Are computers making us dumb?

We don't leave home without our mobile phones - and are always consulting apps like spellcheckers and maps.

crash = stop operating (computers and systems)

empathy = the ability to imagine and understand what another person might be feeling

spellchecker = software which prevents us from making spelling mistakes when we type text on a computer

GPS = Global Positioning System which gives us information about location and directions with the help of satellites orbiting Earth

The first commercially produced "desktop computer" was designed and produced by the Italian company Olivetti and presented at an event in New York

You can't live without them but American technology writer Nicholas Carr, the author of a book called 'The Glass Cage - where automation is taking us', thinks they might cause problems.

You can't live without them but American technology writer Nicholas Carr, the author of a book called 'The Glass Cage - where automation is taking us', thinks they might cause problems.

He says if we rely too much on computers we lose something.

The ability of computers to do things we used to do is growing astronomically and we're rushing to hand over to computers tasks, activities

The ability of computers to do things we used to do is growing astronomically and we're rushing to hand over to computers tasks, activities

The ability of computers to do things we used to do is growing astronomically and we're rushing to hand over to computers tasks, activities

The person becoming reliant on computers; because they are not exercising their own talents, those talents begin to fade.

The person becoming reliant on computers; because they are not exercising their own talents, those talents begin to fade.

Carr says that relying on computers means our talent is fading because we don't use it any more.

Carr says that relying on computers means our talent is fading because we don't use it any more.

and perhaps we can give the spellchecker a miss occasionally.

Computers are here to stay and they'll become more and more sophisticated, but we have to remember they are just tools.

computers are here to stay. But one thing is sure: They are here to stay

And by the way, when was the first commercially produced "desktop computer" launched?

As I told you, it was designed and created by Olivetti and launched in New York. But when was it launched?

The initial price in the US was US$ 3,200.

The computer was called Programma 101 and it was presented at the New York World's Fair.

Are computers making us dumb?

There are also two big open to air dumping grounds.

And we begin to lose, as a result, the unique things that human beings can do that computers can't: feel empathy, take a broad perspective, interpret all the stuff that can't be turned into data.

I understand where you are coming from = it means I understand the point of view you are giving me.