The Ongoing "Information Overload" Dilemma

What is the best way in filtering out the 'trash' while obtaining

the worthwhile & beneficial 'treasure' in the information

'spectrum'??

The best filter is to have a decent education, without it you will not be able to tell the difference between 'trash and treasure'.

This is true to a certain degree, yet this answer is assumes that

God-given common sense, informal/formal learning, & a Ph.D.

education will solve all of our FILTRATION needs as a scientific

society while the real world 'Land Fills' grow in height every day

and my MS Outlook 2003 'creaks & groans' under the weight of

all my bulk commercial email newsletter subscriptions in full

HTML "Technicolor" and '3D' graphics that 'max-out' my 512mb

of ram! MS's Vista OS is way,way,WAY too, too, tooo

memory-consumptive for my current PC hardware

configuration!... Any other overly simple, snide commentators out

in Cyberville??

I have found the best way to filter out the trash overloading my sensors is the off button...

My TV only goes on when there is something to watch, so that's about one hour a day...

The computer is for email and research, so my head filters out the googled junk.

I don't have a newspaper, I listen to the radio news and ignore most of it as its mostly media hype...

So when something really important happens in the world I'm usually the last to know of it!!!

John.

I'm hard pressed to see a software solution that will be able to perform such a task, especially if it needs to be designed so that individual users can tune it to their own preferences. One persons trash is another's treasure after all....Keep in mind, it's hard to find a spam filter that works well, and those are targeted towards a known and understood problem that effects only one type of media. To design something that can carry across many platforms and all media would be quite futile. Unfortunately, the best method remains our own minds and appropriate deployment of technology once we have identified what we individually view as "treasures".

I fully understand and agree with your comment, Chris! . . .

. . . Don't we have to both conclude then, that:

The HUMAN physiological & psychological NEED to filtrate our

Digital, "Virtual", and ' REAL - WORLD ' ,

'Brick&Mortar' Communications & Working Environs by what ever

CRITERIA that we INDIVIDUALLY deem necessary will always

be a daily responsibility for the rest of our collective lives!!!

One of the solutions is BBC Radio 4. The pictures are so much better than any on television.

Remember that e-mail traffic is low priority; no-one ever sent a cheque/check by email.

There should be a software solution for every problem, really?

Bil Gates, do you listen?

I am sure we cannot construct something like a firewall for information.

On the internet we can choose some techniques to get the right information we want, but often, we are just spending so much time on the internet, with the tv.
Imagine! Imagine what you can do else in that time, talking with friends, cooking together, have a walk, reading a book... There are so many possibilities.

Education has to show how young people how to benefit from information, not to resignate or to look always for the latest hype...

We have the freedom of choice, and, sometimes we choose too much, but, we also have the choice to switch off. We just need to learn that again.

Just try!

An alternative to commercial radio stations are some nice internet radio stations, with no ads and not that overload of information.

My personnel recommendation is soma.fm with different kinds of music to choose from... I just love it and hope, that internet radio will not die in the next future!

Bill Gate + Microsoft -- (Stake in)--> AOL.

They have a financial interest in exposing you to the trash.

No help there.

It's all down to time management and selectivity.

Unsolicited E-mail : If you don't have existing contact with the sender bin it . The chance of missing something important is negligible.

Papers : Only read 1 decent Newspaper at weekends . The world will not change if you are not up to speed with every single event (you'll hear the major stories whatever)

Sleep :adapt your work hours - if you want to check out things globally , do so when traffic is quiet . If your working when those around sleep and there are no distractions your productivity rockets . No distractions.

Time : If you find yourself waiting for something (traffic jam , whatever ) ask yourself what you could do to change that/use the time.

Carry a notebook to organize spontaneous thoughts and ideas.

Too much information is worse than too little . The internet is like inviting a zillion salesmen to knock at your door. It's up to you to decide on answering it or not.

Have objectives that are clearly defined.

For what it's worth , I can get by on very little sleep and I divide that into 2 chunks. I save huge amounts of time by doing mundane things at the most efficient time (eg get to the bank when the doors open ). I can still be there for the important stuff like being with family. The newspaper thing works a treat - I usually have a 25 hr news channel on at a low volume , the mind can subconsciously pick up 'important' stuff being broadcast . If the phone rings , be ruthless with caller display - it eliminates cold calling salesmen.

It's a worthy topic to raise , but one that boils down to individual choice/planning. As somebody said to me "plan your work and work you plan". Knowing your objectives is all. The 21st century gives us the biggest problem of all - too much information. Snap decision is often better than a painfully long one (right or wrong) - check out speed chess tactics.

http://www.augmentedcognition.org/

The best software is the 'wetware' inside your cranium. It gauges the value of your life and how you fill it. Every now and then it needs a reboot. This can take anywhere from seven to ten days. Location is important. Here are a few suggestions:

Big Bend National Park

Sequoia-King's Canyon National Park -

An extended stay at either place will give you a better perspective of what's important, and what ain't.

Or for those who prefer clean, fresh Atlantic air:

(I'm just back from two week's of cycling and watching the surfers)

http://www.isleoftiree.com/

What about 'bandwodth overload`??

The capacity is admittedly large, but it IS limited.

Image files slow the system for everyone.

Post this on a web page and provide a link ()

Apologies #s11 & 12, I forgot to reduce the image size before posting - I'd better make sure I don't upload any taken with the new 8MP camera.

_{Better reduce the size of those smilies, too, and your font. Bandwidth hogs.}

^{I sometimes forget that some people are still on dial-up, too.}

Tiree is cool- on my agenda when I get a chance.

Book early - there's only one ferry per day in the summer.

(3 a week in winter)

I went to Muck once and that's really scarce ferry service. It's possible to hire a yurt there ! The beaches on some of the Scottish Isles outclass the Caribbean - clear water and sand , remote etc . You can get a better tan up there than England.

I know, I've got one - and its only April!

They need to add a smiley for 'jelous' !

I'll be right over!

Bring a scope - the night sky's a wow !

With my commission from the Scottish Tourist Board , I'll be over to see them thar hills e. All I get to see on a clear day is France (re-assuringly distant . Nice cheese , shame about the cars )

"(re-assuringly distant ...."

-----

ROFL!

It's all the radiation from Doonray.

Ask google?

Brilliant !

Somebody in the Americas is troubled by information overload and asks the entire planet for a solution . ROFL

Sorry , Questioner , but you've got to see the funny side to that.

The humorous aspect of my question is intentional, Kris. I'm glad

you're emoting over this 'Info Overload' issue, but the stacks of

flat white wood pulpy things still remain to be sorted,sifted, and

"File-Thirteened"!... I have a 'blanket' term for this quandry. . .

namely, CLUTTER !

Relieved you saw the funny side Steve . One of my favoured methods of organizing my desk is to make frequent use of the circular filing cabinet that is always kept within pitching distance. I try to keep what I regard as 'essential' reference books , even if they get stored in the garage , because one day 'they' might pull the plug.

One mans info resource is another mans dustbin.