Continuous Partial Attention and Software Productivity

by Michael C. Mah

It's been said that the great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov had 10 typewriters in his basement for the multitude of writing projects that he engaged himself with. It's also been reported that the average person can effectively handle only about four concurrent tasks at once, with the maximum being about seven. Clearly, Isaac Asimov was a rare exception in humankind.