No Doubt's NEW "PUSH & SHOVE" Playlist (playlist)

British study shows E-mails "hurt IQ more than pot" - CNN

Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, a British study shows.

The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.

The survey of 1,100 Britons showed:

1. Almost 2 out of 3 people (67%) check their electronic messages outside of office hours and when on holiday
2. 1/2 of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of receiving one
3. 1 in 5 will break off from a business or social engagement to respond to a message
4. 9 out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages during face-to-face meetings were rude, while 3 out of 10 believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency 

But the mental impact of trying to balance a steady inflow of messages with getting on with normal work took its toll, the UK's Press Association reported. In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day. He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.

"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working."

Wilson said the IQ drop was even more significant in the men who took part in the tests.

"The research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a 24-hour 'always on' society," said David Smith of Hewlett Packard. "This is more worrying when you consider the potential impairment on performance and concentration for workers, and the consequent impact on businesses."

Maybach Fulda Exelero is the World's 8 million USD auto

Maybach Fulda Exelero

The Maybach Exelero is a high-performance sports car designed and built by German luxury car manufacturer Maybach. It was presented in to the public on May 2005 in Berlin, Germany. The 700 hp (522 kW) two-seater with a bi-turbo V12 engine is a one-off design commissioned by Fulda Tires. Fulda is using this car as a reference vehicle to test a new generation of wide tires. The German luxury car manufacturer created the one-off model as a modern interpretation of its legendary streamlined sports car from the 1930s. There are various allusions to the historical predecessor, which was likewise based on a powerful Maybach automobile. In this case, the Maybach SW 38 was also used by Fulda for tire testing. In 2008, it was on the market for $7,800,000. As of 2011, rapper Bryan Williams (aka Birdman) owns the sole example.

Owner of the sole Maybach Excelero in
existence today, Bryan Williams