Since one of my originally intended goals for this blog was to ‘geek out loud’ about my tech struggles, I’ve been wanting to share with folks some of the things I’m doing at this time in my life to try and not let technology play too central of a role - to not become unhealthily dependent on it. If you’re new to my blog, you can get philosophical about this question/issue (the dangers of our increasing technocentrism) by reading my Tolkien/Technology/Magic paper and by visiting sites such as NetFuture.org. But today, I’m just sharing a few practical thoughts.
I’ll confess that I’m concerned I’m already way too dependent on technology and that perhaps I’m on a path that could ultimately make much of my life merely ‘virtual’. I can’t see myself saying when I’m about to die “boy, I sure wish I spent more time in front of those screens!” Yet I still see myself sneaking back as much as possible to the safe glow of the small window where I can sustain the illusion of total control. The Ring is around my neck, and often on my finger, threatening to make me irrevocably invisible. This concerns and saddens me, but I’m still holding on to the hope and faith that I will mature and that society will evolve and learn to appropriate technology with true wisdom. Perhaps some of us will help that process happen more quickly.
Here are a few things I’m doing that I hope will keep me from becoming technology’s tool, and, if you have similar concerns, perhaps these suggestions might be helpful to you. Most people don’t even want to admit or look at this aspect in their lives so, if you’ve read this far, you are already taking the first best step of being honest with yourself.
1)Being honest with myself
Yeah, if you’re not willing to be honest with yourself and to become somewhat ’skeptech’al about technology, you might as well go ahead and call 1-800-I-AM-BORG. I try to keep honest with myself by thinking, journaling and blogging about these kinds of issues I also try to…
2)Keeping an honest, open dialogue about my tech use and struggles with my wife.
This isn’t hard too do because my wife is the closest person I know to a true neo-luddite (or perhaps just someone who doesn’t see the value in it all, and so has chosen to opt out. I’m talking 1-2 emails a YEAR vs my 10+ a day.)
3)Keeping a “Low-Tech (or no tech) Day” a week
For a month now (and in times past) I’ve been taking a ‘low-tech sunday’ or a ‘Tech Sabbath’ in which I try to use very few advanced technologies -particularly ’screen’ technologies (as I’ve noted in the aforementioned paper that these are the kinds of technologies I’m most suspicious of -ie computers, TV, movies, cell phones, video games, etc.) I must say that I seem to be more ‘present’, ‘alive’, and active on those days that I forego becoming a screen zombie.
4)Time-use limiting technologies.
Though their effectiveness is questionable, I try and use certain technologies to help me limit my time in front of the computer screen. I’ve mentioned the freeware “Time Out” before - an app that blanks the screen at various preset intervals so my body, mind and soul can get micro breaks (mine is set for 15 seconds) and macro breaks (mine is set for 10 minutes, though 95% of the time I choose to skip these every two hour breaks). I also have recently purchased a shareware app called “Mac Minder” which allows me to set certain limits on a)how much time I use the computer each day and b)how much time I spend using certain applications. Though I’m not currently using the second option, Mac Minder tracks quite accurately the time one uses in each application and I’ve found that very fascinating (if not sobering) at times. Slife tracks computer use as well, in more detail (every web page and specific documents), but only for certain applications.
Tags: geekingoutloud, leifhansen, wonderosity, sparknw, slife, timeout, macminder, stewardship, screenaddiction, technologystewardship, appropriatechnolog, confession, time-limit, parental controls
Loading ...