June 13, 2008
Cubicle configuration could cultivate creativity
IT World Canada
Shane Schick recounts a recent interview with a game developer in which she commented on the workspace environment.
“I interviewed a young 35-year-old game developer, who had an unusual response when I asked what she needed to get the innovative juices flowing. ‘It’s going to sound kind of funny, but I would seriously like someone to come up with cost-effective, simple, cheap, office furniture with wheels,’ she said. ‘Right now when I want to collaborate with someone I have to walk over to their desk. Moving my desk is a huge pain. That’s why I recently took off a third of the walls from my cube. Now it’s less of a cube and more of a space. My team needs to get to me, and I feel we need to take the walls out of our workspaces.’”
Study: cell phones making teens stressed-out, careless, sleep-deprived…uh, isn’t that already the definition of teens?
Network World
Alpha Doggs shares the thoughts of Gaby Badre, the author of a recent study from the Sahlgren’s Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, on cell phones and their effect on youngsters.
“’Addiction to cell phone(s) is becoming common. Youngsters feel a group pressure to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use mobile phones at an early stage of their life. There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behaviour such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol,’ said Badre.”
Dell touts Windows XP to 2009 – and ‘likely longer’
The Register
Gavin Clarke helps spread good news to Windows XP Professional fans. According to Web site Neowin, Dell will be selling PCs that run on this OS until 2009 “at least.”
“The company has told customers Windows XP Professional will be available for OEM installation on PCs ‘through at least 2009 and likely longer,’ Neowin reports. All is not lost for Windows Vista, XP’s replacement. Dell will supply a Windows Vista disk with XP Pro machines, so users can upgrade when ready. Dell’s XP move comes in the wake of Microsoft’s own decision to extend the life of Windows XP for the sub-notebook and low-cost PC market to 2010.”