Digital Intervention...

Often times at the dinner table, the not-so-Swiss Family R. would often debate things. Which would always lead to the patriarch of the clan pulling out the Encyclopedia to anoint the winner of the debate. In the world of digital overload, I have realized that the Encyclopedia is absolutely obsolete. Wee donated our several years ago, while my Mom stated, "We paid a lot of money for those!"  And retorted back, "Yay, but now we have Google and its free!!"

I am starting to think I rely too much on the world wide web.

Here is a good example: Today a good friend sent me an article to read to help me in my quest to be a better graphic designer, and it maybe also to free him from my incessant need for HIS Illustrator assistance!! I digress. While reading this article there were several terms I was unfamiliar with, so what do I do, I go to my trusty source, Google, which leads me to my other trusty info pal Wikipedia. Here I read up on the terms serif and sans serif, for which some of you who may be unfamiliar with as was I, refers to a font and whether or not its has feet.  Currently I am using the font Times Roman, it is a serif font, it has feet.  Now I am using Verdana which is a sans serif font, it has no feet.

But again I digress. I realize as I am reading about this, how many times a day I Google something. Sometimes I Google to do some research, sometimes I Google to help me spell, I Google to shop, I use Google for my email, my pictures, my blog....the last time I looked up a word in a book dictionary was...well, I think when I was playing a friend in Scrabble, and they were trying to cheat!! You know who you are.

So I find myself wondering...what will our society look like in 10 years? So digital charged that we cannot connect with each other? I mean there are several people in my life that I NEVER talk to on the phone, or even see in person. We I.M. or email...Is that a real relationship? Sure it is, but are we using technology to help us connect with each other or using it as a defense mechanism.  Je no se pas. Yep, I just Googled that to see if I was spelling it correctly. Seriously.

I think I will challenge myself to weekend of being offline.  Next weekend I am going camping, but being offline in a location that doesn't get signal, does not count.  I need to do it on a weekend that I am at home, that I am forced to kick this dependency on my iPhone, email, Google, Tivo, basically the 22nd Century.  Yep had to look that one up too! Really, I don't even know the century we are in, super sad!! A fifth grader is probably smarter than me!

Okay, Here are the rules: 

• No e-mail.
• No texting.
• No iPhone.
• No .com, .org, .net. Nothing!
• Further more NO computer!
• No Tivo.
• No cellular phone.-I will be required to call my friends on my home phone. Yep I have one. I may need to write their numbers down though before I go offline, all my digits are in my cellie.

Just some good old fashion fun! Books, home phones, the radio (I don't think I have one), maybe a little scrap booking. 

Yikes, I am having with drawls already!! 

Hmmm when will I do this? Let me consult my Assistant, Irene iPhone. APRIL 9-11!! I have nothing going on that weekend.  I will document the experience, by journaling on paper, you know the O.G. way of blogging... Then I will share it with you, after I am allowed back online...

Can you go offline for an entire weekend?
Try it.
Journal about it.
And share it with me.