Thoughtful Computing system

procreation," laughs Ted Selker of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. But increasingly, it is not just our kids pulling us three ways at once; it is also a relentless barrage of e-mail, alerts, alarms, calls, instant messages and automated notifications, none of them coordinated and all of them oblivious to whether we are busy-or even present. "It's ridiculous that my own computer can't figure out whether I'm in front of it, but a public toilet can," exclaims Roel Vertegaal of Queen's University in Ontario. B. Humanity has connected itself through roughly three billion networked telephones, computers, traffic lights- even refrigerators and picture frames- because these things make life more convenient and keep US available to those we care about. So although we could simply turn off the phones, close the e-mail program, and shut the office door when it is time for a meeting or a stretch of concentrated work, we usually don't. We just endure the consequences. C. Numerous studies have shown that when people are unexpectedly interrupted, they not only work less efficiently but also make more mistakes. "It seems to add cumulatively to a feeling of frustration," Picard reports, and that stress response makes it hard…