Information Overload Predicted Problem of the Year for 2008

Wired is reporting that information overload is being predicted by some analysts as the problem of the year for 2008. "'It's too much information. It's too many interruptions. It's too much lost time,' Basex chief analyst Jonathan Spira declared. 'It's always too much of a good thing.' Information overload isn't exactly new, but Spira said the problem has grown as technology increases societal expectations for instantaneous response. And more information available, he said, also means more time wasted looking for the right information, whether in an old e-mail or through a search engine."

you should welcome it.

[User 956]

Information Overload Predicted Problem of the Year for 2008

Correction: Information Overlord Predicted Problem of the Year for 2008.

I for one...

[Daltin]

welcome our new information overlord. Wait, I read that wrong.

God damn it!

[i_liek_turtles]

The year Linux finally is ready for the desktop, the internet goes and overloads!

Action Item #1

[ch-chuck]

Cancel subscription to Wired, that'll take care of a large part of it.

Evolution...

[fahrbot-bot]

But, before the (alleged) explosion, ineffective workers had minesweeper and solitaire. Before that they had a water cooler and last night's shows to talk about. Before that it was real solitaire with real cards.

Now it's /.

New Headline

[hardburn]

Wired Editor Attempts to Fill Whitespace

Fixed it for you.

Re:you should welcome it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Correction: Information Overlord Predicted Problem of the Year for 2008.

Correction to the correction: Information Overlord Overload Predicted Problem of the Year for 2008.

I've been saying for years that we need to stop spawning more overlords, but would you people listen? Of course not.

Information overload, man!

[BitwizeGHC]

Johnny Mnemonic: Yeah, the Black Shakes. What causes it?
Spider: What causes it?
[points to various pieces of equipment throughout the room]
Spider: This causes it! This causes it! This causes it! Information overload! All the electronics around you poisoning the airwaves. Technological fucking civilization. But we still have all this shit, because we can't live without it. Let me do my work.

How to deal with information overload

[Malevolent Tester]

A guide to ensure an information overload free 2008:

1) Don't give your manager more information than you have to. "Good morning" should be sufficient for the day. He's got a lot on his plate, and doesn't need to know that you've had no work to do for the past month.
2) Don't tell anyone where you're going when you go for a meeting, or whom it's with. That information could be just one bit too much. In fact, don't force the admin staff to check if there's a room available. Go down the pub for the meeting to stop them from having to schedule anything.
3) 90% of the office emails are going to be a waste of time - however, if you check them to find out, you'll get sucked into dealing with them. Instead, create a rule that randomly deletes all but 1 in 10 of the emails you receive. Statistically, this will be the important one.
4) Timesheets. Surely the classic example of information overload. Just pick a random job code and fill in all your hours with that. You're in (well, provided you aren't following #3 too closely) and that's what counts, right? The beancounters will thank you one day.

I hope this guide gives you all a productive and useful 2008.

Re:Obligatory welcome

[XHIIHIIHX]

In Soviet Russia, You overload information problem. Duh.

So basically

[moogied]

More IT jobs will be created in 2008? Wow.. what a suprise. Oh. My. God. Christ almighty, does every year need to have some HUGE problem?

Re:you should welcome it.

[BlueParrot]

Kekekekekeke Orwell rush.

Re:not necessarily information overload

[Anonymous Coward]

Usually ineffective employees can be made effective through competent management.

Competent...management? Fish...unicycle? I recognize both of these words, but in combination they puzzle me.

chicken nuggets in 30s or less

[epine]

What a bunch of pussies. We all know that a quick answer isn't necessarily a good answer, but maybe only 10% of us have the balls to stick to our guns, and half of us are at risk of winding up on the unemployment line, because a defective "fast food" culture has gained ascendancy in office politics, much like McDonald's in the 1970s. Only later did the masses decide that burger stamped from 1000 different bulls (to paraphrase "Supersize Me") is not good for the constitution (either personal or corporate). I was only twelve when I first tasted a green Shamrock shake, and even then my palate was sophisticated enough to conclude that petrochemicals (to give those flavour additives the benefit of the doubt) were unfit for human consumption.

That's the present state of corporate email and IM culture: fast is good. Fast is actually crap, unless you are careful where you eat, but it will take another decade or so for backlash to recruit the unwashed. The average email response received in under 15 minutes is deep fried in hydrogenated soybean oil to a crispy golden colour. Yum, yum. Eat up and regurg, if you wish to see Santa arrive with your xmas bonus arrive in your neck of the cubical farm.

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who haven't got it."

-- George Bernard Shaw

Re:Minicity ??

[Mike610544]

I think we should stop modding up these "mod down myminicity" posts. It creates a situation where the people reading at +x are exposed to the word myminicity repeatedly, which is presumably their goal.

I guess this "dont mod up the "mod down minicity" posts" post should also be not modded up (If I'm missing the point I'll take +5 insightful :).)

Re:... if you know the exact wording

[chudnall]

After reading through all that, all I remember is:

blonde with great tits