I'm not discrediting ADD. but i think theres a relationship between the speed of technology, the speed of our attention, and ADD.

I was on my phone earlier today, using Google Maps. And I was totally distracted by the fact that I was waiting at a stop light. I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.

It felt alot like a symptom of my ADD but then I realized this is a circumstance very common for everyone. On the phone and on the road. Totally unaware.

Does anyone feel me on this?

I feel you on the slow internet technology on the phones and I feel the guy behind you who's honking the horn and yelling out the window, I know you wouldn't have those problems if the browser on the phone wasn't so slow.

Right. But the point being is that I was "distracted". and isn't that what ADD is about?

very common for everyone. On the phone and on the road. Totally unaware.ya, I agree

a symptom of my ADD but . .. this is a circumstance very common ya, I agreehttp://addforums.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
i think theres a relationshiphttp://addforums.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gifyes indeed

I'm not discrediting ADD. but i think theres a relationship between the speed of technology, the speed of our attention, and ADD.

I was on my phone earlier today, using Google Maps. And I was totally distracted by the fact that I was waiting at a stop light. I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.

It felt alot like a symptom of my ADD but then I realized this is a circumstance very common for everyone. On the phone and on the road. Totally unaware.

Does anyone feel me on this?
------------------------------------------------------------------

I feel you on the slow internet technology on the phones and I feel the guy behind you who's honking the horn and yelling out the window, I know you wouldn't have those problems if the browser on the phone wasn't so slow.------------------------------------------------------------------------

HELLO


Lets put this into perspective

And I was totally distracted by the fact that I was waiting at a stop light. I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.
Where you driving a car when this took place !!!!!!!!!!!!

It wouldn't be that " YOU were totally distracted by the fact that, YOU, were doing things that you shouldn't have been doing while YOU, were waiting at a stop light while YOU, were driving your car .


I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.










Does the fact that you are operating a Weapon Of Mass Destruction enter into this situation at all..........
Does the fact that cars and roads and stoplights ( and maybe pedestrians pushing baby strollers ) weren't designed so you could be on the phone and using Google maps while your sitting at a stop light......
Do you drive a car with an automatic transmission ?????
Does it have a " P " somewhere in the view screen of the PRNDL (Pronounced "prindle") The lever used to select gears on an automobile equipped with an automatic transmission. Usually located on the column behind the steering wheel, or floor mounted on the center console, ahead of and between the front seats.
Put the PRNDL in D to move forward, in R to reverse, and use L when climbing steep hills.

Try putting the PRNDL in P for PARK and actually PARKING the car when you need to do these things, therefore you will not be endangering the lives of other people..............



I do hope this will help you with the problem of not understanding .................




I'm not discrediting ADD. but i think theres a relationship between the speed of technology, the speed of our attention, and ADD.




Maybe this will also give you a better understanding



What it is like to have ADD (http://addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=430568&postcount=127)

Garry may be robust in his views but he is saying what research has proved.

In the UK it is illegal to use a mobile while driving, even while stopped at a red light or stuck in a traffic jam.

It's not a symptom of ADD, everybody loses enough concentration to become dangerous when using a mobile whilst driving.

kilt

I've dozed off at stop lights waiting for them to turn green....

Cell Phone use while driving has yet to become illegal where I live. I also rarely drive and use the cell phones because I am in such a rush on the road, all the other person hears is me yelling at stupid people on the road, and if I am using mapquest to get directions, because it is still legal to use cell phones on the road where I live, I don't want some slow browser making me wait for directions. I usually also run red lights when I can get away with it, hence the subtype Hyperactive/Impulsive...

I'm not discrediting ADD. but i think theres a relationship between the speed of technology, the speed of our attention, and ADD.

I was on my phone earlier today, using Google Maps. And I was totally distracted by the fact that I was waiting at a stop light. I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.

It felt alot like a symptom of my ADD but then I realized this is a circumstance very common for everyone. On the phone and on the road. Totally unaware.

Does anyone feel me on this?No.

If technology did not exist we'd find something else to be distracted with.

If technology did not exist we'd find something else to be distracted with.

Like reading a book?

While what you write may be true, certain objects/things tend to be more distracting than others. There's very little that I could think of that would draw one to the same degree that is normally found or used in a car than a cell phone (especially using it in a way that one needs to look at the screen for an extended period).

I think technology definitely has an impact on peoples attention span and how quick they expect things to happen. Especially my generation that grew up with computers.

