pauldavidmcdonald

Some findings from a scientific study that was published a couple years ago showed up recently in one of my news feeds. I found the conclusions a little disconcerting. Basically, the neurological study by Professor Audrey van der Meer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology determined that the act of handwriting—or drawing—creates much more brain activity, especially regarding learning and memory—than does the use of a computer keyboard. Part of the reason they gave was that...

I recently saw a story on the local news about guidelines coming down from the Department of Health and Human Services to limit screen time for kids. They claim that excessive use of screen time is becoming an urgent public health concern. They recommend no screen time for children under 18 months, less than an hour a day for children up to 6 years of age, and less than two hours a day for those ages 6 to 18. The story recommended some strategies for helping children to meet these limits,...

The cover art for Lost on Black Mountain, by Jeff McKeever. I’m not one much for trying new things; I tend to usually be the last one to try something new, and often I have to be dragged into it, kicking and screaming, as they say. And AI is no exception. I see the benefits of AI. The number of utilitarian uses for AI seems to grow every day. And the ease of researching information, for example, makes prepping for my books so much simpler than it used to be. Of course, I still often have to...