Distractions Add Up

Writer Marta Vogel tells us that early man examined his food to ensure it 1) was dead and 2) had no insects. 21st century man barely looks at his food; he's fixated on the package. Corporate giants figured out that consumers could become thoroughly hooked on "package literature."

Recognizing our craving for information, advertisers offer alluring product packaging. The average cereal box contains about 2,000 words, equal to eight pages of a book. Generic products, at the same basic quality as mid-level brands, were once sold by vendors who knew that people might not buy "wordless" cardboard and risk incurring "package deprivation."

Package deprivation? It's no surprise today that most of our population -- not just kids -- wears clothes or accessories with slogans and messages on them. Attraction to labeling and package copy robs you of breathing space. Minute bits of extraneous data have a cumulative impact.

Other symptoms of information overload abound. Do you attempt to think, converse, study, or even make love with distractions? Do you go through the motions of attempting to concentrate with office noise? Do you attempt to converse while on the Web or watching TV? Do you "need" to wind down before bed in front of a screen? You deserve a break today. Eat healthy food, with people in message-free clothing, and no reading material or screens in sight.

Inept Phone Service

Welcome to the XYZ Company's electronic answering system. If you know your party's extension, why did you call our main switchboard?

(With Government) You have reached a non-working number at the U.S. Department of Labor, and hence we can't connect you with anyone.

Calls are taken in the order received so please stay on the line so that we can repeat this irritating message at least a half a dozen times. You will not be disconnected, unless, of course, you are.

Your call is important to us, which is why we're willing to tie up your phone for a half an hour.

If you're using a rotary phone, good luck in reaching anyone.

If you're calling from a touch-tone phone and would like to leave a message, press the # sign followed by the number 2, followed by the digits of your social security number...

Once your message is completed, if you'd like to change it, press star button followed by the number 4, or wait for further overly-complex instructions.

To reach a customer service representative, who will practice learning English during your call, press 5.

To reach technical support, press 7 and please make sure you have your customer ID number, equipment serial number, original invoice, and lots of reading material.

For all other departments, please stay on the line where you'll be subjected to Muzak.

Nothing is Simple Anymore

Too true:
In our complex modern world, nothing is simple anymore, not even dying.
Lori Watt

Confronting the Noise

The city of Mount Dora, Florida, "may put a leash on frequent dog-barking," according to a feature written by Brad Buck of the Daily Commercial. "Under a proposed change in Mount Dora's noise ordinance, dogs won't be able to just keep barking and barking, creating a disturbance in a neighborhood."

"Mount Dora already prohibits dogs from barking for five minutes at a time. But under the revised ordinance, even if dogs bark for less than five minutes, their owners can be cited by the city if the dog barks for three periods in 24 hours. Such barking is considered a noise disturbance."

"If passed, residents can add barking dogs to noisy radios, TVs, musical instruments, loudspeakers, tape players, record players, power equipment and similar devices. Loudspeakers, public address systems or similar devices can be used at activities authorized by the city including parades and art festivals.

"Currently, the ordinance says dogs can bark for at most five minutes at a time or intermittently for at least 30 minutes. City staff starting changing the noise law after resident Monique Richardson told the council in August she was concerned about a new renter in her neighborhood that has a dog or dogs that bark at all hours."

My view: seems a bit draconian but what else can you do in a nation with well over 70,000, 000 dogs distributed among 110,000,000 households?

Eat Poorly, Live Poorly

Nanci Hellmich writing in USA Today cites a study conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that Americans are not eating enough fruits and vegetables:

“Despite mom's good advice, most of us aren't eating our fruits and vegetables, at least not enough of them, according to a large government study released Thursday. Only about 27% of adults in the USA ate vegetables three or more times a day in 2005, and 33% ate fruit two or more times a day that year. A higher percentage of women than men ate this much, according to interviews with more than 305,000 people conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”