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Continuous Partial Attention

"Linda Stone, formerly of Apple and Microsoft, has coined the term "continuous partial attention" to describe life in the era of e-mail, instant messaging, cellphones, and other distractions. This curious feature of modern life poses a problem for a someone like me. Every productive thing that I do requires ALL my attention." Neal Stephenson

"Email is a wonderful thing for people whose role in life is to be on top of things. But not for me; my role is to be on the bottom of things. What I do takes long hours of studying and uninterruptible concentration." Don Knuth

"I don't even have an e-mail address. I have reached an age where my main purpose is not to receive messages." --- Umberto Eco, quoted in the New Yorker

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