Better to Transform Than Whine

I’m sorry but with 14 million Americans out of work, I found it hard to listen to people whining on the news yesterday about the unbearable burden they shoulder by being granted technological access to the office any time they need it or at their convenience – especially while on vacation.

It seems perfunctory now to do such an article one or more times a year near a long holiday weekend. This one was entitled Smartphones Making It Harder To Call It Quits. I’ve heard similar stories for years and now that I’m retired I have even less patience with them.

Having essential tremor in my hands from the time I was very young, technology has always been a solution to anxiety for me. I was so relieved when they let us begin taking tests in law school on typewriter.

I wonder how much better I would do today in taking the SAT, ACT and LSAT now that they let you schedule them in small groups, at convenient times and take them on desktop computers.

If it is as good as touted, Duke professor Cathy Davidson’s new book which will be released August 18th would be a better story. It is entitled Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn.

Here is a link to a write-up about the book in the July/August issue of Fast Company Magazine in a column by Anya Kamenetz. Davidson is also co-founder of HASTAC (Haystack) – A Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Collaboratory. Click here to follow her blog on HASTAC and click here for her blog about her new book.

A friend mentioned something interesting over coffee last week. She wondered if we’re being sure to re-evaluate ideas for new transportation infrastructure in light of the dramatic technological shifts to things like telecommuting.

Most of our transportation infrastructure is centered around getting people to and from work and transport of goods. We may be working on solutions to yesterday’s problems or tomorrow’s? Just think about all of those vacant bank branch buildings or for that matter Blackberries.

I’m eager to see what Professor Davidson thinks.