95. Nothing Personal About It

A father and his daughter are talking at home. 

Father (holding a sheaf of papers): What is this?

Daughter: That is my report on the Multitasking experiment.

Father: (reading from the front page) “The breaking point of Multitasking: from extreme productivity to all-round failure”. This is your topic.

Daughter: Yes.

Father: What yes? This is your analysis of that experiment you did with me? The one where you wanted me to have breakfast while reading sports news from the paper and watching other news on TV and with you blabbering about your personal friend problems and asked my opinions? You wanted me to do five things at the same time!

Daughter: Yes. Eating, reading, seeing, listening and speaking. Those are parameters for Multitasking.

Father: And I went from extreme productivity to all round failure?

Daughter: Failure does not mean your failure. It means general outcome of the experiment.

Father: Really? Then what does this mean: (reads out from the report) “After a point, subject starts showing symptoms of failure.”?

Daughter: Why are you being so touchy about it? This is just technical language.

Father: Technical language? Then I guess I should also feel happy knowing that the (reading from another page) “different parts of the subject’s brain are not entirely in equilibrium.”

Daughter (sighs): Once again you are taking things personally.

Father: Oh yes? (Opens another page and reads) “The difference between the theory of Multinodal-tasking and the observation during my experiment might be explained by the incapability of the subject to handle complex situations.” I am incapable of handling complex situations?

(Mother enters)

Mother (to father): Why are you shouting. This is just a way of writing.

Father: Way of writing? Your daughter calls me incapable of handling situations, says that my brain is not in tune, that I am showing signs of all round failure.

Mother (to daughter): Have you really written all these things about your father?

Daughter: Not about my father, but about the subject of my experiment. That is impersonal and unbiased.

Father (to mother): You see: Your daughter can’t even call me ‘father’. I am her ‘subject’.

Mother (to daughter): Call him your father right now! (Exits room).

For Reference please see post 80 (Different Parts of the Brain).