What’s with those spinner-things?
Okay, not a spinner thing, a fidget spinner. Thank you for clearing that up.
For a good portion of 2017, you could stand on any street corner and look in any direction, and see people either making nose prints on their phones or being hypnotized by a spinner.
Some might be so ultra-focused they appeared to be lost in another realm.
For the uninitiated…
A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a ball bearing in the center of a multi-lobed (typically two or three) flat structure made from metal or plastic designed to spin along its axis with little effort. (from Wikipedia.com)
Uh, okay?
It’s a toy like a top, but it spins when held between your thumb and forefinger. It is safe to try this at home… even without adult supervision. But only if you’re careful and only of your mom says it’s okay. (Remember when you actually had to ask you mom before doing a useless, mind-wasting activity?)
I hear spinners are being promoted as little focus machines that help you release nervous energy and stress. Have you thought about just skipping that afternoon RedBull? Or maybe, that after-2:00 pm Venti quadruple-shot latte at Starbucks. But then, you’d have to give up those dopamine inducing bonus stars.
Tough choices, my friends. Tough choices.
Fidget spinners are being touted as a cure for smartphone addiction.
At best, I’m going to say it’s merely a replacement addiction. I’m not holding out any hope in that regard.
There are now actually “pro” level spinners available for the more advanced focus junkie. Oh, and further research reveals an emerging luxury spinner segment. I kid you not. You can’t make this stuff up.
Friends, please explain this quote to me…
At a time when so many feel so threatened, aren’t low-friction tops the very thing we fight for?”— Ian Bogost, on TheAtlantic.com
No Ian, they’re not. A fidget spinner is a gizmo which you impulsively gave up some hard-earned money just to have one. That’s all… won’t change your life.
Okay, maybe it will, but that’s on you.
It’s not a cultural icon. At least I hope not. It won’t get you dates or help you find your soul mate…
You’ll need a particular type of website to do that.
It’s not a cure for ADD or ADHD, or any other neurological issue one may have. However, I can think of one Twitter addict who may benefit… at least for the duration of the spin.
I’m feeling a little edgy today. Does it show? Maybe it’s that left-over chocolate I found in the pantry I polished off earlier this morning?
(shuffling noise) Looking for it now…
Seriously, I don’t own one. I did try one in college, however… but I held my breath.
The claimed benefits are abundant. Actual value is questionable. Some swear by them, but people swear by a lot of things with limited redeeming value.
If you choose to do further research, you’ll find staggering amounts of written and video content on the internet. And that’s where any modern-day quest for knowledge begins…
Beware the spin.
Okay now, where’s my spinner-thing?
Post Script: As with many of my posts it’s hard to know where they’re going when I start writing. I had an idea of what I wanted to say, but the muse didn’t care for it much. If you’ve been generous enough to read this far, I’ll share it with you now…
As you’ll see, this post just took off in its own direction, and I let it. As they say, “set them free.”
If you’ve ever done gardening you know there’s something very therapeutic about it. It’s got to be the ‘dig in the dirt’ kind of gardening to get the maximum benefit. For me, I’ve got to make general yard work such as mowing or pruning bushes to do the trick. It still works.
The main ingredient I believe is just being outside. But you’ve got to be doing something that requires that certain low-level of concentration that takes your mind off of the immediate stress, noise and confusion of everyday life… leaving the next level of your mind to wander where it wants to go.
Are you with me? Have you experienced this?
In a ‘nowhere near as good’ sort of way, spinners are providing a smaller dose of the same sort of thing. They’re not a substitute for digging in some dirt. But, they’re clearly more than a placebo and one might do in a pinch or when we’re in the middle of an arctic blast and gardening isn’t an option.
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