Allan Hoffman

Harvard Business Review: The long history of information overload

Posted on 15. Mar, 2011 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living, Tech

There’s a fascinating, if brief, article by Ann Blair at the Harvard Business Review website: “Information Overload’s 2300-Year-Old History.”

David Ulin on the lost art of reading

Posted on 29. Nov, 2010 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living, Writing

Back in 2009, David Ulin of “The Los Angeles Times” wrote a short essay, “The Lost Art of Reading.” The premise was simple: Our lives make it increasingly difficult to focus on reading. (And reading, in this context, doesn’t mean reading your Twitter feed.) Why is this? It’s because our lives are filled with noise, [...]

Is a technology diet in order?

Posted on 26. Mar, 2010 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living

That’s the gist of a Fortune piece Patricia Sellers. It’s a fun read, thought I’m not wild about the headline: “2010 Resolution: Slow Down for Success.” Does everything have to be about “success”? How about contentment, enjoying yourself, being happy? In any case, she’s decided her New Year’s resolution isn’t about cramming more into her [...]

Crime writer on info-overload

Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living

At the Murderati blog, crime writer J.T. Ellison takes in the topic of information overload. The post includes some interesting thoughts/musings on the topic—in particular, how to control your info-consumption and also tackle creative projects: Late last year I adopted a minimalist lifestyle, which included trying to have a more minimalist experience on the Internet. [...]

Washington journalist without a BlackBerry? Yes, it makes sense

Posted on 31. Jan, 2010 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living

I love this brief essay from The New Yorker’s George Packer about the “information hell” of Twitter. Yes, I use Twitter, but I’ve got serious reservations about it, and Packer captures this: The truth is, I feel like yelling Stop quite a bit these days. Every time I hear about Twitter I want to yell [...]

David Carr on Twitter and the future

Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by Allan Hoffman in Distracted Living

David Carr of the New York Times thinks Twitter is here to stay. The title of his piece: “Why Twitter Will Endure.” But he also points toward what’s scary about Twitter. As he puts it: There is always something more interesting on Twitter than whatever you happen to be working on.