No reception
July 2, 2008
As mired as we (you readers and I) are in today’s technology, there are plenty of folks who give nary a glance to a Blackberry or an iPhone or even a computer for long stretches during their day. These people have either learned how to prioritize their online interactions and distractions, or they have never been in the grips of an OCD-esque need to see if they have mail every 14.5 seconds.
One of these people is a friend of mine. He reads a handful of blogs each day, communicates with family and friends via iChat and email, and can be found frequently playing online games. But it stops whenever he feels like doing something else.
He’s not addicted to technology in the same way that many Tweeple are (see Twitter.com for more info on Tweeple). He can go a full day without checking email. And he’s seldom online during the weekend.
What makes that situation great is that he’s currently on vacation and has no way to get online. I’m betting that he doesn’t even have cell reception, so I can talk all I want about him without any fear that he’ll read my notes before next week.
Essentially, I want to be the first – regardless of medium – to congratulate him on the next step of his life. He’s away with his sweetheart and is planning to discuss with her their everlasting bond. In fact, he’s probably already spoken with her about his and it’s old news. But in case it’s not, I’m not using names or being too descriptive.
So congrats friend. You’re going to be very happy.
Now back to my point. Technology isn’t evil by itself. It takes an obsessed person to bring out the evil and momentum-sucking traits of technology.
As long as we can keep an eye on that we’ll be safe. Check your email once or twice a day. Leave the iPhone at home on occasion. Don’t Tweet 20+ times a day. It’s that simple.
Oh, and maybe check in with Merlin Mann for some tips on how to become more streamlined in your office so that when you lose a day to techno-wanderlust you won’t lose too much connection with the ‘real’ world.
