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Interrupting bits
Katie Hafner, whose New York Times columns I always enjoy, writes today that computer users are distracted by interrupting bitstreams like e-mail.
Then comes a slew of researchers talking about "natural language processing" and how the computer should "know" when to interrupt us or not.
Of course, there's a much more effective solution: bit literacy.
My suggestions:
1. Read this.
2. Read this.
3. Disable your e-mail checks if you don't want to be interrupted.
Users shouldn't cede this responsibility to the machine.
Hi Mark,
The zen of bit literacy takes cultivation, and I've been working on it since I first read your thoughts on the subject. Meanwhile, in addition, I'm taking another tack. See my blog post on the same Katie Hafner article here: http://www.metaforix.info/2005/02/informationage_.html.
And please take my info overload survey online at http://www.surveymonkey/infoyou. Most people find it interesting and fun, and as a thank-you, you get a great download, "Infomaven's Top Ten Tools for Taming Information Overload Online." These tools don't "cede responsibility to the machine" -- instead, they help people take control of how they collect, organize, and share information.
See you at Gel!