Ambient Findability

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the first few chapters of this book. Not only did I like what I was reading, but I found myself wanting to read more.

Wayfinding is a concept that I was greatly intrigued by. I think that it is something our world (primarily America) takes for granted. I mean, can you imagine that instead of reading mile markers and street signs on your way from Ball State to your hometown, you looked at landmarks, tree patterns, or other natural beings? Our culture has become heavily dependent on our TomTom's, GPS gadgets, smart phones, etc. Is this something that should be of concern to us? I mean, what would you do if the battery of your GPS or phone died and you had no map on your drive to a new place? How would you know where you are, or where you're going? I would probably pull over, cry, and then look for a gas station in order to get some directions from someone working. Clearly these are instances we should be better prepared for. I wonder what the grade schools are teaching their students: to depend on maps and other landmarks, or to lean upon the gadgets of the 21st century. I wonder if the Boy Scouts still teach these practices! It would definitely be interesting to find out- that's for sure.

When I was thinking about wayfinding in terms of the world, I also tried to think of how I navigate myself online. For me, I am a Google queen. I type whatever it is I'm looking for into the Google search bar. I quickly scan through the links it provides me with. If I click on a link and I don't find my answer immediately I don't waste time getting back to my search. I'm a first page answers kinda gal. I don't mess around.

The Baldwin Effect was another aspect of the beginning chapters that grabbed my attention.

The Baldwin Effect: suggest that organisms can learn to shape their environment and consequently alter the path of evolution.

The example the book used was about how dairy farming existed before humans became tolerant of dairy products. In other words, people were drinking milk before they even liked it. To me that makes so much sense. It's kind of like how as we get older people say our taste buds "mature" allowing us to open up our minds to foods we never previously liked. The Baldwin Effect would say that our taste buds did not in fact mature, but that we just got used to the taste, making it so generations following us would also prefer the taste. Kind of a cool idea! 

This book is proving to be thought provoking and I'm anxious to continue reading. Any shared thoughts?