Information Overload Overblown, Says Gates 258
Aarthi writes "Microsoft's annual CEO meet-and-greet kicked off on Thursday with the company's Chairman, Bill Gates, countering the notion that the workers today are not overloaded with information.'We still want a lot of information.' He also outlined plans for Office 12, the next version of its desktop software, which is due to arrive in the second half of next year." From the article: "There is a real temptation that the thing that comes in the latest is the one you shift your attention to, even though that may be the least important...That turns you into a filing clerk."
No such thing as too much information (Score:5, Interesting)
I am connected to a web with a lot of gigabytes of data - the Internet. It's a lot of data, but with the right tools and knowledge, it's not useless.
It's when you factor in using the wrong tools, lack of knowledge and malicious attempts to attract your attention that you get information overload.
It's an overrated buzzword anyway. It seems to be most used for the same reason the previous generation complained about the pace of life being quicker these days.
Easy for him to say... (Score:1, Interesting)
Hmmmm (Score:5, Interesting)
In many cases, things fall through the cracks when the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing. However, is that a causal relationship or a correlative one? I think that a strong corporate heirarchy where managers *gasp* are well trained employees that have moved through the system and proved that they are capable of seeing a picture bigger than "insert part A in slot B," is much more likely to not have the same sort of issues that a less well managed company would (assuming of course that the actual workers have very little clue what is going on outside of their area). Again, to bring up Plato, I think he is correct to say that people are happier when they are able to specialize in a specific task and work toward the perfection of said task. This does not mean that they cannot move up, but that the base job is a platform to the next level.
However, Gates is in an itneresting position. Software problems can be directly attributed to having too many programmers working in too small of a scope. When they lack the information to understand exactly how their code is part of the whole, they make mistakes.
But well coded, well documented, libraries, functions, programs, etc. should provide enough information for those who utilize the code to understand exactly how it will work within their project. Again, I think a well informed management that actually does work is a much better structure than building a staff of well informed workers from the ground up.
Information Overload (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Linux on the desktop? Just a fanboy fantasy (Score:2, Interesting)
From your post it sounds like you can't find your way out of a paper bag without a <right-click><properties> at your disposal.
I recompile the kernel all the time because of either kernel updates or because I need an additional feature without breaking any apps. This statement is crap.
Man pages do their job perfectly. They are for reference, not for reading like a manual. You should already be familiar with the program and you use the man pages for remembering what a command line argument does. It is like the dos help program, only much much better. If you are looking for a manual that reads like a book you are looking for info pages.
I can't figure out (Score:5, Interesting)
...if I have a serious problem. I spend my whole day filtering information, code, tech manuals, slashdot etc. and only taking in the bits that I think are useful/interesting/funny. If I miss something I figure I can always go back and read it again.
The problem is I can't switch it off. I skim everything, and now the problem is spreading: it's affecting my listening too! I have to really focus on someone to take in everything they tell me, especially people I listen too a lot, like my girlfriend. If she is talking to me about something 'really important', like shopping, holidays, TV or hair and my brain doesn't agree how important it is I simply don't hear what she's saying. What worse is that she has a typical female ability to multiplex two or more streams of information, one of which might actually be important. This has lead to all sorts of arguments.
Does this affect anyone else?
He's fallen prey to one of the classic blunders (Score:5, Interesting)
"...workers today are not overloaded with information." and "We still want a lot of information."
Hello? Can you say "Unrelated statements"? The fact that we want "a lot" of information does not preclude information overload.
The useful bit of information we want is (usually) a nugget that has to be carefully sifted from the deluge of meaningless noise that constantly flows through our every-day lives. These days, I'm finding that filtering out the noise now takes almost as long as accomplishing the task that I'm looking for information to complete.
How many of us waste a good deal of time each day dealing with spam? I'm not talking about "spam" in the classic sense; I get a lot of what I call "internal spam" where someone thinks it's important to tell me about things that have zero impact on my particular work... Or what about your organization's Intranet? Is it well-organized? Can you find the information you need without sifting through piles of marketing drek?
In any event, this is one of those situations where failing to acknowledge the problem could quite well be one of its symptoms. There's so much noise that the you think you're getting 100% of the signal.
Re:Linux on the desktop? Just a fanboy fantasy (Score:1, Interesting)
*I've* never found a problem with it as a desktop replacement. Of course, I'm not an idiot, that needs the Windows interface to know where to click, either.
Security vulnerabilities make money for Microsoft. (Score:5, Interesting)
'What if
For Bill Gates, it makes sense to have huge security vulnerabilities. Most people who have a huge amount of spyware and viruses notice that their computer is slow and buy another computer, thus making more money for Gates, because he then sells another copy of Windows. So, for Gates, there is hidden logic in selling the most vulnerable commonly used program in history, Internet Explorer. This vicious, hostile trick only works if most people are ignorant about what is causing their computer to be slow.
Your sig is interesting. Another seemingly wildly illogical issue:
On 9/11, 15 of the 18 attackers were Saudis. However, the U.S. invaded Iraq.
