h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Was having a similar conversation with my boyf last night [...] My husband always says [...]"

That's what I call multitasking!

Yes indeed Steinermeister.

az

Not sure what that smiley means Az. Tell me

"Or another example. How many times has your wife/girlfriend said to you, "Your not listening to me!" because the man is concentrating on something else and can't switch between the two tasks effectively. Whether you are thinking about something or actually doing something makes little difference, it is still using the brain. "

- Catch your wife at it enough times and she'll be a lot less strident about it. Just last night my wife asked a question twenty minutes after I had answered it, but she was honest enough to admit she hadn't been listening.

most men i no cant multi task, which makes them single minded, and in some cases very selfish, self centred (if they arent the same thing) and narrow minded, one of my flat mates for example is exactly like this. He rules his world where only he exists and his oppinions are the only ones which exist let alone are valid, the only things that are real are the things he has experienced, one else matters - even his girlfriend. hmmm incase you hadnt noticed i dont really get on with this flat mate. But i have to say i do no lads who are less single minded than this particular pain in the arse.

Maybe it makes them interesting and a bit of a challenge .
Not your flatmate though. Hope you have other flatmates.

its just our way of taking things in stride one day and one thing at a time, we've conquered the earth so now we just want to sit back and watch it go to shiite

"Not sure what that smiley means Az. Tell me"

icecoldalex, if you mouseover any smiley, a label will popup telling you what it means. If you *click* on it, it'll take you to a page where there's a list of all the smileys we can use on h2g2.

"last night my wife asked a question twenty minutes after I had answered it"

More than once HB asked me if I would like a cup of tea, and I said "No, thanks.", and sure enough five minutes or so later a nice cup of tea turned up. When quizzed about this, I got the sheepish admission that she'd not bothered listening to the answer and just gone ahead and done what she *assumed* the answer was going to be.

Not sure if this is a lack of multitasking ability or just plain dizziness, but it seemed apposite.

H.

H

question thats kinda related to multitasking: why do women like shopping? and, how come that women, show their finds to other women?


also...i cant multitask, last night my GF called, and the TV was on...i couldn't follow both...or one....sometimes you just have to admit and admire the fact that women are plainly "better" than man!

I absolutely LOVE shopping, even food shopping. Hmmm why?
Well, food shopping is a bit creative - what can I concoct for tea and how much can I get for my money?
But the best shopping is clothes and shoes shopping. Again, what outfits can I put together? Then doing a fashion show in front of friends etc.
Can't wait 'til my 2 1/2 year old daughter is old enough for some serious shopping trips. At the moment she gets a bit bored .

hi icecoldalex,

Yes, I was just ing at steinemeister's joke about your multi-tasking abilities. Not many people can boyfriend and husband at the same time.

I love shopping too, as long as I'm not looking for anything specific (in which case I can almost never find it). But browsing and wandering around shops is often a form of entertainment.

An IKEA store opened here last year and it seems that whole families go there just for this purpose - the entertainment thing.

I have a male friend here, Agustín, who *adores* shopping and this has rubbed off on his 14-year-old son. Though even little Agustín has admitted to me that he's never met anyone who loves shopping as much as his father.

Meanwhile, I can type and talk at the same time but since I don't drive very often I find that in certain situations (lots of traffic) I need to concentrate more, so then I'm not able to drive and talk.

az

Just to clarify. Husb has a girlf too and we're separated.

hi Fathom,

Wouldn't you agree that listening and concentrating are separate activities? A bit like chopping the onions and stirring the soup at the same time, except mentally different.

For example, when I say I can talk and type at the same time this is usually a situation where I know what I want to be typing and then someone comes over and starts talking to me, but since typing is automatic for me and takes no concentration I am able to continue with what I was typing and also maintain another conversation.

At times when I am seriously concentrating on something I find I can't even have the radio on as listening to the radio (even if I'm not really *listening*) sometimes affects my ability to concentrate properly on something else.


az

Hi az,

Yes, I'd agree with that. It just seems that women are better at letting some mental tasks run in the background than men are. I can drive and talk at the same time but although I may stop talking if I recognise a hazard that needs more concentration, I don't slow down if the conversation suddenly gets more interesting. I can also talk and type at the same time but sometimes just one sugar the conversation a chocolate one please can leak into the text.

On the other hand, when I'm concentrating on something I can ignore fairly extreme distractions to the extent that my wife knows she has to SHOUT or even hit me to get my attention.

F

Yes, there is the aspect of the level of priority you give to different tasks. If hubby is watching TV/listening to the radio, he doesn't seem aware of anyone entering the room & speaking, whereas I'm instantly on the alert for what else is happening.

That's a curious topic drift... what the hell does shopping have to do with multitasking? I've never seen anyone squeezing avocados and sniffing melons at the same time, or trying on pants while searching racks for a matching shirt.

I hate shopping, but I'm far better at it than my wife. That woman will stare at a shelf for eons.

I think hatred of shopping can make you better at it. You only go when you absolutely need something, and then when you do its like some sort of commando mission. You drop in, possibly gather some intelligence about prices, grab your target then make your escape as quickly as you can.

Ok, perhaps I more accurately described shoplifting there, but you get the idea...

How do you define 'good at shopping'?
Speed of process, obtaining value for money, most appropriate article?

My hubby tends to take the first item he sees that approximates to what he wants. Often clothing is is not the right size, not the best value nor easiest to maintain. He's a supermarket's dream customer, taking what he sees first, regardless of price. Perhaps it's just lack of practice.

Do you think shopping on the internet is a more pleasant experience?