A new epidemic

Continuous Partial Attention, otherwise known as CPA. Newsweek's Steve Levy reports that former Apple and Microsoft executive Linda Stone idenitified this epidemic at a recent conference on "The Attention Economy". On CPA:

"CPA stems from our desire, Stone says, to be "a live node on the network."

"A live BlackBerry or even a switched-on mobile phone is an admission that your commitment to your current activity is as fickle as Renée Zellweger's wedding vows. Your world turns into a never-ending cocktail party where you're always looking over your virtual shoulder for a better conversation partner. The anxiety is contagious: anyone who winds up talking to a person infected with CPA feels like he or she is accepting an Oscar, and at any moment the music might stop the speech."

Of course, not sure who the real "victim" is here. CPA addicts, you know who you are.