Has the internet changed the way we think and learn?

Already it can be seen in the schoolbags of the youth. Along with the pens, pencils and notebooks you’re likely to find a laptop, smartphone or maybe even an iPad.

Bags used to be heavy, but that may soon to become a distant memory, after all who would choose to lug a stack of books to school when, provided a wireless internet connection is available, information can be at your fingertips in only a few clicks.

And that is just it; we’re becoming accustomed now to snippets of information available in Wikipedia summaries or the like. No longer do we need to read a whole book to extract what we wanted to know. And although some of us may not read 10 books on a subject a month anymore, who can argue the value that can be drawn from 10 different opinions from 10 different sources around the world. There’s no reason if one carefully selects the blogs, tweeters, news publishers and Facebook friends they follow they can’t stay well informed and learn a new thing or two about a subject. Plus books and scientific journals are still available to the internet user in their e form with the added bonus of being able to perform not only searches for the literature on what you want, but also searching within the literature for that key phrase.

There is a question commonly proposed, is the internet making us stupid? The Pew Research Centre asked a panel of more than 370 internet experts and 81% agreed that people’s use of the internet has enhanced human intelligence. When thinking about this question though it must be remembered that the internet is undiscriminating. Undiscriminating in what is able to get on to it, but also, for the time being, who can have access to it and this is possibly its biggest strength and weakness.

We are after all influenced by everything we come into contact with. Our brains are like are bodies, and information like our food. We all have the choice of what to eat and if we eat the low quality, but often tasty fried and sugary trash out there our bodies are going to suffer for it. Just like these easy to grab foods, the internet is full of misinformation and nonsense that imitates as original and skips on nutritional depth.

It is our choice whether we choose to seek out the wonderful content that feeds, challenges and inspires us or to settle for that which can sap our energy and leave us disheartened. People may lose hope if the answer is not immediately available on the first page, but what needs to be remembered is Google does not always provide the best, smartest, wisest or most accurate answer but that which is most popular.

It’s no doubt that how we learn is definitely changing especially if you look at how people recall information. Not much needs to be committed to memory anymore as Google can always retrieve it. The internet could be described as a collective memory. It’s not even necessary to write down or memorise the simpler things anymore since smartphones with wireless internet arrived. You can look up the ingredients list for that die-for recipe whilst down the supermarket, recall that quote from that film with youknowwho in on imdb.com or impress a friend with your quickly looked up knowledge of the Rhinoceros Beetle.

But just as with most things good, there is just as much potential for bad. Whilst the internet can be a great aid to your learning and working, it can also be an enemy. Before the internet had grown to what it is now there wasn’t much to distract you at your desk, you either worked or stared into space. Now there’s a seemingly endless world of possibilities. Many hours have been lost whilst researching on the internet by becoming sidetracked.  I know I’m not alone here. You may be looking at Tim Berners-Lee on Wikipedia and next thing you know you’re reading up about James Cook’s discovery of Tahiti. (It is possible, I was just there).

There are those who think are reliance and hunger for information from the internet is making books and reading an endangered species and although at Rejuvenate we’re not old enough to know the same things were probably said about the arrival of printing and it’s threat to the orally recounting stories, photography’s replacement of painting, television killing off theatre or friends no longer writing letters or meeting because the telephone was available. Infact Plato once argued that the technology of writing would destroy the art of remembering. Obviously all that I’ve just mentioned still exists today which just goes to show there is a place for everything and the world is a better place for being open to evolution and advancement.

Back to the food analogy, when ready meals and take away restaurants arrived on the scene people began cooking less as the new kids on the block met their requirements more, but cooking hasn’t gone extinct, many people still regularly do and take great enjoyment from it. The same can be said about the internet, it meets the needs of the majority of people the majority of the time, however like cooking, reading books just needs a little encouragement. People will always enjoy a good book.

Should your building be targeted in the rioting, your data will be available for immediate download to a Rejuvenate loan server, to which you will have remote desktop access. Your staff will be able to log in from home and continue working.

If you have any questions please contact us. During the riots, our office number 01202 237275 will be manned 24 hours a day.