Driving on the phone isn't too bad, could be a problem for people with ADD though. You're medicated though right? I think sleeping while tired is probably more dangerous.

In terms of technology and especially using a multi-tasking desktop computer, for example, ADHD is quite an advantage. I am quite proficient at computers and often you'll find on my Gentoo desktop computer about 6 windows open on all 3 of my desktops (XFCE, by the way). It lets me jump from task to task. Whilst I'm waiting for my emails to load I switch to the next program and save my Vim session or whatever.

I don't think ADHD is a good or bad thing. I think it is a difference and whilst we aren't adapted to our society's way of functioning, that doesn't mean we can't find ways in which we can do things more efficiently than our NT peers. This is just one of the things I'm better at. Who knows, with the increase of technology use in our lives ADHD could be seen as some sort of gift symbolising we are superior beings and that we must be worshipped via various rituals including presenting us with gifts.. Hehehehe.

In terms of technology and especially using a multi-tasking desktop computer, for example, ADHD is quite an advantage. I am quite proficient at computers and often you'll find on my Gentoo desktop computer about 6 windows open on all 3 of my desktops (XFCE, by the way). It lets me jump from task to task. Whilst I'm waiting for my emails to load I switch to the next program and save my Vim session or whatever. I hope I don't rain on everyones parade here with my post but this is my oppinion
The main thing that I am getting from reading this thread is that most of us are claiming that





cell phones are distracting
computers are distracting
books are distracting
technology is distracting
girls are distracting
dogs and cats are distracting
eating is distracting
and so on and so on
everything is distracting
These are just things that we allow to distract us

They are inanimate objects that do not have the ability to distract us unless we give them that ability........


These objects are not distracting
We as humans ( ADDER'S ) are distracted
We have the choice as to what amount of involvement we allow ourselves to be distracted by the everyday world.............

We are the ones that feel we need all these toys around us , such as cell phones , PDA's , GPS's , ect.... ect ...

We are as distracted as we are because we allow the world to distract us.....



We as a family have moved from a small town to the outskirts of a small village
we as a family have removed the LANDLINE telephone and we all now use a cell phone

as a family we can stay in touch
no tell a marketers
no phone calls from anyone unless I choose to give out my number
This month we are turning off the satellite TV and going back to basic TV
I carry my cell phone with me at all times but it is me who controlls when it gets used ---- not it controlling me ----


If someone calls


If I choose to answer I will talk to them
If I don't choose to answer , they may leave a message or call back later
if they dont , then it wasn't that important now was it.....
The Bottom line is this

We are are our own Liquor Control Board ( we choose how much we drink )
We are our own Censer Board ( we choose what we read or watch on TV )

We are also our own Distraction Control Board ( We have the right to choose what does and does not distract us )

But if we don't choose to be an active participating member of our Distraction Control Board then we must be prepared to live with the consequences......









I don't think ADHD is a good or bad thing. I think it is a difference and whilst we aren't adapted to our society's way of functioning, that doesn't mean we can't find ways in which we can do things more efficiently than our NT peers. This is just one of the things I'm better at. Who knows, with the increase of technology use in our lives ADHD could be seen as some sort of gift symbolising we are superior beings and that we must be worshipped via various rituals including presenting us with gifts.. Hehehehe.



I myself believe that ADD and ADHD is nothing more than a name that was made up by society, to categorize a certain segment of society that does not behave the same as the rest of society.....

The further I get away from what is considered to be normal main stream society, the less stressed and distracted I become....

The further I get away from what is considered to be normal main stream society, the more normal I become because there is fewer and fewer people to pick apart the way I choose to live my life........

My next move will be to HERMITville, Ontario, Canada where my closest neighbor will be a Groundhog, a Raccoon and a Black Bear, with a couple of live Deer grazing on my front lawn pretending they are lawn mowers...

any one care to Join Me on my trip to




http://www.addforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1405



THE STATION (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=94214&postcount=1)

Well said Garry :) I think you have the right idea

Like reading a book?

While what you write may be true, certain objects/things tend to be more distracting than others. There's very little that I could think of that would draw one to the same degree that is normally found or used in a car than a cell phone (especially using it in a way that one needs to look at the screen for an extended period).Try fiddling with the radio, spacing out thinking about something in the past.
Yes the phone may be easier to space out on, but I have found myself driving while not all there with nothing at all happening.

