PC Magazine - 2009 04.pdf - Libertad Zero - Blog

Over the years, I’ve made jokes about using
old technology and living without technology,
but I’ve really never done either. Then,
a few weeks ago, I took a vacation. No, not
a staycation or a working vacation, but a
real, leave-the-country, exit-the-electronsphere
kind of sojourn—one in which
phones don’t work and there is no Internet
connectivity.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. I could
have turned on my phone and even
accessed the Internet on this cruise, but
both acts would have emptied my bank
accounts within a few days. So, I turned
my Treo off and pulled out the battery. I
also left my laptop sequestered snugly in
my cabin.
It soon became apparent to me that
previously I had been using technology,
especially my Treo, to shield myself from
inactivity and boredom. Typically, when
I’m in a line or waiting, say, for people to
join me at a dinner table (or rejoin me
when they’ve perhaps taken a bathroom
break), I’ll pull out the phone and check
Google News, attack my steady stream of
e-mail or, more recently, check Twitter and
add an update or two. At home, my laptop
is ever present. I usually pop it open when
I get home at night and later leave it on an
end table so I can pick it up at any moment
and engage in all the aforementioned activities.
Of course, there’s also ad hoc work.
I’ll jot down some column notes in a Word
file, go on TweetDeck, work on a budget
spreadsheet, or maybe just noodle around
on the Internet. My family often makes fun
of me and tells me I should have the thing
attached to my lap. That might be kind of
nifty, especially if the lid is spring-loaded
to pop open every time I sit down.
During my vacation, however, I had
no digital diversions. I’d be standing in
the salad-bar line and my hand would
reflexively reach for my pocket—searching
fruitlessly for the phone that wasn’t
there. I felt unmoored. On a typical day I’m
in contact with two dozen or so people in
FIRST WORD lance ulanOFF
A Tech-Free Vacation
my office and hundreds more around the
world (via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook).
On this vacation it was me, my family, and
my fellow cruisers. Despite all the hundreds
of people, I was often alone with my
thoughts.
In that first day or two, I suffered mini
panic attacks. I felt as if I was living in a
bubble. I had no idea what was happening
at the office and received scant information
about world events. There were local
and national news programs on TV, but
since I rarely use those sources for local,
national, and international information on
all the topics I track, I felt as if I was try-
ing to suck a potato through a straw. There
was no way I’d ever get the same information
blast from that narrow pipe.
It wasn’t until the anxiety attacks and
cold sweats stopped that I understood I
was going through digital detox. I honestly
didn’t know how to function without
instant access to a world of information
(personal and public). People around me
likely noticed my pallid, sweaty appearance
and darting eyes—surely that’s why
they cut a wide berth around me. However,
by the third day, I had stopped looking
down at my empty hands and wondering if
I could take out a small loan to pay for one
full day’s Internet access. I started to take in
my surroundings. My family looked upon
me as a welcome acquaintance whom they
hadn’t seen in a very long time.
I’ll admit that the anxiety would still
creep up every once in a while, and I’d
have to shake my head and stare at the bril-
liant blue ocean until the feeling subsided.
It always did, and I can remember long
stretches of time where I didn’t once think
about my phone, my computer, Twitter,
Facebook, or the Internet. In those times,
I read, drew, engaged with my family, and
lived a blissfully tech-free, 20th-century
lifestyle.
When the vacation ended and we
arrived back onto U.S. shores, I did what I
knew I would do and turned on my phone.
Within minutes it began gagging on a flood
of 500 or more e-mails. I stared down at
the screen in wonder. My thumbs fluttered
over the keys but did nothing. I just let the
On a typical day I’d be in contact with two dozen or
so people in my office and hundreds more around the
world (via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook). On this
vacation, it was me, my family, and my fellow cruisers.
mail arrive while I savored the final few
moments of my digital-free vacation.
Seventy-two hours later, my phone was
in my pocket, my computer was on my
lap, and I could hardly remember those
precious hours when I lived without 24/7
connectivity and interaction with a vast
population of technology elite, enthusiasts,
followers, and friends. I don’t know when
I’ll do that again, but I’m certainly glad for
the memory.
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APRIL 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION