Boycott International Shutdown Day!?
March 21, 2007 – 8:24 amInternational Shutdown Day: March 24, 2007
I admit, I’m addicted. Addicted to smart phones, electronic gadgets, computers, and blinking lights in general. I’m pretty much available 24/7 in one way or another, and don’t sleep as much as I should. Even on vacation in Jamaica I located a computer with internet access to dial in and see what was going on in the world.
I run with a Garmin GPS watch, which is on the athletic geek side, while I listen to my iPod Nano, which is higher on the sleek geek scale.
I started replacing my light bulbs with the high efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs, but thats a separate upcoming topic.
I’m also a tree-hugger at heart and try to recycle when I can, but I drive an SUV, so it’s all about give and take.
Side note: I wish more states would enact a deposit requirement for aluminum cans like they have in Iowa and several other states, because aluminum can recycling is pretty straightforward.
So maybe I’m a geeky athletic tree hugger. Feel free to make up your own name, but thats not the point.
Jeff posted about it, and I thought I would share my thoughts as well with the day quickly approaching.
What is the purpose of the experiment? (via FAQ):
The purpose is to get people to think about how their lives have changed with the increasing use of the home computer, how society is changing and whether or not any good things are being lost because of this. It is obvious that computers are an extremely important and vital part of society these days.
So, are you going to participate? Visit International Shutdown Day and vote.
Want more details? Check out some of the comments on Engadget about the event, which are currently running close to 100 in number.
My favorite comment is the following:
awong @ Feb 23rd 2007 3:39PM
It seems kinda hypocritical that they would advertise such a day on the internet where you’d have to view it using a computer…I mean, the friggin’ experiment wouldn’t even exist without the computer, and you want us to boycott it??? It’s like having a peace rally at a tank factory…or something.
March 24th is a Saturday, so I probably won’t be in front of the computer as much as I am during the week, but you guarantee it will be on and my phone will be in my pocket.
Technorati Tags: gadget, addiction, boycott, International Shutdown Day, computer, usage, smartphone
6 Responses to “Boycott International Shutdown Day!?”
Hi Dustin,
I’ve seen you are running with a Garmin GPS device. I really want to let you know about our new website: www.ttsm.com . You can upload / analyze and share your trips for free. New features will be developed.
You’ll find a running trip here:
http://www.ttsm.com/tripview.php5?t=669&to=map
Let me know your reaction. My email is reinier@ttsm.com
Thanks,
Reinier
By Reinier Fleuren on Mar 21, 2007
I like the idea of keeping everything shut down for a day. Just like you, I ended up spending time online when I was in Jamaica for a recent vacation. That’s just wrong!
I need to work on writing song lyrics this weekend anyway, so I’m going to exempt my iPod Shuffle from the shutdown and see if I get more done with a pad of paper and a pencil than I would with the tempting Internet lingering a click away on the computer screen.
By Jane on Mar 21, 2007
“So maybe I’m a geeky athletic tree hugger. Feel free to make up your own name, but thats not the point.”
Correction: You are a geeky athletic tree hugger who wastes gas in an SUV so that you can get to the grocery store every year on that day that Kansas City has more than 6″ of snow. :)
By Chris Lengquist on Mar 21, 2007
true, I’m not going to dispute the reality that I could use a different vehicle to drive from the suburbs to downtown everyday. Its more of a reality that we need at least one larger vehicle between my wife and I. Chris, since you have a mini, can you imagine having 2 minis with 2 or more people and running to the grocery store, home depot, etc?
I’m hoping to see more progress in the technology space in regards to the automotive industry that allows us to disable some of the power when not in use (and thus, get better gas mileage). This is already happening in some vehicles, and I’m sure there will be more as adoption rates of the idea increase.
By Dustin Jacobsen on Mar 21, 2007
Dustin - hopefully you know I was just poking fun! I too have a larger vehicle. The dreaded 7 passenger MiniVan. Of course, we have 6 passengers, so it stands to reason.
But here’s the unavoidable deal. The MINI gets 34.5 mpg in everyday driving. The Nissan Quest gets 19 mpg in everday driving. Not only is it better for my own personal self image to drive the MINI but also the environment and my wallet!!!
By Chris Lengquist on Mar 27, 2007
Yeah… I totally messed up shutdown day when I went into my office to tweak some settings on my blog. So, it truly is impossible for me to shut down for even one day.
By Jeremy Fuksa: Creative Generalist on Apr 3, 2007