In fact that only way I don't space out is either by listening to something good on the radio (and dear God is that hard to find) or speeding.

i'm the exact same way with respect to getting bored while driving.

in terms of technology's effects on attention, technology may exacerbate an extant condition, but a purely causal relationship isn't tenable.

purely anecdotal here, but i do my best studying with 2 or more tv's set to different stations and some classical, jazz, or NPR in the background.

:)

To my friend Garry. You need to stop freaking out on these threads. I was safely STOPPED at the red light. and ignored the green light for .5 secs. Hardly a WMD.

Your the type of person i want to avoid in life.

To my friend Garry. You need to stop freaking out on these threads. I was safely STOPPED at the red light. and ignored the green light for .5 secs. Hardly a WMD.

Your the type of person i want to avoid in life.Just be aware that he's worried about your safety and the safety of others. The way he came across might have been a bit strong but this is an ADD forum afterall..

To my friend Garry. You need to stop freaking out on these threads. I was safely STOPPED at the red light. and ignored the green light for .5 secs. Hardly a WMD.

Your the type of person i want to avoid in life.Yooch

Please correct me if I am wrong in my analogy of this, but the impression you gave at first was this...............

I'm not discrediting ADD. but i think theres a relationship between the speed of technology, the speed of our attention, and ADD.

I was on my phone earlier today, using Google Maps. And I was totally distracted by the fact that I was waiting at a stop light. I ignored the stop light and someone honked at me when it turned green.

It felt alot like a symptom of my ADD but then I realized this is a circumstance very common for everyone. On the phone and on the road. Totally unaware.

Does anyone feel me on this?So when I gave you my feelings as you asked , you didn't like what you heard, possibly because I am not patronizing you and your opinion that it is ok to play with your toys when you are supposed to be concentrating on driving you car.



When you got your license how many questions were on the exam about the proper way to use your toys while driving the car.....
How much time was dedicated in the actual driving test to the proper use of your toys.....
Your the type of person I want to avoid in life.

I drive a " Tractor Trailer " for a living and I have seen many people along the highways who are either "QUITE DEAD" themselves or "QUITE DEAD" as a result of someone else who doesn't seem to understand the importance of paying attention when they are driving........


So I guess that makes you " the type of person I want to avoid in life " also ......

You asked " Does anyone feel me on this? "

Well now you know how "I feel on this"



Be careful what you ask for in life .......
because sometimes you get what you asked for......


and it may not be what you really wanted in the first place.....

I know this is a dead thread but this was in Dear Abby today so for anyone who is interested here it is........................

From the Toronto Sun (http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/lifestyles/abby/645461,5_5_WA12_ABBY_S1.article)

.................................................. ............................................






DEAR ABBY Cellphone use impairs drivers



November 12, 2007
Dear Abby: Please tell people to hang up and drive! This year, five girls who had just graduated from high school in a nearby town were killed in a car crash. The news media carried some stories on the investigation, including the fact that the driver's cell phone had sent and received text messages while the driver was passing a truck seconds before the accident occurred. There is no text message important enough for five people to die for! Unless someone else was using her cell phone, the driver was not paying enough attention to the road.

Talking on a cell phone while driving isn't much safer than texting because, unlike someone sitting in the car with you, the person on the cell phone can't see your distractions and will keep demanding your attention as you navigate with half your mind.

We're all busy. We all need to multitask at times. But pull off the road to use your cell phone, because nothing anyone has to say or hear is worth dying for. Please, Abby, use your influence to get people to hang up and drive! -- Rosemary in New York




Dear Rosemary: I'll try. Readers, the Los Angeles Times recently printed a picture taken on one of our California highways of a young woman who was not only driving while texting, but also had her left foot hanging out of the side window of her vehicle. Needless to say, with her eyes glued to the screen of her cell phone, she was not watching the road.

I am truly sorry that five young girls lost their lives because of a driver doing something similar. We hear over and over again how dangerous it is to drive with anyone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A person who is texting is similarly impaired. When, oh when, will people finally get the message?

Try fiddling with the radio, spacing out thinking about something in the past.
Yes the phone may be easier to space out on, but I have found myself driving while not all there with nothing at all happening.

In fact that only way I don't space out is either by listening to something good on the radio (and dear God is that hard to find) or speeding.

I've done it... I don't need to look at the radio in order to use it. It doesn't have 10-second lag times in response. There's a big difference. These sorts of interruptions are rather typical. Of course, one needs to do these types of things at the right time (and perhaps we don't), but it's still an order-of -magnitude safer than cell-phone Internet-browser use.