Collaboration

The result is an egregious lack of productivity that may cost the U.S. economy $588 billion a year, according to a report by Basex, which has tabbed information overload as the "Problem of the Year" for 2008.

With e-mail as the biggest offender, Basex said users can save time by not e-mailing someone, and then following up with a phone call or an instant message two seconds later

Basex also said users must not combine multiple topics or requests in a single e-mail; make sure the subject clearly reflects the topic and urgency of the message; read their e-mails before sending to make sure they make sense; and will not hit reply-all unless necessary or reply with one-word e-mails such as "thanks.

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CityWall is a large multi-touch display installed in a central location in Helsinki which acts as a collaborative and playful interface for the everchanging media landscape of the city. The new interface launched in October 2008 also allows working with 3D objects, which enables multiple content and multiple timelines.

CityWall presents images, videos, descriptions and discussions on how nature in Helsinki benefits and disturbs dwellers. A single tree, for instance, can be both a useful physical shelter, an appreciated element in the urban landscape, a source for an irritating pollinosis and a danger for traffic. Many of the changes in the benefits and nuisances of nature are, at least partly, dependent on human activities. The settling of rabbits as permanent residents to Helsinki, for instance, follows partly from global warming that allows released pet rabbits to survive winters in urban green areas. To participate in this discussion, visit CityWall Flickr page and add comments there. You can add images to this discussion by attaching tags "cwnicehki" for nice things and "cwnuishki" for things that are nuisance in Flickr (additionally put tag "cwhkirabbits" if the photo includes rabbits!). You will need to establish your own Flickr account for this (this is a free service).