Luftpause
We still have some key words left in “what is broadband good for” — both the “good” and the “for” are ahead of us. But it's time for a break.
I've been taking breaks offline on weekends recently, and I recommend it. I find it's really hard to make any sustained progress in writing or reading if I'm wondering who's sending me the next email. (Not that my email traffic is that great - there's a lot of listmail and a lot of news.) In fact, I can't write these days unless I intentionally isolate myself from online access.
What's up with that? I keep writing about how great it is, how productivity-enhancing and empowering and all-around helpful the internet is, but I can't write anything longer than a few paragraphs when I'm online. I bet many people who check by this blog have the same problem.
There are some architectural fixes for this. There's a physical switch on the machine that prevents it from picking up wifi signals. There's a chair in my office, a big, comfortable chair, that isn't anywhere near either a wireless signal or an ethernet connection. There are libraries and benches that don't have access. I need these architectural limitations. It's a challenge to settle my mind down and concentrate.
And increasingly I need a day or two off each week to take a breath and reflect, both offline and online. I'm a mix of the very old-fashioned and the very-electronically driven. I spend hours working on playing an instrument whose sounds can be synthesized perfectly by Ray Kurzweil's machines. So tomorrow and Sunday I'll take a break, and I'll be back here on Monday.