computer or book?
- Thread starter Holy999
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Computer. I learned more from this forum and doing online searches than reading the bible itself. But it is important to read the bible from start to finish to learn what came first and what came last.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
In 1980 I got my 1978 NIV Bible as a High School graduation gift from the Methodist Church my mom and dad attended, and I sometimes attended. It had my name (Ferris Bueller, lol) engraved in gold foil on the cover. Then I got saved in 1986 and it became my most treasured possession. There were no affordable computers in existence at that time to compete with the written pages of my Bible, and maybe no computerized Bible version even made yet to view on a computer. The computer is handy to retrieve scriptures I already know about, but I do sometimes just plop my NIV open and type passages into the computer that way. At the end of the day, I prefer Bible in hand. That's what has ministered to me over the years so that's what I prefer to use.
That and computer screens can be hard on the eyes and cause headaches. Paper bibles don't do that.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
I have noticed that sometimes when I share scriptures on the computer it causes headaches in other people.
That's why I don't read 15 page sermons that people like to post here. I stick with the one-liners usually. It's an easy read.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
I simply don't have the time to read and digest long posts. I can handle 2 or 3 line posts.
Yeah, so I found this article on headaches from reading on the internet and thought I should copy and paste it here. You should read it, it's very informative, lol. But seriously watch out for screen headaches:
It's hard to imagine life without a computer. Whether it's our constant need to check email, the hours we spend browsing the Internet and checking social media, or a quest to master a video game, staring at a computer monitor has become a part of everyday life for many of us.
But if you're wondering why the days that you used to spend happily typing away at your keyboard have been replaced with bouts of unexplained headaches, you're not alone. That's because time staring at your computer screen may be triggering headaches for reasons related to the following:
- Eyestrain
- Excess illumination
- Poor posture
PeopleImages / istock
Eyestrain
While you might think the act of focusing on a screen is a straightforward process, it's not as simple as it sounds. The distance between the front of a monitor and our eyes is called the working distance. Interestingly, our eyes actually want to relax at a point that's farther away from the screen. We call that location the resting point of accommodation (RPA).
In order to see what's on the screen, the brain has to direct our eye muscles to constantly readjust focus between the RPA and the front of the screen. This "struggle" between where our eyes want to focus and where they should be focused can lead to eyestrain and eye fatigue, both of which can trigger a headache.
Alleviating Computer-Related Eyestrain
Most cases of computer-related eyestrain do not require medical intervention but can instead be alleviated by adopting new prevention practices.
To reduce computer-related eyestrain, follow the "20-20-20 rule" endorsed by the American Optometric Society. Every 20 minutes, simply stop and take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away.1
Moreover, it's a good idea to rest your eyes completely for 15 minutes after two hours of continuous computer use.
If you're referring to a text on paper while working at the computer, don't put the paper down next to your keyboard. Prop the page up next to your monitor so that there is less distance for your eyes to travel between the paper and monitor, less refocusing, and fewer chances for eyestrain.
Obtain regular eye care. While you may not need eyeglasses for everyday activities, you can benefit from wearing prescription glasses when using your computer.
Excess Illumination
Computer-related headaches can also be triggered by working in a bright environment. The lighting in many office spaces includes sun-filled windows, overhead fluorescent lights, and desk lamps.
In addition, you may not only be dealing with the glare from your computer but also the glare from every other computer in the room. This kind of excessive brightness or over-illumination can trigger several types of headaches, including migraines.
Correcting Illumination Problems
You may find that reducing the illumination can make a big difference in the frequency of your headaches:
- Turn down the overhead lights to reduce glare.
- Use drapes on windows and lower wattage light bulbs.
- If you're working on an older-style CRT monitor, a glare filter that attaches to the front of your screen may also help.1
Poor Posture
If you find yourself hunched over or leaning into your computer screen when a headache occurs, poor posture might be your posture. Poor cervical neck curvature is a common observation in computer-users who complain of headaches.
Correcting Poor Posture
There are things you can do things to improve your posture, both in terms of the position of your furniture and the way you consciously correct bad habits.
To improve your posture, position your keyboard and computer so that your head is not tilted and your spine is neutral. The center of the screen should be about four to five inches below eye level and 20 to 28 inches from the eye.1
A few more tips:
- Check the position of your shoulders while typing and try to relax them. Adjust your monitor angle and height so that you are not over-engaging your neck muscles to see.
- Do not rest your wrists on the keyboard when typing.
- Be certain your desk chair is well padded and comfortable. Adjust the height of the chair so your feet rest flat on the floor. Lastly, if your desk chair has arms, be sure they actually support your arms while you are typing.
Many people will claim that "radiation" or "cathode rays" are the cause of computer-related headaches, but neither actually applies. Radiation levels from computers are no more or less different than those from your flat-screen TV and cathode rays essentially went out with vacuum tube TVs of yore. Still, there are things to consider.
Electromagnetic Fields
Research is emerging that exposure to low radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) through the use of cell phones and Wi-Fi may be linked to more frequent and more severe migraine headaches.2
Overall, the precise link between EMF and migraines is unclear. Still, restricting unnecessary exposure to RF-EMF sources is a reasonable goal, especially if you link the exposure to more severe headaches.
Patterns and Images
Interestingly, there is no strong evidence that the actual images on a computer screen trigger headaches.3
While some patterns on the screen (such as bright lights on a dark background, flashing shapes, or specific line patterns) may trigger headaches in a small percentage of people with neurological deficits, the typical patterns we look at on the screen are not usually responsible.
