Researchers in France conducted tests on multitasking, which suggest the brain struggles to stay focused when fixed on more than two goals at one time. iStockphoto.com hide caption

Supporters of former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi celebrate in Baghdad in March, after election results showed Allawi edging out current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But Iraq's neighbors are nervous about instability in Iraq since the election, and some are quietly worried about the display of democracy in their backyard. Karim Kadim/AP hide caption

Actors Sonja Sohn (from left), Wendell Pierce and Dominic West anchored HBO's The Wire. Jason Mittell teaches a class on the TV show at Middlebury College in Vermont. Nicole Rivelli/AP/HBO hide caption