tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142749913571739152024-03-19T19:05:28.502-07:00Life Analoglog off. tune in. opt out.Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-29101785922516192012024-03-19T19:04:00.000-07:002024-03-19T19:04:45.218-07:00Going Totally Analog<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8oYm8yGiezPGz2nr104o4j-VZ9R9olboBQcj0gr7zP_4KBQ1970cFvxxBBfCrADbr_pWbYqc9A3EXB39ul8gMXAiCMGB091ley6f4lvIIjuu2ugXK4JYnrgdqVMxQcHBxnwpw-6x90K-518vw5RsyvckHHnF3hb-n2ccjvwCj3uUnPq2xi3V3_e8AGmV/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5cba.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8oYm8yGiezPGz2nr104o4j-VZ9R9olboBQcj0gr7zP_4KBQ1970cFvxxBBfCrADbr_pWbYqc9A3EXB39ul8gMXAiCMGB091ley6f4lvIIjuu2ugXK4JYnrgdqVMxQcHBxnwpw-6x90K-518vw5RsyvckHHnF3hb-n2ccjvwCj3uUnPq2xi3V3_e8AGmV/w480-h640/fullsizeoutput_5cba.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> Leaving the site up as archive. Thanks for the connection -- especially all those actual letters in my post office box!<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I will not be updating this blog.</p>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-65421389971888110192022-08-19T15:02:00.154-07:002022-08-19T15:39:51.395-07:00Mindful Twitter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1524834145179869187" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoum4SNx5HO0mQuFzr26ocnCRwtwLaoDq0EVAzEYar5qPKk54AUT7UqVTHmVjC3psynoZvLn_1rPDNZFD2hG5CDjZ2fD8umAjEZrPA2qxDbUe_FnaPa7iCgl5VU38Q9MZ1qfxJihro5ouw7u5JfJv66px0Col2a0C68tL9M9oMA41fyTF3Uk3rxAQryg/w640-h426/pexels-twitter%20jorge-urosa-9129527%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Analog, through Twitter?</i></div> <p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The pandemic has been hard for digital minimalists.</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/08/when-real-life-is-virtual.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-YgZuGXieI35fSH3NEFWz6iPxYFFNrGWPneTcatAYdMuuBzZaoy_qAhTdKDEEKcCdMRHS8wvV6TTgNkIVKq21vDQZPHjLuiSgzjKMZe709lS66dkCNMy_LoXL658mQBIB_r0WqDTzw2Q4X5a2vrgQod3ERkj3m1kIf7-l0V2J9F4KassrZcx4hom9g/s320/pexels-monstera-6998856%20(1).jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Even "going back to normal" hasn't really been normal with repeat infections from a <a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1521178772023652352" target="_blank">brain-shrinking, immune system-destroying, clot-forming virus</a> that is still out of control. Many of us are still somewhat hunkered-down, masked, avoiding crowds. Those of us who can work remotely are at home most of the time. Some who are back in offices or public settings choose to spend non-working hours mostly at home because getting Covid sucks. Sometimes it continues to suck in ways that have nothing to do with an acute phase of coughing or a runny nose. Just ask the many who ended up with post-Covid heart problems or Long Covid, who are now trying to prevent getting infected again.<p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">It's easy to understand why people have turned to social media as a way to connect. </span></b></p><p>It's a lonely pandemic. Sometimes our screens are wonderful virtual campfires. But, just like in the before-times, the ever-flashing screen is addictive, and it can become a source of bad news, misinformation and countless displays of the very worst humanity has to offer. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFQN82GFzkZdmiQBzqq1PxjC2ppsD2LVWDPZDpZXOF-lfhyP4OcryJZ2gzFUS6iv5UL1DjhNhE7ij0kDAQsFPto8mU0S2Aw7T7EBYnsdLeSRX3vTPxHtu6n020IMaGJZzhSexljTTki9dKhtWcNr8MP-gc1Ml6gcgz7JRpfDVOxQ-t4IFC0cchYhBdQ/s320/pexels-brett-jordan-5417837.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I returned to Twitter in 2020. I wasn't going back to scroll cat videos or argue politics. At first I needed information on the quickly-changing pandemic. I used Twitter for news and updates. I also used it to join virtual hands with others in our strange, locked-down world. I used it to watch the daily Covid livestreams from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. I used it to mourn death after death after death, all announced in the same 240 character format, from famous people as well as friends. <div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Twitter was a window to the world </span></b>-- foggy and mud-splattered at times, often ominous and dark, but sometimes lit up with stars or rainbows. I managed to find an analog/digital balance. I didn't spend endless hours scrolling Twitter, but I used it -- along with Zoom -- to connect with real people and organizations in my life. I called it analog through digital. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/lists/1409676382431440909" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="4912" data-original-width="7360" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzhJzwBvRcJUyJzNQksks9PnwK14cW2FaXaCWWlH8QdFfo65ae6bafyQL4rB0PN5HDGahvNrz1H_9fHf4TZuksO19XQ1I66i00gapLcmV546J-tQF3XHCbXl_4w-bXhFYyJza5dezRxTWD9rhtmu9wDjrYtQpiHwoJs7oUg_Za6VlPs0VhLXVv9oH5w/s320/pexels-julia-m-cameron-4144923.