THE MULTITASKING MYTH - In the past few years, the ability to multitask has
become a glorified skill. But a 2001 study conducted at the University of Michigan
shows that 20-40% of a worker's productivity is eaten up by "task-switching," the
time it takes to mentally re-engage when shifting from one task to another. Lyman
Steil, president of the St. Paul, MN-based The Masters Alliance, says he regularly
advises clients on the dangers of multitasking. "When you divide your attention, there
is a loss on both ends. Our research is crystal clear that multitasking does not mean
people are doing their work productively." Multitasking is such an ingrained part of
our culture, however, that most people don't know how to change, even if they
recognize the problem. The most common reason? "There's not enough time to deal
with it." (Presentations Magazine, Oct 03)

INTERNET2 UNVEILS EASY MULTI-SITE IP VIDEOCONFERENCING -
Internet2, the higher education research-network consortium, will offer its members
a videoconferencing service it says would make setting up video meetings as simple
as phone conferencing. The service, based on H.323 video and audio standards,
would allow subscribers to reserve ports for time-sensitive meetings, regularly
scheduled distance learning classes, as well as multi-party videoconferences on the
spur-of-the-moment. Tyler Johnson, a telecom systems analyst at the University
of North Carolina, called the service, "A vital stride in developing virtual
collaboration environments, (with) affordable cost and easily deployable
technology. Internet2 provides the equipment, staffing, and expertise to run this
new service, which has been in development for two years. Read more
at: http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=3204 (Syllabus News Update, 17 Oct 03)

RESEARCHERS TO INVESTIGATE UNIVERSAL SUPER-FAST
INTERNET - Funded by a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Science
Foundation, a team of researchers led by Hui Zhang of Carnegie Mellon University
will investigate the costs and implications of building an infrastructure that would
bring extremely fast Internet connectivity to most homes and businesses in the
United States. According to Zhang, principal investigator of the so-called "100
Megabits for 100 Million Homes" project, the success of the Internet has raised,
rather than answered, questions about fundamental network architecture. Zhang
said the Internet must be made faster, more dependable, and more robust. The
project will include researchers from Rice University, Stanford University, the
University of California at Berkeley, Internet2, and other laboratories and research
centers. Researchers will study glass-fiber networks and develop prototypes that
could serve as models for a new nationwide network. The complete article is at:
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/10/2003100102t.htm (Chronicle of Higher
Education, 1 Oct 03 Edupage 1 Oct 03)