Feb. 29, 2008
Kids aren’t the IT power users we thought they were
IT World Canada
Shane Schick looks at the findings of a recent Ipsos-Reid study that found that teenagers aren’t as “skilled” online as many people thought they were.
“In Inter@ctive Teens: The Impact of the Internet on Canada’s Next Generation, researchers show that most young people spend only 13 hours a week online, compared to adults, who spend 19 hours surfing…Only 28 per cent of online teens consider themselves “experts” or “skilled” in such technology. These figures might serve as a helpful reality check as IT departments plan their training and development programs over the next several years. The study reminds us that we can’t presume digital literacy.”
Why solitary workers can be faster workers
Collision Detection
According to Tim Welsh, a kinesiologist at the University of Calgary, sometimes working independently and apart from others is the most productive way to do things. Clive Thompson examines this finding further.
“When subjects were working alongside companions, they worked more slowly. Welsh, theorizes that when we watch someone else performing a task, it triggers our mirror neurons, and mentally we begin modeling the task ourselves. If we’re simultaneously trying to complete our own, different task, the signals get crossed — and we slow down.”
Dell’s fourth quarter: watch retail channel, enterprise and software plans
ZD Net
Now that Dell is going through the channel, Larry Dignan says its software plans are one to look at.
“Dell is in the middle of integrating a series of software acquisitions such as EverDream, MessageOne and ASAP software. Some clarity on how Dell is going to grow its software sales will be worth watching. In the short-term, Dell’s expenses and margins will be volatile as it acquires these software firms and integrates them, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Bill Shope.”