If you suspect that screen patterns are triggering your headaches, speak with your doctor as this may be a sign of photosensitive epilepsy. Alternately, ocular migraines are typically preceded by flashing lights and visual patterns.
Other Explanations
Before you blame your headaches entirely on working at the computer, keep in mind that other things in your environment that coincide with computer use may actually be triggering your headaches. Ask yourself:
- Is the material that you are producing on the computer stress-inducing?
- Are you more likely to consume caffeine while at the computer?
- Is your diet irregular when you're doing computer work?
- Are you less active and taking infrequent breaks from your work when typing?
A Word From Verywell
While your computer may be a trigger for your headaches, it's important to consult with your doctor regarding your headache diagnosis. This way you can be sure you are getting the proper care.
I grew up a different world. I can remember coming home from school and turning on the radio for like most people in those days there was not even a television set in my home. Personal computers? What is that? Internet? What is that?
I went to work for the Social Security Administration in 1974 in California. The agency had computers, but they were located mostly in Baltimore, Maryland. We had lots of pencils and paper as well as stacks of books. Even hand calculators to do math problems were not to be had yet... but that was soon to change.
When I came to the Lord to be baptized in the Holy Ghost in 1976, I bought a Bible, made out of paper, as there was nothing else. I read my Bible from that time in the only way I knew... in the paper book. Somewhere along there I obtained a paperback Strong's Concordance and Lexicon of the Bible for study and reference. I have a library of paper reference books obtained over the years.
In 1985 when my job transferred to Wyoming I bought a little Atari device but it was only for games. Only in the late 1990's when I had already been working in Oklahoma for a number of years did I get my first personal computer and eventually... access to the Internet. My Bible reading and studying after so many years remained from the paper book even though before long I began to find Bible forums on the Internet. The first one I remember was as a part of Yahoo Groups.
These days I use the computerized Bibles with concordances and lexicons mostly in conjunction with my time on forums like this one. My primary Bible reading and studying remain daily in the paper books.
This old dog in spite of the old adage [can't teach an old dog new tricks] has learned a few new "tricks" but I still read those paper books. That will likely be the way for me until my time here is finished.
@amadeus Let's hope that Christians don't get accustomed to neglecting their Bibles because of advances in computers and gadgets....
I was given a white leather bible when I was baptized into my church. I never read it until I sought the Lord in 1997. Then I read it three times from front to back. I've even read the Book of Mormon a couple times, since I was raised a Mormon. I've since deviated to my own religion from Church based religions.
My Dad had a computer at his accounting office for running computations in the 70's, it was a desk machine and the size of a desk. My friend bought an Apple II plus and I got to write sprite program code on that. I also had a Danish friend that had a commador 64. Later my friend bought an IBM 386.
It wasn't until the 80's to 90's that I bought my first 486 and it cost me thousands of dollars. I used it to learn AutoCAD which turned into my occupation. I started writing software for AutoCAD and excelled in the work place. I did that for 10-20 years.
Now I bought my first laptop not too long ago, about 10 years ago. I fell in love with laptops now and will never buy another desktop. I now program C# programming language and write physics theories and have equations that accurately calculate.
What a blessing computers are, but they do give people headaches. I don't read the old paper bible anymore and just study scriptures online and in this forum.
Yes, we could lose Internet access and electrical power while still hanging onto to a few pages of a paper Bible. People have become often too dependent on what the computer and the Internet offer. They should read about Corrie Ten Boom [The Hiding Place] and the "Bible" God helped her obtain and conceal from her Nazi captors in WWII. Impossible today? No, unfortunately today with what is already happening we should be trusting God more than ever. People, it seems to be, are too often more concerned with their rights according to man's law than they are with simply trusting God all of the time...
I had an internet blackout the other day, it was down for about a day. It was a crisis time for me.
aaarrrggghhhh!
I was never a Mormon, but my brother was and he gave me his nice bound copy of the Book of Mormon dated in 1966, which I still keep for reference. I read it many years ago, but not lately. It includes the Book of Doctrines and Covenants as well as the Pearl of Great Price.
At work Uncle Sam brought me into the world of Computers early, but on a personal level I remember having one of those Commodore 64's many years ago.
I thrive on my desktop as I don't travel much these days and for me there is almost unlimited space for my stamp collection numbering well over 100,000 stamps, thousands of personal and family pictures, thousands of Bible studies, all of my own tax and income related papers for more than 20 years, my continuing autobiography, health histories and records for my wife and me starting many years ago, all of my scanned music books over my lifetime... and every other subject you can imagine. If the Internet is lost for as long as I have electricity I have the information. I have two smaller slightly older laptops, which these days I used for back up just in case my desktop should crash completely...
I also enjoy my computer. I scan everything that even slightly interests me and type onto word processing programs things that come to mind.
Since I have been these many years retired from secular employment and my physical frailness these days limits my outside activities, I live mostly in my little study with my computers, my books, my keyboard [piano]. I care for my semi-invalid wife and visit my old pastor each week but other than for necessities the rest is behind me. I used to love tennis, but it has been years since I was able to play.
For most of my married life I planted a large vegetable garden every Spring which I enjoyed until I could no longer till the ground or pull the weeds as of a few years ago...
I keep all of my data on an flash memory card so that in case of emergency I can remove it from my computer and put it in my wallet:
I'm starting to understand health problems. My mother is really ill and she still has chickens and a garden but she has the family help her with that. I don't get around to well either with the various medical problems I have, but I'm still young enough to get out. Remember the resurrection will restore us to good health and renew our lives in heaven! Where we will share our lives with Jesus for all time and eternity. Along with family and friends there too. I know you know this, but I thought it a good place to remind others also.
Similar threads
