Inspirational Technology

Speed Kills (Attention)

The availability of a network might reduce...what was I writing? Oh, yes, attention span: Matt Richtel turns in, as usual, a hilarious piece that combines technology and sociology as he paints a picture of the alpha geeks with something approaching attention deficit disorder. I, too, am a sufferer. With a wireless network around, I'm compelled to check email, send email, write blogs entries, and communicate via instant messaging. Maybe I should just listen to the presenter? A useful exercise for those of us afflicted: take a trip without electronic devices and communication. During a week in Costa Rica, a country with abundant Internet cafes, I limited myself to one mid-week 30-minute email check to confirm that all my systems were running and that no emergencies had cropped up in which someone couldn't reach me. It was a lovely experience, and worth repeating.... [802.11b Networking News]

Boy is this ever true, really it's been a problem since the advent of always available internet access. The Internet brought so many new capabilities and sources of information, but at the same time it also brought so many sources of new distractions. It's extremely difficult to focus on something for any extended period of time now. Now with Wi-Fi access becoming common we're running the risk of being subjected to the same distractions everywhere we go.

I used to try to force my self to concentrate by yanking the network cable out of my machine. It never worked since I've become so dependent on the information flow coming in over the network. I'd start working and almost immediately need some piece of information that was on the network. I think this may emerge as a serious mental problem going forward. :-)

Back in December I spent about two weeks with no Internet access, however at the same time I also barely touched the computer. The computer just wasn't useful to me at that point without the network. The computer isn't important anymore, it's the network that matters.