“Everything at once doesn’t work” study about multitasking reveals

07.07.2010

As workloads and pressures increase – which seems to be the case almost everywhere – people will try to stay on top of things by doing several different tasks simultaneously. At home, this is exemplified by the modern mum, cooking dinner while checking emails on her laptop, talking to the school on the phone and keeping an eye on the baby. In the office, the phone is ringing, a new email pinging in your inbox, a colleague is asking you a question and all while you’re working to meet a project deadline this afternoon. Multitasking – working on several tasks at once – has become the order of the day. Men are said to prefer to do things linearly – one thing at a time – while women have been credited with a higher ability to multitask. This common myth is dispelled in a recent study by the Institute for Work and Health (DGUV) of the German Accident Insurance provider IAG. Trying to do too many things at once comes at a price – for men, women, young and old alike.
...more

 

“Working well in the office” is the name of a new campaign by the German metalworkers union IG Metall aiming to address the problem of long working hours, crammed workspaces, unreasonable workloads and constant pressure in the office. It sees the current trend towards new ways of working, open-plan and mobile offices, hot-desking and cutting costs by cramming more people into smaller spaces, as indicative of a work culture that puts employees under ever more and new pressures, whether physical or, increasingly, psychological. With its new campaign the IG Metall aims to reduce the stress office workers are exposed to and thereby raise the quality of office work.
...more

 

In his futuristic novel Gridiron, written in 1995, the British author Philip Kerr envisions a new high-rise building in Los Angeles filled to the brim with automated technology. In the story, the computer-controlled gadgetry develops a life of its own and turns against its users. A horror fantasy, of course, but the book did give a fairly accurate prediction of what is now possible in terms of building automation and smart homes technology. The author quotes Walter Gropius when proclaiming: “We want an architecture adapted to our world of machines, radios and fast cars…” In fact, the latest offerings in state-of-the-art home technology presented at this year’s Light+Building exhibition in Frankfurt, exceed much of what Philip Kerr envisaged in 1995. Homes are increasingly becoming highly sophisticated systems that can be operated remotely via a smartphone.
...more

 

One of the most dominant trends at the Light+Building exhibition, which took place in Frankfurt from 11th to 16th April 2010, was the increasing use of LED technology in lighting. With 180,000 visitors, the biennial exhibition showed a growth of eight per cent compared to 2008. This is mainly attributed to rising international interest in this innovation platform for technology, design, architecture and sustainability.
...more

 

The countdown has begun, and there are only few more days to go. From 1 May to 31 October, the EXPO 2010 World’s Fair will be taking place over an area of 5.28 square kilometres on both sides of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, a metropolis with millions of inhabitants. The preparations are proceeding apace, and rehearsals are already underway in the German Pavilion. This economic powerhouse will not only be presenting its roots and traditions, but will also be showcasing itself as a land of innovation with a vibrant culture and outstanding quality of life. In line with the event’s theme, “Better City, Better Life”, a new word took shape: ‘balancity’. This refers to a city that is able to achieve the proper balance between preservation and renewal, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, community and the individual, work and leisure, globalisation and national identity.
...more

 

1 2 3 4 5 6  more »