commentary

Distractions Lower IQ Scores (Duh)

LONDON, England -- Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, a British study shows.

E-mails 'hurt IQ more than pot' — CNN.com World News, Friday, April 22

CNN certainly picked a provocative title.

The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.

The survey of 1,100 Britons showed:

• Almost two out three people check their electronic messages out of office hours and when on holiday

• Half of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of receiving one

• One in five will break off from a business or social engagement to respond to a message.

What, exactly, is "new" here?

How Much Anonymity?

When I started my weblogs, I made a few decisions.

• I will be as honest in my writing as I am in "real life".
• I will not go out of my way to offend other people.
• I will only very rarely (if ever) discuss the more "controversial" topics (e.g. Iraq, religion, politics...).
• I will not mention The Company That Employs Me by name.
• I will not provide identifying information about friends or co-workers that would easily allow other people to locate them (unless I am linking to their "public" personae).
• I will treat my weblog the way I treat my email. Never put anything actionable — or that you wouldn't want your mother or company CEO to read — in writing.

I ran across an interesting article today, published on the EFF website in their Privacy/Anonymity section. The article is entitled "How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)". It discusses blogging anonymity, topics to avoid, topics protected by the First amendment, etc.

If you blog, there are no guarantees you'll attract a readership of thousands. But at least a few readers will find your blog, and they may be the people you'd least want or expect. These include potential or current employers, coworkers, and professional colleagues; your neighbors; your spouse or partner; your family; and anyone else curious enough to type your name, email address or screen name into Google or Feedster and click a few links.

The point is that anyone can eventually find your blog if your real identity is tied to it in some way. And there may be consequences. Family members may be shocked or upset when they read your uncensored thoughts. A potential boss may think twice about hiring you. But these concerns shouldn't stop you from writing. Instead, they should inspire you to keep your blog private, or accessible only to certain trusted people.

Here we offer a few simple precautions to help you maintain control of your personal privacy so that you can express yourself without facing unjust retaliation. If followed correctly, these protections can save you from embarrassment or just plain weirdness in front of your friends and coworkers.

I found the topic interesting in an academic sense, the way I find articles about high-energy physics, world travel, or swimming with sharks to be interesting.

I don't intend to go there...