"Stop Synching & Pay Attention"

You have a sickness. You know it, I know it, and your significant others know it.

You suffer from "Continuous Partial Attention."

It means exactly what you suspect it means. It means that while you're strolling down the avenue with your spouse, you're surreptitiously checking your Treo for new messages. You check voicemail while she's in the ladies' room. Admit it: you even do a li'l SMS while in traffic. (And sometimes, when you're crusing down the highway. You may as well be driving drunk, you know.)

Linda Stone, a former Microsoft & Apple exec, coined the term at a tradeshow attended by Newsweek's Steven Levy, who subsequently wrote this article (which I found via Brendan Hodgson at H&K). In Levy's article, Ms. Stone described Continuous Partial Attention as "stemming from our desire...to be a live node on the network."

Who knew? The Borg 'R' Us.

A Friend In Need

I wish this were an April Fool's Joke.

When BL Ochman posted her appeal to help saxophonist Michael Brecker find a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, I realized that blogging might be a great way to help a friend in need. One of SHIFT’s pro-bono projects involves spreading the word about Diane Glass, a mother and two-time grandmother, to find a kidney donor.

Unfortunately, Diane’s time is running out. She suffers from Hereditary Nephritis, a very rare kidney disease that already killed her brother. Her own family and friends have been tested but none of them are a match, as Diane needs an O+ or O- blood type donor.

Her doctor recently told her that she must have a kidney transplant by April 12.

My colleagues tell me she’s a remarkable woman and – despite her rollercoaster ride of good and bad days – an inspiration to the team. Check out her site to find out how you can help. And if you live in or near Boston, join us for the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Walk on May 21 at the Franklin Park Zoo.

Thanks.