If your office was to burn down, your IT systems could be up and running in as little as 4 hours if you use off-site backup.

When doing an offsite backup, encryption protects your data while it is travelling over the Internet and your data continues to be protected while it is stored at the data centre, so nobody can see your files.

With off-site backup becoming more affordable for SMEs, there is no better time to protect your data.

Call now and get protected!

What the WEEE Regulations are:

As Bournemouth’s friendliest IT company, Rejuvenate Ltd prides itself in responsible disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The UK legislation designed to address the environmental impact is called The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (2006 No. 3289).

The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that the best treatment, recovery and recycling techniques available are used to recycle electrical and electronic products to prevent a negative impact on human health and the environment.

This responsibility is not just of Rejuvenate Ltd, but of our customers also. When buying equipment from us, we offer a free of charge disposal of these goods in line with European Legislation.

Rejuvenate Ltd will even recycle your waste electrical and electronic equipment even if you are not buying from us. This service is often free, but depends upon quantities and type of equipment concerned.

If any of your electrical or electronic goods displays this symbol, then
it cannot be disposed of with normal household waste, because the
product is covered by the WEEE regulations. If placed in your domestic
waste bin, your product will not be recycled.

For further details of products included, click here:
http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO0507BMOM-E-E.pdf

THE ROHS DIRECTIVE

The RoHS Directive came into effect on July 1^st, 2006, and states that electric and electronic products put into the market within the EU shall contain restrictive levels of the following:

Lead (Pb)

Cadmium (Cd)

Mercury (Hg)

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+)

Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)

Rejuvenate Ltd commits fully to comply with the RoHS Directive.

Please contact us with any queries.

According to a survey conducted by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, 22 per cent of over 60s use such sites, with 71 per cent stating they have a presence on Facebook.

Twitter was the next most popular network with silver surfers, with 34 per cent revealing that they Tweet.

A further nine per cent said they are active on LinkedIn.

When quizzed on how often they use social networking portals, 51 per cent stated once a week.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said the idea that the older generation are hesitant about such sites is unfounded.

“I think it’s quite a common misconception nowadays that the over-60s aren’t as savvy as others when it comes to the internet,” he aded.

Facebook currently has over 500 million users worldwide, with people spending more than 700 million minutes per month on the site.

As we like to be honest and comply with all such things, we decided to check with Bournemouth Council Trading Standards. And this is where our fabulous customers come in (that’s you!).

As a direct result of the amount of letters, support, and testimonials from our customers that we’ve been collecting over the last 18 months, we’ve had it confirmed that we’re now allowed to say that we are ‘OFFICIALLY Bournemouth’s friendliest IT company’ ta dah!

So it’s a huge OFFICIAL ‘thank you’ to all of our amazing customers who’ve helped us to achieve this, and we look forward to continuing to look after you for years to come.

We really do love you all!  x x x x x x x x x x

To register for this service, visit https://tellus.orange.co.uk/coverage

Kind regards from Bournemouth’s friendliest IT Company!

If there was ever a charity that deserves your support we believe it’s this one.

Liz, who works for the charity, and her team at ‘About Face’ give up so much time to help people in need.

She’s award winning!

Liz’s blog was recently awarded “Best of Blogs” awarded by Vodafone.

Vodafone wrote to all participants on 8 July saying:

”We asked you towards the end of your placement to tell us your favourite World of Difference UK blog. We had a great response and loads of nominations but one name stood out… CONGRATULATIONS Elisabella Vivian…”

Check out Liz’s blog at http://worldofdifference.vodafone.co.uk/uk/elisabella-vivian/

What is WEEE Man?

He’s a bit of a monster and he’s made out of the stuff you’ve thrown away!

WEEE Man is made from the 3.3 tonnes of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). That’s the amount of electrical equipment the average person living in the UK will throw away in their lifetime.

But what’s being done about all this waste?

Some shops will take your old stuff back to recycle when you buy new equipment and manufacturers are designing products that can be more easily dismantled and recycled.

For more information please e-mail : recycling@rejuvenate-group.co.uk