Hyperactive

Ellen Ullman thinks that what's good for the computer isn't necessarily good for the user:

Multitasking, throughput, efficiency: these are excellent machine concepts, useful in the design of computer systems. But are they principles that nurture human thought and imagination? Not that long ago, we didn't think so. I am reminded of the scene in the 1976 movie "The Man Who Fell to Earth" in which David Bowie, playing an alien, sits watching a bank of television sets, each tuned to a different channel. The screens flash, the sound blares — the sensory overload is almost unbearable. Yet he watches unfazed. It is the surest sign that he is not human.

The more we embrace the virtues of the machine, the more difficult it becomes to slow down to a more human pace. Many people (and I have to include myself in this group) fool themselves into thinking that if they can find more efficient ways of doing their work, then they will have more time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the good life. The trouble is, those same efficient work habits structure the way one approaches leisure time as well. Why just read a book if you can have the TV on, too? Why bother going to the ballgame if you can't check your email during the timeouts?

So if you're reading this, get up and go for a walk. And leave the iPod at home.