When Saudis attack, invade Iraq? Actually, that's not illogical, it is just that the logic is hidden. People in the U.S. now get some of the profit from Iraqi oil. Before they didn't.
For a president who comes from an oil family and a vice-president who worked for an oil company, it makes sense to use the attack by Saudis, angry at U.S. government influence on their country, to justify an attack on an oil-rich country.
This only works, of course, if most citizens in the U.S. are unaware of the largely secret U.S. government meddling, for private profit, in the affairs of other countries.
Quality Vs. Quantity - Using Information (Score:3, Interesting)
I find it instinctive to be an information packrat, collecting bits and pieces, and marveling at the relationships between a current situation and some idea observed long ago. However, there is so much information that is difficult to really organize since it is encapsulated in some vague relationship to dozens of subjects.
In spite of all the information free for the taking, the big problem remaining is to obtain the relevant in-depth knowledge useful for reaching a major goal.
According to information theory, information aids us by telling us what is true or believable, as opposed to the randomness akin to ignorance (example - the ignorance of the next lottery winning numbers as illustrated by the fact that even winners check their tickets).
A snapshot of thought is information leading from unsolved goal to solved goal. Deduction is so delicate that every step must be completed in order for the ultimate conclusion to deserve confidence.
It is likely that in the years to come the Internet will contain, freely available, information requisite for most problem solutions. It would be helpful for us to collect information and compile it into the form of knowledge that can be easily used. It's very expensive to search for information and separating the so called wheat from the chaff. Computers and the Internet are tools that will decrease the cost of obtaining relevant information, and organizing it would only help in problem solving.
Another aspect of information overload is handling it. Information triggers ideas and may sway beliefs. I say, live and let live. It would be nice to foster a tendency towards achieving new and unique goals and the belief that the information for attaining these goals is readily available. This comes down to the producers and providers of information to output quality while keeping in mind utility.
Right now I see so much information available but so difficult to organize into verifiable deductions. We've come quite a long way though.
Re:I can't figure out (Score:5, Interesting)
I've started hyperlinking my brain. I hear snippets of what people are telling me, I free associate during a conversation, I tune out my wife (most of the time with good reason) but even during important lectures or trainings, I start needing to check my laptop or my PDA.
I've consdiered resorting to meditation to help me stop the inner dialog and outwardly focus on things. I picked up my O'Reilley Advanced Perl Prrogramming book last night, because yet again I was struggling with references (pointers) and the book at one point just faded into symbols. I couldn't force myself to concentrate and read the code. Ok, perl can be like that sometimes, but this was TEXTBOOK perl, so it was supposed to be readable and understandable. But I couldn't focus on it.
I think I need to do something. I don't know what. Historically, reading a long book of non-fiction, like a biography, over the course a day or so sitting outside, has helped alot.
Re:Linux on the desktop? Just a fanboy fantasy (Score:1, Interesting)
Information overload is a real problem (Score:2, Interesting)
Many young people may be tempted to think that their brains are indestructible, that they can work for as many hours as they want, sleep as less as possible, and constantly overload their minds with stuff to process. They tend to find out the hard way (namely with burnouts) that reality is quite different. If you doubt this, do yourself a favor and have a chat with someone who has been through the problem.
You will therefore excuse me, Mr. Gates, but information overload is definitely not overblown.
Re:No such thing as too much information (Score:3, Interesting)
Indeed, there is data, information, knowledge and wisdom. Only the first of these is found on the Internet. It seems that we have lots of data, quite a bit of information, but very little knowledge and even less wisdom to prevent hatered, war, selfish greed, etc... a list as long as you want to make it. If a person has much knowledge without the wisdom to apply it, the usual result is pride leading to a downfall.
Completly OT (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Linux on the desktop? Just a fanboy fantasy (Score:1, Interesting)
1) Why are you compiling a new Linux kernel? You only do this when you put a new kernel on or you need to enable some specialised drivers, and in the majority of cases you just get the installer to do it for you
2) Dropping to the command line to compleat a task. Well if you want something that is so bloated that will do everything that you or anyone else can dream up then make one and sell it to the highest bidder, I think alot of companies are trying to do that and so far have failed. Me I think I will stick to the command line for those jobs that require it. In any case if you wish to have Linux running KDE or GNOME or FVWM or
3) Man pages - would you like it if I put a little help icon on your desktop or your window header (not difficult if you read the manual). How about xman or if you still have problems how about Google.
As far as the desktop goes what does the average clerk use in say MS office?
Answer! Normally they use email, a wordprocessor and rarely a spreadsheet or presentation software. It is rare they go to the trouble of learning macros or visual basic. If they access a database it is normally via web or client server and in some cases a tty terminal is still used. All the *nix's from the early 1980's could do this and with a GUI as well.
You talk about Illustrator and Photoshop, they run under Linix, the downside you have to pay for them. I commonly hear "oh! it's not like Windows" and I just walk away because you really cannot win with people who don't want to think.
Train your brain and read a book (Score:3, Interesting)
Turn all that electronic shit off. Make a nice cup of tea or coffee, sit down on a couch and read a good book for 30 minutes.
It works wonders.
Re:Completly OT (Score:2, Interesting)