A couple of days ago, a good friend of mine forwarded me an Atlantic Monthly article about how research is showing that our tendency to multitask is not only putting us in danger (think: texting while driving), but actually making us far less productive. I can't say that there's much to disagree with. I got to thinking about this more and more as I realized that the technology I employ in my writing process has often caused unfinished reviews to remain in that state far too long.
Though my Luddite tendencies keep me a fairly lightweight user of technology, much of it is impossible to avoid. A pencil and pad of paper is far more comfortable than a word processor. The dictionary seems more natural than dictionary.com. Still, musical review material is now becoming available via the Internet. Even when physical CDs do show up in the mailbox (and there are a lot of them), I end up using computer software to rip the disc and put it on my iPod. Obviously, research is easier on the computer too, another point for the tech world. The list does go on and on: spelling checkers, grammar checkers, online discographies, streaming media...
...Oh, but that pencil. I do miss it. One thing it does not do is distract. It does not cause what my multitasking, scatterbrained self allowed to happen with this review: online research turned into hours of YouTube watching. Then I check my email and discover that another friend happens to be listening to some Steve Hackett, so its again off to YouTube. What was that record of his I was supposed to like? Let me consult Allmusic.com. I never liked Hackett much, and still don't. That doesn't stop me from spending even more time viewing a few Jean Luc Ponty videos. Oh, and what about my numbers at Statcounter?
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Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Well done, Sir Saleski. Does the good outweigh the bad? I'm not sure. Technology has added and detracted from our daily lives. I'm not sure how to read the balance sheet.