Have you ever walked around campus and were almost run down by somebody playing with their “smart” phone instead of watching the world around them? It seems like it happens to me almost everyday at Evergreen.
A few years back I attended a lecture by a renowned brain researcher at the University of Washington. I was extremely surprised to hear him say that with all the research that has been done on the brain there is very little we have learned on how it works. There were only a handful of things that research work has concluded about the brain. One of them is the whole left brain / right brain thing is hogwash. Another is that multi-tasking is actually not possible being the brain can only handle one thing at a time. You might think you can safely walk while texting on your smartphone, but it is not always going to be possible. Maybe you are physically able to text and walk at the same time, but you are not going to see what you are going to walk into being your brain is focused on that smartphone. Did you know that people needing to visit the emergency room due to injuries acquired while using a smartphone have doubled each year for the past eight years? Researcher’s scientific term for this dangerous practice is called “inattention blindness”. It is injuring and killing people everyday. And it does not have to be texting and walking. Many people have a false sense of safety when they are in a crosswalk. The thinking is “I’m in a crosswalk, I don’t have to look because everybody will see me”. WRONG! And if you happen to be doing so while talking on your cell phone you won’t be paying close attention to drivers approaching the crosswalk. Unfortunately some of those drivers are likely playing with their smartphones. That combination can be life altering. So be smart with that smartphone people!
A lot of progress was made this week with finishing up work on the lecture halls and the AV equipment for the building. We were able to start using lecture halls 2, 3 and 4 beginning today. The basic systems are now working to enable teaching to begin in those spaces. Lecture Hall 1, which is by far the largest one, will come on line on Monday 10/17. The full production AV systems for the entire building will take another week or so to come together. What this means is we won’t be capable of holding the last of the Presidential Debates here in Purce Hall next week. You will have to hear Donald Trump say the words “very, very” numerous times some place else.
The bark mulch installation for the landscaping is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday 10/13. Be aware this work is going to be noisy being it will be blown in place with a large truck. You might want to consider ear plugs or head phones while playing Frisbee on Red Square.
We are getting so close to being complete. I’m very happy to report hearing positive feedback regarding the building so far! That is it for now.
Cheers!
Tim
Tim Byrne, Project Manager
The Evergreen State College