The Seattle Times: Pacific Northwest Magazine: "We're shooting through technological rapids that have opened doors and changed the dynamic of work, how we communicate and live, and sometimes even think. All these tools have made our lives easier in many ways. But they're also stirring deep unease. Some are concerned that the need for speed is shrinking our attention spans, prompting our search for answers to take the mile-wide-but-inch-deep route and settling us into a rhythm of constant interruption in which deadlines are relentless and tasks are never quite finished.
Scientists call this phenomenon 'cognitive overload,' and say it encompasses the modern-day angst of stress, multitasking, distraction and data flurries.
In fact, multitasking ? a computing term that involves doing, or trying to do, more than one thing at once ? has cemented itself into our daily lives and is intensely studied. Research has shown it to be consistently counterproductive, often foolish, unhealthy in the long run, and in the case of gabbing on the cell phone while driving, relatively dangerous. Yet it is also expected, encouraged and basically essential. "