Silicon Valley Unplugs for Meetings

Tired of competing for attention with iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops, some Silicon Valley companies are banning them from meetings. One exec calls it going "topless," short for laptopless, and the Los Angeles Times reports that it's boosting some companies' efficiency. "Aside from just being rude," an exec wrote, "partial attention generally leads to partial results."

Universities are getting into the act, too, shutting down wireless in classrooms, to drag students off Facebook during lectures; more than 75% of professors at UCLA's law school took the plunge. One Yahoo veteran suggests a step beyond unplugging: "No-laptop meetings make sense. No meetings make even more sense."
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