Signs that you spend too much time at your computer

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the humorous and sometimes concerning signs that individuals may be spending excessive time at their computers. Participants share personal anecdotes and observations related to their behaviors and habits influenced by prolonged computer use, touching on various aspects such as reading manuals, gaming experiences, and social interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration when transitioning from digital to physical media, such as wanting to use + to search in hardcopy manuals.
  • There are shared concerns about the impact of computer use on eyesight and general health, with some humorously attributing it to aging.
  • Several anecdotes highlight the blurring of lines between real life and gaming, with participants recalling moments where they instinctively applied gaming logic to everyday situations.
  • Some participants note the convenience of digital tools, like auto-search features in browsers, leading to a sense of laziness when using traditional methods.
  • Humor is prevalent, with jokes about providing more help online than to one's own children and the absurdity of trying to use computer commands in real life.
  • There are reflections on how modern conveniences, such as social media and online communication, have changed interpersonal interactions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share similar experiences and humorous observations about the effects of excessive computer use, but there is no consensus on the seriousness of these signs or their implications for health and behavior.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention specific behaviors and experiences without providing detailed explanations or definitions, leading to potential misunderstandings about the context of certain references, such as gaming terminology and computer shortcuts.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals reflecting on their own computer habits, those seeking a light-hearted take on modern technology's impact on daily life, and anyone curious about the social dynamics of online interactions.

Ivan Seeking
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I have caught myself checking to see if it was raining outside, online. :rolleyes:

When I read a manual - a hardcopy - I sometimes catch myself wanting to reach for <Ctrl>+<F> and getting annoyed when I realize that I don't have one for a book.

What is worrying me is that I think it's screwing up my eyesight. :bugeye: Or, maybe I'm just getting old like Integral.
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
I think you should see a doctor. I know a good one who can be consulted via IM...
 
Ivan Seeking said:
When I read a manual - a hardcopy - I sometimes catch myself wanting to reach for <Ctrl>+<F> and getting annoyed when I realize that I don't have one for a book.
Haven't we all? I mean, that feature is just so not there for books.
 
As long as you don't have to check on Myspace to see if Tsu still thinks you're a decent lover... :rolleyes:
 
I once tried to push the open cd drive button on my computer tower with my mouse pointer...
 
neutrino said:
I think you should see a doctor. I know a good one who can be consulted via IM...
:smile: Funny :smile:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
When I read a manual - a hardcopy - I sometimes catch myself wanting to reach for <Ctrl>+<F> and getting annoyed when I realize that I don't have one for a book.

I don't even know what that shortcut does. :confused: Then again, I can't read things like manuals or articles online. I have to print them as hardcopy.
 
Heh, Cntrl+F is for searching for a specific string of text in a document. Indeed it would be a nice feature for real books :smile:
 
Moonbear said:
I don't even know what that shortcut does. :confused: Then again, I can't read things like manuals or articles online. I have to print them as hardcopy.

Me neither, and that's a blessing, since then I'd probably spend *all* the time (except when I'm at the faculty) sitting here.

Btw, there are some useful "computer stretching" exercies which one should do if spending a lot of time on the computer. Didn't try any of them out, but will google-up these days. :rolleyes:

Ivan Seeking said:
What is worrying me is that I think it's screwing up my eyesight. :bugeye: Or, maybe I'm just getting old like Integral.

Same here.
 
  • #10
With Firefox, I just start typing and it autoamtically starts searching...so I feel a bit lazy even to do the Ctrl+F thing when using another browser or reading a document. :(
 
  • #11
dontdisturbmycircles said:
Heh, Cntrl+F is for searching for a specific string of text in a document. Indeed it would be a nice feature for real books :smile:

Ah. I don't use the find feature often enough to have learned the shortcut for it. Real books have something called an index. I think it works much better than searching for a term using the find feature.
 
  • #12
Yeah, but not every book has one :wink:
I only wish my computer would cook my food, thta's about the only time I'm off it during vacation.
 
  • #13
matthyaouw said:
I once tried to push the open cd drive button on my computer tower with my mouse pointer...

Just right-click on the drive letter in the Explorer window, and select "Eject". Much easier than trying to find the pesky real button on the computer tower (which is turned around anyway to make the cables easier to move around).

BTW, one clue that you are spending too much time online is when you are providing more homework help on the PF than you provide for your own kids :blushing: Well on the bright side, maybe that means that your own kids are doing fine in school on their own. Yes, that must be it! :rolleyes:
 
  • #14
berkeman said:
BTW, one clue that you are spending too much time online is when you are providing more homework help on the PF than you provide for your own kids
:smile:
Maybe you should start giving them medals for good academic performance and give them warning stars if they are being rude.
 
  • #15
matthyaouw said:
I once tried to push the open cd drive button on my computer tower with my mouse pointer...

I've done that and other things like it so many times I was getting scared.

Light switches, calculator buttons, opening doors, eating food...

I can't even blame "gaming" as I have not played any video games since "Descent" back in 1995.
 
  • #16
When I used to play might and magic 7 I would always load/save in one of the castles because is was EFFING HARD and I caught myself thinking to do this in real life a few times.

