As I sit behind the computer, I again think about how few parts of my body are actually moving.
Active parts
Which parts are active? Primarily three:
- Fingers
- Eyes
- Brain
My fingers fling across the keyboard with every new word that I type.
My eyes scan, albeit only a small distance of their range, across the screen, looking for new words.
My brain fires with every new flashy thing on screen and all the new connections being formed from the wormhole of Wikipedia.
Inactive parts
And which are mostly turned off? At least:
- Legs
- Arms
- Neck
- Back
- Breathing
My legs lay limp except for the occasional tapping of the foot or tucking of the feet under my chair in tension.
My arms wait except for the occasional elbow-down movement of the right arm to move the mouse, or the occasional elbow-down movement of the left arm to scratch my nose.
My neck locks except for the occasional oh-goodness-my-neck-is-sore stretch from side to side.
My back hunches except for the occasional have-I-really-been-sitting-here-all-day cat stretch.
Last but not least, my breath pauses except for the oh-my-word-I-don’t-know-if-I-breathed-in-the-last-minutes gasp (see screen apnea research from MIT).
The five senses?
And what about my senses?
See? I see the screen, and that’s really it. I’m oblivious to everything beyond the few feet to the screen.
Hear? I hear myself reading in my head, and maybe the random loud noise of the espresso machine, but I try to block out the other sounds so I can focus. Music may be inundating my ears, but it is an attempt to drown out the other sounds so I can focus, so I’m not listening to it.
Feel? Well, I touch the keys but I don’t know how much I’m actually feeling them.
Taste? Ha. If I eat or drink while at the computer, I do so mindlessly–no, senselessly–and I consume the nourishment without noticing the flavor.
Smell? Well, I’m not even breathing, so how could I smell anything? The only smells I notice distract me from focusing on the work.
Conclusion
Basically, the computer is turning me into a senseless finger-eye-brain machine. Sad. Time to go out and play.