Empyrean Iris Story Collection

Humans are Weird: In the Zone

From the Intergalactic Journal of Biology and Mechanics.

The study of the human species has gone on for significantly less time than others, though during that time we have discovered oddities about the human race that are not present in any other species in the galaxy.

It was originally thought that the human race possessed a cortical system non-conducive to sustained attention. Research from both human and non-human scientists have determined that the average human attention span may only last for 25 minutes at a time before falling away significantly. Employers with human employees are even encouraged to give the humans many breaks during a work related period, or support a system that allows the humans to switch between tasks at a rate, which keeps their attention and productivity.

However, certain sources claim to have seen humans keep attention for expanded segments of time. This attention expands beyond the category of normal attention and is described as a state where the human does not process the passage of time, outside distraction, sound, pain, or even emotion other than, perhaps, joy.

Human Athletes and creative minds have described this experience of advanced attention in slang terms as "The Zone.". Relatively scholarly sources have examined this heightened attention as a slope on a graph between skill and Challenge. If the skill and the challenge follow each other along the line, than flow can be experienced, and the level of heightened attention becomes more likely. If the skill is high and the challenge is low, than boredom is experienced. If the skill is low and the challenge is high anxiety is experienced. In both cases, "The Zone" cannot be reached.

While, naturally humans tend to be less productive than their non-human counterparts during normal work periods, within this heightened state of attention and and capacity, the human can outdo their counterparts by almost five times the rate of productivity and performance.

If you wish to have productive human employees you must find and challenge skilled workers in the working environment, and only after that will you see such heightened productivity

The ship seemed ready to shake itself in half. Even as he motored his way down the hall, Krill was almost thrown against the doorways in danger of rupturing his delicate hydrogen sack keeping him afloat and upright at all times.

Around him sirens blared and long red wavelengths washed through the ship from the warning lights. Though he did not hear sounds like the humans did, the radio frequencies given off at his behest were frequent and distracting.

Finally making his way to the set of stairs, He raced upwards using his four limbs to steady against the railing as he glided onto the bridge where pandemonium had taken a tight hold.

Chaos flowed around him in a confused wave as the human bridge crew attempted to regain control of the ship. The ship's hull cameras were being projected onto the far wall giving view of an asteroid field of unknown size hidden as it were by a thick cloudy wall of space dust.

The nebula was massive, many lightyears across stretching out into infinity in towering arcs of darkened dust backlit by an unseen star. Where the light reached, waves of short and long reflected wavelengths brought blue and red to his eyes.

The ship rocked again as one of the outer propulsion units made contact with the rock. The deck around them bucked sending Krill skidding across the floor. Those humans, that had not the foresight to strap themselves in, ended up flat on the deck. The strength of the impact was enough to knock unfastened equipment from the far wall and hurl it halfway across the room. Those who didn't react quickly enough cried out in pain as they were struck.