Comments on: Back from Digital Darkness 2008

By: Who put the slow in the slow loris? « The Slow Loris Online

Who put the slow in the slow loris? « The Slow Loris Online — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:17:24 +0000

[...] flip side of all this is that the internet will wait. As long as I remain open to learning I miss nothing. The new material (and the huge quantities [...]

By: Jeff Utecht

Jeff Utecht — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:23:06 +0000

Yeah, well that’s how I decided to spend my time. Of course that’s not all I did. I spent time with my wife and friends, went for walks through Shanghai and pondered life. I shared the part of my week that I thought was relevant to my readers.

Is that good or bad?

By: Gary S. Stager

Gary S. Stager — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:47:37 +0000

So, you go computer cold turkey and spend your time reading three books essentially about Web 2.0 and one about marketing.

Why is this so virtuous?

By: jp1

jp1 — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:12:38 +0000

I think the post means we should all get away from technology once and a while and enjoy everything else life has to offer.

By: Kelly S

Kelly S — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:57:18 +0000

Reading things like this just makes me realize how obsessed the world has become with technology. Maybe we have to be constantly involved in technology because it is the future. To keep up with society you have to always be involved in the new trends and technology is the biggest trend of all. Sometimes I don’t think it is really our decision to be so attached, sometimes a cell phone or email is the only way to communicate. Or a lot of my assignments in school require me to use a computer, so what am I going to do, say “No, I can’t finish this project because I’m trying to distance myself from technology.” Yeah I don’t think my teachers would be too happy with that response.
Then again some of this attachment is all free will, (even though no one can really make you use technology) choosing to check your web page, like MySpace or a FaceBook is completely optional. Or texting your family member that dinner is ready instead of walking those few steps to tell them yourself. I also liked how you pointed out that technology isn’t going anywhere, because I think that many people feel that if they don’t constantly check the internet for the latest news and updates in technology then they will miss it. As you put it,
“There is nothing that happened last week that is not there for me this week to
learn. There is nothing that happened last week that I can not search and
find out about. What I have come to understand is the web waits for you.”
That is such a brilliant and true statement, obviously technology is here to stay, that is until we discover the next big thing, but we have all the time to learn and do what we will with it. We all need to learn to not let technology control out life, and know that it is possible to live with out it, even for a week.

By: Melissa S

Melissa S — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:08:26 +0000

Great post! As a classroom teacher I know that school work can be consuming if you do not keep up with everything, still then it can be overwhelming at times. However, I thought that was going to be different when I became an instructional technologist. My first year, I was so consumed with all things technology that I felt that I was losing a little bit of me (all the fun social stuff that I was once accustomed to). Three years later I have found there needs to be more of a balance inorder to achieve inner harmony and peace for myself and my family. I have now taken the oath that I leave my work at work. However, that hasn’t stopped the 11 or 12 hour days, but I get eveything done and am free to be with my family when I get home. Inner harmony…ahhhhhhhh.

By: Jeff Utecht

Jeff Utecht — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:41 +0000

um…..my guitar playing although getting better still has a long way to go. My wife at least now let’s me play without the door being closed…that I take as a great sign that I am improving. Today the door open tomorrow Pink Floyd

By: Adam A

Adam A — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:31:17 +0000

This post really made me realize something. We are all head deep in technology all the time in our lives. It is also nice like you said to be screen free sometimes it just gives us time to think and not always in front of technology. Then as us also said right when you would get back you never realize who much you really do in a week cause when you come back you have to check it all. It also sounds like you had fun playing guitar hero over there for a while.

By: Karen Janowski

Karen Janowski — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:56:47 +0000

Jeff,
You sound quite relaxed after your tech-free week. Thanks for sharing the most important lesson you learned – that the web waits for us. That is a lesson that we can all benefit from.
Re: the guitar playing – I was listening to Pink Floyd on the radio the other morning and enjoyed the guitar solo in one of the songs and realized how much I miss those amazing guitar solos – can you now compete with the guitarist greats of yesteryear?

By: Alecia Berman-Dry

Alecia Berman-Dry — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:34:46 +0000

This post brought a knowing grin to my face. I’ve been trying to do this pretty much every weekend…no screentime at all, unless you count movies. I have to wonder what relationship this all has to consumer mentality, or is it mostly just the drive to see things through to completion? It’s probably both, as things are rarely only one thing. Anyway, congratulations on your guitar practice. I think I’ll pull mine out today…