> (<a href="http://technovia.co.uk/2008/05/nick-carr-and-c.html rel="nofollow">via Ian Betteridge</a>). More thoughts on this speech in a reply from Nick Carr (via Ian Betteridge).

]]> By: tim bauer http://rooreynolds.com/2008/05/16/where-do-you-find-the-time-clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/#comment-46998 tim bauer Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:10 +0000 http://rooreynolds.com/?p=591#comment-46998 Nice Site Roo. I watched that presentation as well ... my thoughts in detail are here http://timbauer.bauerfive.com/2008/05/07/clay-shirky-author-the-world-is-drunk-on-tv/ (plus my scribble as I watched it at the bottom) but I think Clay is on to something in that society might be ready to move from one distraction (tv) that doesn't produce much value ... to another (interaction via the web ... trumping distraction) Nice Site Roo. I watched that presentation as well … my thoughts in detail are here

http://timbauer.bauerfive.com/2008/05/07/clay-shirky-author-the-world-is-drunk-on-tv/

(plus my scribble as I watched it at the bottom) but I think Clay is on to something in that society might be ready to move from one distraction (tv) that doesn’t produce much value … to another (interaction via the web … trumping distraction)

]]> By: John http://rooreynolds.com/2008/05/16/where-do-you-find-the-time-clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/#comment-46993 John Fri, 16 May 2008 18:26:47 +0000 http://rooreynolds.com/?p=591#comment-46993 My feeling is that their is, as you say Ian, a magical positive ingredient. I think there's a world of difference between sitting down to watch a specific program and sitting down to watch any program. Doing something specific is different to passing the time. We have a PVR. To me these things are so wonderful precisely because they turn the later into the former automatically. A lot of TV is watched because it's not time to go to bed yet. The PVR doesn't give me that time back, but does let me gain more from that time. Also, I am thankful of Clay's points; stating the obvious is sometimes required. The Greeks had the mythology of the Sirens who enthralled men's minds while their bodies rotted. 200 billion hours of TV per year in the USA alone seems to me to put “doing something is better than doing nothing” squarely in the “needs to be said again” category. My feeling is that their is, as you say Ian, a magical positive ingredient. I think there’s a world of difference between sitting down to watch a specific program and sitting down to watch any program. Doing something specific is different to passing the time.

We have a PVR. To me these things are so wonderful precisely because they turn the later into the former automatically. A lot of TV is watched because it’s not time to go to bed yet. The PVR doesn’t give me that time back, but does let me gain more from that time.

Also, I am thankful of Clay’s points; stating the obvious is sometimes required. The Greeks had the mythology of the Sirens who enthralled men’s minds while their bodies rotted. 200 billion hours of TV per year in the USA alone seems to me to put “doing something is better than doing nothing” squarely in the “needs to be said again” category.

]]> By: Ian Betteridge http://rooreynolds.com/2008/05/16/where-do-you-find-the-time-clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/#comment-46988 Ian Betteridge Fri, 16 May 2008 16:31:04 +0000 http://rooreynolds.com/?p=591#comment-46988 I have two issues with Clay's points. First, it's not actually clear what he's claiming. In his comment on my blog post about it (http://www.technovia.co.uk/2008/05/nicholas-carr-clay-shirky-and-the-web-as-liberation.html), he states that his point is that "doing something is better than doing nothing". In which case, thank God there are people like Clay around, because I'd *never* have thought up that one myself :) But seriously, Clay's point rests on the idea that watching something, consuming something, is "doing nothing". That's nonsensical, of course: does Clay believe, for example, that I'm wasting my time if I listen to a Mozart sonata, too? It's ironic, too, that Clay's point has been made in a video. Does the fact that I watch the video on the net, rather than on a computer, somehow imbue it with some magical "positive" ingredient? I have two issues with Clay’s points. First, it’s not actually clear what he’s claiming. In his comment on my blog post about it (http://www.technovia.co.uk/2008/05/nicholas-carr-clay-shirky-and-the-web-as-liberation.html), he states that his point is that “doing something is better than doing nothing”.

In which case, thank God there are people like Clay around, because I’d *never* have thought up that one myself :)

But seriously, Clay’s point rests on the idea that watching something, consuming something, is “doing nothing”. That’s nonsensical, of course: does Clay believe, for example, that I’m wasting my time if I listen to a Mozart sonata, too?

It’s ironic, too, that Clay’s point has been made in a video. Does the fact that I watch the video on the net, rather than on a computer, somehow imbue it with some magical “positive” ingredient?

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