Multitasking Isn't New

Very true (via Andrew) - HERE:

"Neuropsychologist Vaughan] Bell points out that multitasking is hardly a problem of the digital age -– we’ve been doing it all along. We can dribble a basketball while running, jot down notes while listening to a lecture, and jog through the park while listening to music.

“If you think Twitter is an attention magnet, try living with an infant,” Bell said. “Kids are the most distracting thing there is, and when you have three or even four in the house it is both impossible to focus on one thing — and stressful, because the consequences of not keeping an eye on your kids can be frightening even to think about.” (Kids are indeed distracting: A British study found that for drivers, the distraction of squabbling kids can slow down brak-reaction times by 13 percent — as much as alcohol.)"

But...obviously this is just more bashing of Nicolas Carr's Shallows. We are talking Apples and Oranges here, dribbling basket while running doesn't affect the most important part of our evolution. The new multi tasking phenomenon (Internet, Cell Phone, Video Games) does take away our time "allotted" for day dreaming. Day dreaming has always been poor man's meta-cognition and self reflection.

Nonetheless, the best lines in an Aristotelian sense were:

“One can no more ask, ‘How is technology affecting cognitive development?’ than one can ask, ‘How is food affecting physical development?’” the researchers wrote. “As with food, the effects of technology will depend critically on what type of technology is consumed, how much of it is consumed, and for how long it is consumed.”