Lise Howe I have the uncanny ability to recall phone numbers - some even after years of non-use.  Other things not so much.  Google is an extension of my personal hard drive aka memory (brain).

I don't think it makes you 'dumber.' When I was litle, my Mom taught us to look things up on an encyclopedia. Now, it's google!  No one needs to remember everything - we just need to know how to access what we need.

You are actually smarter, since you efficiently discoer the answers to your questions, thus allowing for more time to investigate other unknowns.

This is just the beginning of becoming more dependent on the Internet. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Google started a religion and a church too

There was life before Google?

Lise Howe yes, Google does find me with all my details online! That's because we have presence online.

However, phone number for my wife? I can't Google it - and I can't forget it either!

Lise Howe I don't think it's making us dumber. I've always used outside resources like the dictionary, thesaurus or encyclopedias to look up things. Google is a lot quicker, more timely and saves a lot of trips to the library.

We don't remember phone numbers like we use to, and the ability to Google everything has made it easy for us not to remember many things! 

Yes I remeber too many phone numbers.

As to Google it beats trying to find the World Book Encyclopedia and spend hours researching a subject.

I know exactly 2 phone numbers - my own and my husband's. If I lost my phone, I couldnt' contact my mother or my children or anyone.

I learn what's important and Google the rest.... but after I Google it and the answer surfaces, I remember it....

I think we are both dumber and smarter.  Better researchers for sure.  I remember a long time ago using Lexis/Nexis for court cases...so much easier to find things now.

I think it makes us smarter, how many times did we actually look up things we didn't know or remembered to later. Now if we don't know something we can figure it out in minuets. Some of it sticks and some doesnt but I am sure we get more information in a week then people used to in their entire life.

Do we remember less now?

No, we remember the same amount, however WHAT we remember NOW is mostly irrelevant to anything useful.

When the Chinese or Russians decide to take the US Internet down, most of our citizens will be incapable of calculating the square feet of a rectangle, (forget about cubic feet) one hour after the cell phone battery goes dead.

Read, play mind games, measure by being able to answer at least five questions on each session of Jeopardy.

I am sure future generations will remember less things than we do. 

I'm lucky I remember my own phone number! But it's hard for me to say if that's the google effect or old age!

The trick is in knowing how to get the answer or where to find it, not in memorizing everything. I think it's smart to use your resources. 

No I still remember everything, where do you think that G gets their facts from, they call me.