Who filters your information? You or a computer program.

In the information age we are constantly inundated with data. Yesterday I learned that the new owner of the New Jersey Nets; one of Russia's wealthiest citizens doesn't use a computer. In an interview with 60 Minutes he said too much information is a problem and so he stays away from a computer. And while I am always connected and a big fan of technology, I understood his logic. Access to information was yesterdays challenge. Today's challenge is disiplined filtering.

Interestingly enough, the first article I read this morning from the New York Times was about the lead scientist of Bitly's email inbox. It's a mess in need of some serious organization. So she's writting a program that organizes and prioritizes her email. It decides what goes to the top, it also generates auto replies, letting people know if she is attending a dinner or not able to reply to the message just yet.

I bet the lead scientist of Bitly is one smart woman. I bet her program is awesome. I bet the logic she instills in her program is sound. But I think I like the Russian billionaires approach better. I would much rather make larger decisions that limit the amount of information coming to me rather than have a program micro manage the data.

It is much like organizing a closet. I could keep everything and cram the stuff I never use in at the top and back of the closet, while putting the often used items right in front. But what's the point in keeping the stuff that's crammed in the nooks and crannys? Why not get rid of the junk and enjoy a clean useful closet? And, why not unsubscribe, unfriend, un-connect to all the emails that you never look at anyway? It's better to have an empty email box and know that you read everything important to you, than wondering if anything in that cluttered inbox is actually important.


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