michael pollak

being (too) prepared

nachdem ich gestern gesehen hab wie ein bekannter den ganzen abend lang auf einer party mit einem vollgepackten survival rucksack herum gelaufen ist, kann ich nicht aufhören über grenzen der sinnhaftigkeit nachzudenken. was ist zu wenig vorbereitung, was zu viel?

suckers for irrelevancy

 
[Students are] people trying to pay attention but having to compete with various influences

Humans are incapable of ignoring surprising new information in our visual field.

The form and content of a Facebook update may be almost irresistible, but when combined with a visual alert in your immediate peripheral vision, it is—really, actually, biologically—impossible to resist.

Computers are not inherent sources of distraction — they can in fact be powerful engines of focus — but latter-day versions have been designed to be, because attention is the substance which makes the whole consumer internet go.

some parts of making your brain do new things are just hard

Über Multitasking, und warum diese ganzen Devices und ständige Ablenkung unsere Aufmerksamkeit in Anspruch nehmen. Großartiger Artikel von Clay Shirky.

no fun intended

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first orders a beer, the second orders half a beer, the third orders a quarter of a beer, and so on. … After the seventh order, the bartender pours two beers and says, “You fellas ought to know your limits.”

stirnholz