Published 8 July 201026 March 2011 · Main Posts Meanland extract – At the mercy of our instruments Jacinda Woodhead and Editorial team A writer needs their tools. Chisel Quill Ink Parchment Chalk Pencil Paper Crayon Biro Fountain pen Notepad Typewriter Word Processor ThinkPad Personal Computer Macbook iPhone iPad Tablet What do all these tools have in common? They help us make permanent that thing that makes us human: language. Language marshalled into journals, books, literary fiction, non-fiction, blog posts, lists – but how do all these tools change the way we write and think? ‘Our writing tools are also working on our thoughts.’ In Nicolas Carr’s now [in]famous Atlantic essay, ‘Is Google making us stupid?’ (which has since become an extended essay in the form of a book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains) is, unsurprisingly, a tirade against the internet, and the way it is detrimentally affecting our reading habits, social interaction and concentration spans. ‘Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave?’ is the opening line, and readers are immediately returned to that suffocating limbo space that is the closing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, reminded of all those things we have to fear from artificial intelligence. But this post is about our intelligence. Read the rest of the post at Meanland. Jacinda Woodhead Jacinda Woodhead is a former editor of Overland and current law student. More by Jacinda Woodhead › Editorial team More by Editorial team › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 8 May 202611 May 2026 · Nakata Brophy Prize The 2026 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers (Poetry) Editorial Team Please follow this link to enter the prize. Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 […] 6 May 20266 May 2026 · Main Posts Join the Overland Board Editorial Team Overland is looking for a Treasurer to join the board. If you care about literary culture, have governance experience and a head for finance, please consider applying. Expressions of Interest […]
