“Utah passed the nation’s toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison. The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone…” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/technology/29distracted.html?_r=1
Email is as addictive as a slot machine | Technology | The Guardian
Dr Tom Stafford, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the book Mind Hacks, believes that the same fundamental learning mechanisms that drive gambling addicts are also at work in email users. “Both slot machines and email follow something called a ‘variable interval reinforcement schedule’… This means that rather than reward an … Continue reading “Email is as addictive as a slot machine | Technology | The Guardian”
NYTimes.com: The Mediocre Multitasker
Breaking news and a shock to the researchers themselves, as it turns out. Originally, the team of researchers, whose findings are published in the Aug. 24 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were trying to find out what unusual cognitive gifts multitaskers possessed that made them so successful at multitasking. They’re … Continue reading “NYTimes.com: The Mediocre Multitasker”
businessinsurance.com: Multitasking by drivers raises liability concerns
“A July Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study found text messaging is 23 times as dangerous, reaching for an electronic device is 6.7 times as dangerous, and dialing a cell phone is 5.9 times as dangerous as nondistracted driving.”
Multitaskers Aren’t Fooling Anyone: Stanford
“Attention multitaskers: You’re not fooling anyone. Although you look busy and involved in your work, a new study out of Stanford shows you aren’t really paying attention to any of your tasks. The Stanford researchers took 100 students through a series of tests. Half of the group claimed to be masters of the multitask. The … Continue reading “Multitaskers Aren’t Fooling Anyone: Stanford”
