Zackinabox’s Weblog

Human Bandwidth

“We have access to more information than at anytime in history. The question remains: How much information are humans able to process?”

I completely agree with the opening statement. Access to information has never been so easy as it currently is. But a question that frequently occurs is How much information an average human can contain and use. I believe that it will vary. Each person is different some people can process a lot of information.

I believe in order to have at least a brief understanding of how to tell if a person can consume a lot of information is by finding out if they use the left or right brain more. It is said that people that are left brained enjoy being instructed verbally and can process it very well. Right brained people prefer to be instucted with visuals and they find verbal instuctions dull and boring . Right brained humans also enjoy studying in groups, as opposed to the left brains that don’t mind completing a lesson on there own. After hearing that, I believe we are all able to understand information equally and we can understand a lot. The only thing is that some need to find information different ways. Some people may be right brained and some may be left. In order to find information people just need to do it in a way that makes sense to them, and can keep their interest. For information on Both sides of the brain check out: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/2brains/.

Even though I think that the Brain is the big factor in finding information, it does not mean I am correct, it is just a theory. The only way one could ever find out exactly how much information a human being can process is by doing a large study across the globe. This sounds alright on paper but I do not think people will want to do this study unless they receive incentives prior to the study.

In conclusion I believe that we may never really find out how much information a human can process but anything is possible in the future.

“We know there is a vast morass of information out there that our audiences want us to try to make sense of. The danger consists in trying to leap above it, not by getting more dramatic or salient or verifiable facts, but by analyzing, speculating, predicting, interpreting – by drawing definitive conclusions while the bodies are still warm.” Paul Knox, The Globe and Mail

This statement located above could not be more true. Paul makes it clear that as journalists we should try our best to be factual. This shouldn’t be a surprise as this is what our professors have been teaching us since the first day of college. If you are not factual you may run into trouble with one of your sources or a clever audience member. When you are setting up a story you must be sure to find a reliable contact, and make sure they are telling the truth. When you are interviewing them, you want to make sure you record them as it happens so you do not miss anything so that you will not feel the urge to dishonestly edit it or input false statements. If you do this you could be charged and severe penalties could occur.

The article is also saying that journalists are aware of what the people today want to hear, and learn about. Journalists do there best to dig, investigate and find this information while being clear and concise in the delivery. As we may not always be able to predict exactly what the people want we do our best to interpret the information we find in a conversational and unique manner that will keep our audience asking for more.

Paul Knox writes for The Globe and Mail has seen a lot in his day, and since he is an accomplished write being part of one of the biggest papers and all his statement above is a good guideline for aspiring/young journalists out there. Every young journalist should be sure to follow this, it will make their life much easier. Here is a site that will help with research techniques: http://comm.gmu.edu/academics/minor_ej.shtml

In conclusion I strongly agree with this statement, and think it makes perfect sense to the journalism world. Don’t worry about getting more dramatic facts, but worry about analyzing, and speculating the subject and most importantly make sure you interpret it factually.

By,

Zack Tiessen

Today, Friday March 14th, 2008 Peggy the librarian made a stop in our researching techniques class. She displayed many different ways to make our working lives easier. She showed us many different search engines and elibraries such as: The Brain, Ebsco Host etc, and dog pile. She stressed the importance of being specific in a search but not too specific. Peggy also advised us to broaden our horizons and try other libraries, and sources other than Google and yahoo.

Although she insists we use google less, Peggy also says those search engines are still good for certian topics. When searching for something such as public transit history, and a political view of it you are probably better off search Mohawks own online library “the Brain” or you can also check Proquest. After Peggy presented to our class I now feel i have a better idea for searching, and can complete it much quicker.

When using proquest, the Brain and ebsco host it makes it much easier then yahoo or ask to find your information because they give you advanced searching techniques such as a slot for each keyword you have. When using those you don’t just find Articles like you would on google. You can find articles, magazines, books, ebooks, online journals and more.

After this presentation I now feel I am capable of compleing any task, assignment, and final project without any difficulties because the search possibilities are endless now.

In conclusion I believe Peggy was very informative, and gave us great insight to all the first year students on proper and basic research techniques. There were some points in her presentation that I thought were rather unclear because she may have spoke a little to fast, but other than that I learned a lot and found todays class to be very productive. Now that I know there are so many books online at the Brain, i may hardly ever have to attend mohawks library.

By,

Zack Tiessen

I interviewed Mohawk College student Sarah Nunziatto about her musical college life. you will learn about her musical styles and influences when you watch this video.