Computer vs. Brain Balance

Marion Richmond posted a comment to my post that “technology fries your brain worse than pot”. Marion hails from the resident Resonance Partnership blog she noted a NY Times (registration required) called “Meet the Life Hackers.” The just of the article is that email is both a help and a hindrance.  For as much a benefit as it provides, it can also operate as a distraction. Clive Thompson, contributing writer for the magazine,  has this interesting quote,
         “For a small cadre of computer engineers and academics, this realization has begun to raise an enticing    possibility: perhaps we can find an ideal middle ground. If high-tech work distractions are inevitable, then maybe we can re-engineer them so we receive all of their benefits but few of their downsides. Is there such a thing as a perfect interruption?”
I agree that it is critical for us to find a balance between the benefits and burdens of technology. There is no question that technology can fry your brain, that it can become addictive just like anything else. In my office, I try to balance my time between my computer cart and other areas of my office where I do productive work. If I feel myself getting sucked into my computer, I try to get up and do other necessary work which requires walking around. This breaks me from the spell that technology can put me under and helps to ensure that I am focusing on many tasks, as opposed to just one.