Thursday, July 15, 2004
Sometimes computers reduce productivity
“We had 12.9 gigabytes of PowerPoint slides on our network. And I thought, what a huge waste of corporate productivity. So we banned it. And we've had three unbelievable record-breaking fiscal quarters since we banned PowerPoint. Now, I would argue that every company in the world, if it would just ban PowerPoint, would see their earnings skyrocket. Employees would stand around going, "What do I do? Guess I've got to go to work."
- Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems
“We had 12.9 gigabytes of PowerPoint slides on our network. And I thought, what a huge waste of corporate productivity. So we banned it. And we've had three unbelievable record-breaking fiscal quarters since we banned PowerPoint. Now, I would argue that every company in the world, if it would just ban PowerPoint, would see their earnings skyrocket. Employees would stand around going, "What do I do? Guess I've got to go to work."
- Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems
Mugabe bans the colour red
I was thinking it was time for a bit of satire at Canary - and then this item caught my eye:
President Robert Mugabe's Government has banned the colour red from Zimbabwe television because it is the symbol of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The MDC encourages its supporters to flash football-style red cards, to tell Mugabe that he is no longer wanted on Zimbabwe's political field.
Some things are beyond satire. And do we hear the echo of Idi Amin in the background??
I was thinking it was time for a bit of satire at Canary - and then this item caught my eye:
President Robert Mugabe's Government has banned the colour red from Zimbabwe television because it is the symbol of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The MDC encourages its supporters to flash football-style red cards, to tell Mugabe that he is no longer wanted on Zimbabwe's political field.
Some things are beyond satire. And do we hear the echo of Idi Amin in the background??
Monday, July 12, 2004
Watching TV may speed up puberty
Watching too much television may distort the hormonal balance of children and push many of them into early puberty, according to a new study. Italian researchers found children denied access to TV for just one week experienced a jump of 30 per cent in their melatonin levels. The hormone is thought to prevent the early onset of puberty.
Professor Roberto Salti, of the Meyer Hospital at the University of Florence, said the results were very significant. They supported the hypothesis that the light and radiation coming from TV and computer screens can modify some hormones.
"There is a big difference between the children of today and those of 30 years ago," said Dr Salti. "Today they spend very many hours, five or six a day in some cases, in front of the TV."
The phenomenon of precocious puberty is increasing all over the western world. According to Dr Salti, some girls today enter puberty as young as 7, and some boys only slightly later. Exposure to TV could be one factor in this, he said.
Meanwhile, a bit of Norwegian research shows that teenagers who use mobile phones are more likely to have had sex. Researchers at the University of Oslo questioned more than 10,000 youngsters between the ages of 13 and 18 and found that 60 per cent of those who used mobiles a lot had had sex, while only 9 per cent of those who seldom or never used cell phones had had sex.
Those with mobile phones often embarked on sexual activity as young as 13. The researchers attributed this to the fact that children often flirt on cell phones and can make "speedy contact". "The use of mobile phones is directly responsible for early sexual encounters. [The phones] are as harmful as porn sites and adult magazines," said Professor Willy Pederson.
Acknowledgement: Both these items come from the latest newsletter at the Family and Society website.
Watching too much television may distort the hormonal balance of children and push many of them into early puberty, according to a new study. Italian researchers found children denied access to TV for just one week experienced a jump of 30 per cent in their melatonin levels. The hormone is thought to prevent the early onset of puberty.
Professor Roberto Salti, of the Meyer Hospital at the University of Florence, said the results were very significant. They supported the hypothesis that the light and radiation coming from TV and computer screens can modify some hormones.
"There is a big difference between the children of today and those of 30 years ago," said Dr Salti. "Today they spend very many hours, five or six a day in some cases, in front of the TV."
The phenomenon of precocious puberty is increasing all over the western world. According to Dr Salti, some girls today enter puberty as young as 7, and some boys only slightly later. Exposure to TV could be one factor in this, he said.
Meanwhile, a bit of Norwegian research shows that teenagers who use mobile phones are more likely to have had sex. Researchers at the University of Oslo questioned more than 10,000 youngsters between the ages of 13 and 18 and found that 60 per cent of those who used mobiles a lot had had sex, while only 9 per cent of those who seldom or never used cell phones had had sex.
Those with mobile phones often embarked on sexual activity as young as 13. The researchers attributed this to the fact that children often flirt on cell phones and can make "speedy contact". "The use of mobile phones is directly responsible for early sexual encounters. [The phones] are as harmful as porn sites and adult magazines," said Professor Willy Pederson.
Acknowledgement: Both these items come from the latest newsletter at the Family and Society website.