I stopped playing for a day or two. :smile:
 
  • #17
As you crane your neck to see what's written at the bottom of the board, your right hand reaches out as if to roll the scrolling wheel on the mouse.
 
  • #18
Alkatran said:
When I used to play might and magic 7 I would always load/save in one of the castles because is was EFFING HARD and I caught myself thinking to do this in real life a few times.

I stopped playing for a day or two. :smile:
\


Wouldn't that be nice...

A year ago I played call of duty quite often. I remember one night I was tired after playing it for a long time and the wind moved some bush or something and I immediately crouched and thought "how am I going to hide form these germans...". After that I stopped playing almost completely.
 
  • #19
Moonbear said:
Ah. I don't use the find feature often enough to have learned the shortcut for it. Real books have something called an index. I think it works much better than searching for a term using the find feature.

Unfortunately, when reading Jinglish, Ginglish, or Finglish, a search feature is mission critical.

Japanese English
German English
French English
 
  • #20
So there I was, defending the town from a huge fire-breathing dragon. I grabbed my sword and just as I was about to slay the monster, a dialog box popped up. I clicked "Okay" with my sword. Nothing. I clicked and clicked, but to no avail. And then I woke up.

My dream... crashed...
 
  • #21
Tried to http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20040405/badger.shtml".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #22
Ivan Seeking said:
When I read a manual - a hardcopy - I sometimes catch myself wanting to reach for <Ctrl>+<F> and getting annoyed when I realize that I don't have one for a book.

lol, I can relate... whenever I'm writing on pen and paper, I keep finding myself trying to press apple-Z whenever I make a mistake, it's a reflex by now. Someone mentioned looking for the scroll bars on a black board, that happens to me too with boards and books.

I do everything on my computer... even my electric guitar is connected to guitar-rig, and I my electric drum set is also connected to the computer, so are the keys, editing video, writing, I watch TV shows on it because the definition is much better and you don't get commercials, I hate using the phone so I make plans with my friends via face book (by the way, the "event" feature on face book is great for organizing parties and get-togethers)... I think I could go without water longer than I could without a computer.

What amazes me the most about the Shakespeares and Newtons of history, is that they did it all without google.
 
  • #23
moe darklight said:
What amazes me the most about the Shakespeares and Newtons of history, is that they did it all without google.
Not to mention wikipedia. :bugeye:
 
  • #24
berkeman said:
BTW, one clue that you are spending too much time online is when you are providing more homework help on the PF than you provide for your own kids :blushing: Well on the bright side, maybe that means that your own kids are doing fine in school on their own. Yes, that must be it! :rolleyes:
Are you kidding? They all have accounts now just so they can ask you questions. :biggrin:

I have two friends who met online and now married who were so used to messaging each other that they'd send each other IM messages from two rooms of the house instead of walking to another room to say something. :rolleyes:

I have recently experienced what someone else mentioned once upon a time...wanting to open new tabs for TV channels (was watching something interesting and didn't want to lose the channel during a commercial break, but I can't make myself watch commercials).
 
  • #25
Moonbear you should just use the return button on the remote. Go to one show then the other and just flip between them using return, I used to do that a lot. It makes for two commercial free programs. :)
 
  • #26
trajan22 said:
Moonbear you should just use the return button on the remote. Go to one show then the other and just flip between them using return, I used to do that a lot. It makes for two commercial free programs. :)

That doesn't work when you're surfing after the first channel goes to commercial to find the second program. Works better once you find two channels to watch, assuming they don't both go to commercial at the same times. :rolleyes:
 
  • #27
Mallignamius said:
So there I was, defending the town from a huge fire-breathing dragon. I grabbed my sword and just as I was about to slay the monster, a dialog box popped up. I clicked "Okay" with my sword. Nothing. I clicked and clicked, but to no avail. And then I woke up.

My dream... crashed...

That's... Awesome... O.O!


My friend had a dream where he needed to press R to reload...
 
  • #28
Moonbear said:
That doesn't work when you're surfing after the first channel goes to commercial to find the second program. Works better once you find two channels to watch, assuming they don't both go to commercial at the same times. :rolleyes:

The funny part is that they always go on commercials at the same time. Also, there are a hell of a lot of commercials so it's likely it's going to be commercials on both channels. The only time this doesn't happen is in the playoffs in sports and possibly when it is a movie playing.

How to solve the problem? Watch one or two sport games at once (NBA and NHL) and one or two shows all at the same time. :biggrin:
 
  • #29
JasonRox said:
How to solve the problem? Watch one or two sport games at once (NBA and NHL) and one or two shows all at the same time. :biggrin:
yeah I noticed that too,both shows would often be on commercials so it only worked sometimes. The sports thing only works though if you like to watch sports, so I guess that counts me out.
 
  • #30
Chi Meson said:
I can't even blame "gaming" as I have not played any video games since "Descent" back in 1995.

I envy you.

Moonbear said:
I have two friends who met online and now married who were so used to messaging each other that they'd send each other IM messages from two rooms of the house instead of walking to another room to say something. :rolleyes:

Something else crossed my mind right now, but I choose to be polite. :-p
 

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