E-mail is the mind killer

Something else you can add to the list of reasons to hate e-mail, writes Wall Street Journal columnist Carol Hymowitz:

Managers complain that the relentless flow of computer messages disrupts thought processes and kills creativity. There is no quiet time available during the workday, or even after office hours, to digest information, to ponder fresh ideas, to concentrate wholeheartedly on a difficult problem, or even to daydream. Instead, the expectation that messages from colleagues, bosses, customers and suppliers will be answered promptly requires that employees think only in short bursts, moving quickly from one topic to another.

Currying favor

A quick glimpse at what people are worked up over elsewhere in the world:

Inspectors in Surrey, England, discovered that many curry restaurants were putting illegally high levels of some food colorings in chicken tikka masala -- "the nation's favourite dish"-- to achieve the bright reddish color British diners expect, the Guardian reports.

The additives in question: tartrazine (E102), sunset yellow (E110) and ponceau 4R (E124).

The Independent fleshes out the list with some background:

While the colourings are only dangerous if consumed in large quantities, other countries have been sufficiently concerned to ban their use altogether. All three are claimed to be linked to hyperactivity in children.

Tartrazine, a dye made from coal tar, is banned in Norway, Finland and Austria because of concerns that it can cause blurred vision, purple skin patches and is hazardous for asthmatics and anyone allergic to aspirin. It is used in cakes, soft drinks and sauces, while some egg manufacturers feed it to their chickens to make their yolks extra yellow. Sunset yellow is also banned in Norway and Finland but elsewhere is used in juices, sweets and sauces. Scientists have linked it with chromosome damage and kidney tumours as well as abdominal pain, hives, nausea and vomiting. Ponceau 4R, which is illegal in the US and Norway, is believed to cause cancer in animals.

Oh, what exactly makes this Indian-inspired dish the favorite of Britons? The Telegraph explains.

Ultimate e-mail address?

Would you like an e-mail address that's so long that:

• E-mail programs and Web forms can't deal with it;
• People can't remember it;
• Companies you deal with think it has to be a fake.

Those are some of the "features" you get if you sign up for a free e-mail account with
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijk.com.

Convergence confusion

Computers, toys and consumer electronics are different things, right? Not necessarily and not anymore, Frank Catalano writes in a thoughtful essay examining convergence.

Manufacturers are increasingly blurring the lines between once distinct product categories and, in the long run, this could be good for consumers. Provided, he notes, that companies don't fall into the trap of trying to make products that are all things to all people.

In the world of consumer electronics, consumers don’t want to think hard to figure out why a product is important to them, or work hard to get at the benefit. Smart companies stay focused on a single, tangible benefit and let the other features come along for the ride.