We Have Guided Blogs And Misguided Bloggers

Menander commenting on sundials: When I was a boy, my stomach told me when to eat; but nowadays our lives are regimented by these infernal time-keepers.

When thinking about what to write about Shutdown Day, a post came to mind about the Amish relationship with technology over at connected...

I'm obviously a lover of technology, but it certainly is that proverbial double-edged sword.  I look at things like e-learning, which allows people to expand their knowledge without having to be in a classroom, but injects physical and psychic distance between students and instructors, and well as between fellow students. 

For several years I've been experimenting with ways to create stronger bonds within online learning communities so we might gain a better learning environment whilst still enjoying the benefits of the very thing that has put so much space between us.  It's a tough balance, but one I think we can manage if we keep our humanity in mind.

With that as a backdrop, I did in fact turn off my laptop and stay off the Internet yesterday.  Save some electricity, do some other constructive things, contemplate my relationship with the technology...all good stuff.  I noted previously that computers have penetrated our society much faster than any invention to date and have had significant impact on us on an individual and societal level, which is why taking a day off might not be a bad idea.

Politicalcat then asked in the original thread:

What about us gimps? I suppose I could read (and I often do), but living high up on a hill, my opportunities for social interaction are very limited. Unless I'm willing to drag myself painfully down to the road and get in the car (which died on Thursday, so I can't even drive till the AAA people come by on Monday to fix it), which is an increasingly expensive proposition, or get on the phone and irritate friends (being a mite deef and all) by repeatedly screaming "What? What?" into their beleaguered ears or, worse yet, agreeing to the unheard only to offend — you get my drift. Without the internet, I would be an isolated lonely gimp. With it, I'm just a gimp.

Such a voluntary act joining thousands of others in recognizing some potential problems with computing does not mean that computers are inherently evil (Hamlet might have something to say about that) or don't have many benefits for many people (hell, I met the love of my life via Pax Americana!).  That wasn't the point at all, at least from where I sit.

Yet I did in the course of the exercise realize how much I depend on my computer and Internet connection more than I would have just intellectualizing it--very similar to my experience fasting, in fact.  The Dogz and I started the day in our usual fashion, taking care of poops, getting cookies and then walking upstairs...oh, wait, there's no need to go up to my office because I'm not surfing today. 

What an automatic thing we three engage in every morning.  I noted that to E as I was chatting with her on the phone, and we chuckled about how habituated I am to getting into my chair and making my Scrabble moves on Facebook before I do anything else.

I also noticed that when a question popped into my mind, I couldn't just go to my computer and use Teh Google to answer it.  Very disconcerting to be so removed from such a vast repository of collected human knowledge!  It almost felt as though Alexandria had been destroyed!

I did allow myself later in the day to boot up my Mac, which I use almost exclusively as an entertainment system instead of a truly general purpose computer (I also produce podcasts on it, but I didn't Saturday as part of the experiment).  Played some music whilst cleaning and reading, then watched Shaun of the Dead for a virtual date with E (Dog bless unlimited minute calling plans).  Why yes, that movie choice was rather deliberate in the context...

Anyhoo, getting a little space from the computer was valuable for me.  As I said, I depend on these things for my daily life and my career, and I've certainly intellectualized how they impact me, but just taking the day off really brought it home how tethered I am to technology.  As Alice and Humpty might've discussed:

   "The question is, " said Alice, "whether you can make technology do so many different things."

   "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty. "which is to be master—that's all."

I oft hear people complain about cell phones, or explain why they don't have them, thus: gosh, I hate being so available to everybody.  They perhaps missed the section in their manual describing the operation of the Little Red Button that comes on most of the devices.  Turns the fuckers right off, I've discovered!

Yes, having communication tools changes expectations perhaps a bit, but that's something that can be managed rather than letting these insidious beasts run our lives like the sundial took over the Ancients'.  I'll note that ou'll get my smartphone and laptop out of my cold, dead hands, but taking a day off with lots of other people isn't bad and might even help with the balance a little bit.

I'd never begrudge somebody their choice not to join in the fun, any more than I do when it comes to antiwar activism--I'm not, despite the rumors, some self-righteous moralizer who demands everybody be just like that fucker Gandhi.  Just trying to get people to stop their default behaviors some times, take a breath, and consider if there might not be a different way.  And that includes myself...

ntodd