A couple nights ago I talked to my husband on my personalcell phone about what we were planning for dinner while respondingto a work email on my other phone. Do I really need to reply tomarketing tonight while discussing hot dogs and carrot sticks? ThenI rationalize, well, this is one less thing I’ll have to do in themorning as I head into another chockfull 10-hour day. Soundfamiliar?

Smartphones and notebook computers have been powered societytoward immediate gratification beyond all reason. Combine that withcontinued economic distress that has pushed companies to freezehiring or layoff employees so the work load on the thankful butnervous employees that remain has increased. And because so muchinformation can be made available so immediately via the Internet,it’s easy to allow modern connectivity to manage us rather than theother way around.

The news industry has been particularly affected by the modernculture of ready-fire-aim and knowing this, CUNA got a bit ahead ofitself in surveying and announcing new member numbers in the run upto Bank Transfer Day. CUNA had originally said new member numberswere at least 650,000 in the month running up to Bank Transfer Daybut has revised that figure down to roughly one-third of that at210,000. More attention to the details of the survey could havebeen given to avoid the confusion that occurred. It’s a huge gap–noone can deny that. In fact the banks are having a field day, withit in American Banker and ABA Senior Economist Keith Leggett’sblog, Credit Union Watch.