Think, People, Think!

I've been waiting for an excuse to break out my old "Think, People, Think!" series of blogs, but I hadn't found anything worthy for a long time. I even managed to convince myself that people weren't just blinding believing any old thing they read on the Internet.

Well, silly me. There's a new hoax out there, one that people who napped during critical thinking lessons in school are falling for. Though the merry pranksters coming up with these merry pranks are getting smarter. This one wasn't posted as an anonymous facebook post or chain email, this one was lovingly crafted to look like an actual ad.

It doesn't surprise me that someone made this. There's always someone out there pathetic enough that they think inflicting chaos for the sake of chaos is some sort of twisted social darwinism. And I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that people fell for this baloney. Apple has carefully cultivated a reputation as miracle workers for decades, striving to make themselves appear so advanced that any other comparable product is still in the Stone Age.

So I can accept the fact that people looked at that ad and their first thought was "Oh, wow, that's cool." What does surprise me is that their second thought wasn't "Wait, how could that possibly work?" The problem comes from the fact that the average computer user has absolutely no idea how technology actually works, and assumes their phone, tablet, etc, runs on magic.

It's like the old Three Stooges gag (seen here at about the 5:30 mark) where Curly drills holes into a sinking boat. When Moe asks Curly why he did that, Curly explains that he's "letting the water out." We laugh at Curly's stupidity, because you don't have to be an engineer to understand why his plan won't work.

Yet with a computer, you can apparently say "This software update will make your hardware waterproof," and folks will believe it. The obvious solution is to increase our understanding of computers so that trolls can't make people throw their brand-new phones in the bathtub. But there's a simpler solution, use your own (lack of) knowledge to your advantage.

It goes like this: you read about how the new ios7 can make your phone waterproof. Stop for a second. Can you think of any way that could be possible? Of course not. That makes the information suspect. Question it. If you can't answer for yourself if that sounds real, do some research. It won't kill you.

So, that's my advice. Remember the old adage, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Similarly, if you read something that stretches your conceptions of what's possible. question it. Even if it doesn't, question it. Never stop questioning. Asking questions and seeking answers is what made us humans what we are. The houses we live in, the cars we drive, the iPhones we throw into bathtubs, all down to asking questions. Never stop asking questions. Never.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights