I liked the way that Kirn would separate each story in his essay by using the three dots (I can't think of what they are actually called) at the end. I think it adds interest while also giving the reader a break. It felt like it read much faster than a normal 19 page essay.
By using so many different stories and examples, the reader is really able to understand the multiple ways that multitasking can negatively effect people's lives.
Page 308- drives off road by checking phone
Page 311- "Where do you want to go today?" (could you not just stay home?)
Page 312- "We concentrate on the act of concentration at the expense of whatever it is that we're supposed to be concentrating on."
Page 313- "...certain studies find that multitasking boots the level of stress-related hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline and wears down our systems through biochemical friction, prematurely aging us."
Page 325- "Where do you want to go today?...Away. Just away. Someplace where I can think."
Because Kirn used so many examples, I started to think about how multitasking may actually be causing me more stress than if I would just do one thing at a time. If he had not done the amount of research or given as many examples, his writing would not have had the same effect on me or other readers.
It's interesting that you think he should have started with the dramatic phone incident. You're right that would have made a good lead. But think about who his readers are. They're either more likely to identify witht the small town party-line frame he chose to start with or with the more literary style of the present opening. For younger readers, the cell phone incident is definitely better, but for older readers, they're likely to say--I'm not that crazy!
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