Paul Saffo on Texting (While Walking)

Link to September 19 Paul Saffo journal post, "Beware of PedTEXTrians!"

Excerpt:
Lets face it, most of us have enough trouble doing one thing at a time. Put a phone in the hands of a walker, and the consequent diversion of attention lowers their IQ by 10 points. Put a Blackberry in their hand and the act of reading and typing while walking causes their IQ to plummet even further. There are just some things that shouldn’t be done at the same time. For example if you like to birdwatch while you hike, don’t get interested in mushroom hunting, or you will spend your entire time looking up and down, up and down. Walking while tweeting or texting or IMing is thus just plain dumb. Dumb, but not a crime.

[Paul Saffo is a forecaster and essayist with over two decades experience exploring long-term technological change and its practical impact on business and society. He teaches at Stanford University and is a Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Media X research network.]

Omro's Carter Memorial Library Looks to Expand

Aerial view of Omro

From the September 20 Oshkosh Daily Northwestern.

The Carter Memorial Library, 405 E. Huron St., will hold a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Monday [September 22] to find out what people want in an expanded library.

The meeting will give residents an opportunity to tell what amenities they'd like in the library and which areas they'd like expanded. A consultant will be on hand to seek public opinion. The results of the meeting will be included in a recommendation to the library board and the Omro City Council.

The library began its facility study in September with Durrant Architects of Madison [click on "portfolio", then "libraries"] and expects a final report in November, according to a news release from the library.

[During the years I lived in Oshkosh (1978-1986), Omro was a regular biking destination. Sometimes we even included a swing through Winneconne.]

An Idea Worth Stealing

Sold by the Friends of the Nashville (TN) Public Library.