Comments on: Stepping Back from the Mac

By: Jarred

Jarred — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:43:27 +0000

Here's what A.O. Scott had to say about the human characters in his review of WALL-E in the NYT:

They’re us, in other words. And like us, they’re not all bad. The paradox at the heart of “Wall-E” is that the drive to invent new things and improve the old ones — to buy and sell and make and collect — creates the potential for disaster and also the possible path away from it. Or, put another way, some of the same impulses that fill the world of “Wall-E” — our world — with junk can also fill it with art.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:56:07 +0000

The last paragraph of your comment is important, Jarred. Let’s call it the “I have friends” addendum. What your post talked about was spending the time you would spend in front of the computer doing other things…even if some of them involved gadgetry. You weren’t talking about how reading from the Kindle instead of your MacBook changed your life…just about the difference in a few days’ worth of “computer time” re-allocated to other things.

By: Jarred

Jarred — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:07:49 +0000

Fair enough, though I’d argue that laptops and the Kindle are real objects to be interacted with. The problem with the laptop for me is that it enables my addictions. It has all my music, photos, and writing. With the Internet, I can read about anything at any time. There is unlimited, diverse supply for my high demand. As a result, I use it all the time because it’s easy.

The computer is a real tool that matters just as much as games or photo albums. The problem is that I never get bored of it, like I would — after a time — with a photo album or a game. The Kindle was a nice step back because it has a limited supply of information. At its essence, it’s simply ink on a surface, and so is just as “real” an object as a book or photo. The screen isn’t the issue; the problem is how and how often it’s used.

But as you say, we agree. The main lesson I walked away with this weekend was that it’s important to be intentional about how I spend my time. Too much of anything — computers, games, sports, you name it — is never good. Moderation in everything, everything in moderation.

And for what it’s worth, this weekend I also went to dinner with friends, saw a Dave Matthews Band concert with friends, played in the park with my friend’s daughter, and sat on a roof listening to friends play music. So, I’m not a completely hopeless cause… just didn’t mention those because they weren’t a result of my computer being repaired.

By: Another Rachel

Another Rachel — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:40:18 +0000

Don’t you think it’s interesting that even in your “unplugging” activities that you mentioned, two of three were on your new electronic device? Even though you changed locations and interacted more with humans, you were still looking at a screen. And though you talk about the WALL-E moment where the humans realize what’s around them and actually interact with their environment, you cite as a benefit of the Kindle that it seems to disappear from your hand and let you read without distraction. Does that mean that the actual physical device doesn’t matter?

I’m not arguing with your point - I think it’s a great one. I am frequently astonished by the amount of time I spend staring at a computer screen. But, if the benefit comes in interaction with real objects and real people then play a game, look at a photo album, use things where the actual object, environment, and company really matter.