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As Delta surged in the spring of 2021 and the official media downplayed infections, I saw people in my own social and professional circles take off their masks and promptly get sick, in spite of vaccines. Some of them got very sick. I began to use Twitter to find epidemiologists and infectious disease physicians, researchers and Long Covid activists, educators and investigative journalists who presented studies and data on the disease that despite media claims to the contrary didn't seem to be going away. Because of information from doctors and scientists, my family kept our masks on. We've managed not to get sick, even in Los Angeles. (Knock analog wood.) <p></p><p>Before Covid I used Twitter to promote work, read authors I loved and keep track of artists and activists. I checked in once in awhile, but didn't mindlessly scroll. Sometimes weeks would go by without logging in. But in June of 2021, <b><span style="font-size: medium;">I started using Twitter to forward the medical studies and articles I didn't see in the news.</span></b> I put together <a href="https://twitter.com/i/lists/1409676382431440909" target="_blank">a list of scientists and experts</a>. I created <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=laurieallee%20starting%20thread&src=typed_query" target="_blank">threads by topic</a>, and added to them as new studies and articles were published. </p><p>One of my niches as a copywriter was medical copy. I wrote a lot of health content and patient materials, and I know my way around PubMed. In July, 2021 I began organizing, compiling, and highlighting articles from <i>JAMA, NIH</i>, <i>NIJM</i>, and other medical journals. I also included many articles from publications like <i>Nature</i> and <i>Scientific America. </i> Nobody in traditional media was doing much much more than saying "Covid is over! Pay no attention to all the people who still keep getting sick!" I wanted to share valuable information, and Twitter was a good way to do it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/08/when-real-life-is-virtual.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="3657" data-original-width="5486" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kD_QamWRkVMTmGx3CBsnzj67TZFMv21fprez1gM5g7TBXV_-MkNj5_u3LDA4iW0fGw8HoFeJLv1EdIOMxdoRZKJMffLyo1wxulCFqCWg_1ZppFPgNB6_jaeUcMHUfjRGd8TGe-mNIiMzaUrUfsa_qLGR4AnHCuQNEXrs8s2F9AgnbMKwYkewlXZm4A/s320/pexels-lenin-estrada-2569997.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A social media platform doesn't have to be mindless. </span></b> It <i>can</i> be a tool for change, for outreach, for information and for comfort during times of uncertainty and sorrow.</p><p>But going back to Twitter has taken a lot of discipline.</p><p>There are a lot of pandemic grifters, and many bad takes on good data. It takes a lot of time and effort to sift through mountains of information, a lot of it bad and some of it fabricated. It also takes a lot of will not to get caught up fighting with trolls. In order to keep Twitter from becoming all-encompassing part of my life, I've had to adopt some hard rules.</p><p><b><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/be-intentional-with-your-technology.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g5BMrr03Gt0qFVR4jUURBLMVGB9pIeL6MRMzNQxkkcvPeRxZf7gLa1LDQGwjFtWSbggS2jU1D8lM2sfjva3L7YIsrucnUC6UchWTRwKQ3dqaEe0eQTY7rHni9YHFvToX0lblW7SuPVZ8Fhh1fyFbw22uA4zLWNbQI4M4GqD1VrxVnqKA_83VhRYVhQ/w400-h225/clock-1274699_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">1. I limit my time.</span></span></b> </p><p>As a freelance writer, I must schedule time wisely. I now think of Twitter as another client. I feel morally compelled to present accurate, organized threads on varying aspects of the pandemic--my first writing job was for my college newspaper, and I've never lost the soul of a journalist, and the heart of an activist--but I could easily lose entire days tweeting. I don't let that happen. I set daily time limits, and I log off when my alarm rings. I often take 3-5 days off from even looking at Twitter, even if I have new studies or articles to share, even if I want to see comments on a particularly interesting thread. I wait, decompress, and go back after a break. If you use any social media platform for education or outreach, I suggest adopting a similar strategy.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/airplane-mode.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUoBhU-eUqZnYpSEDVqYenvfHqua3hfAxaVaU52iFN58SC4wdCH0StIiubrwYacN5bRHZabQTq5dlGlphaAilcV12TKMZxyfatK2zgU3l0GnF-mtp02AA1bHBEkP1xj2R6CKH-_MAAbuJXwCVg83lHeTpKFkYI-NbqnJ985Iw7rz4jk__1ny4v3fykQ/s320/business-2846221_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2. I still keep Twitter off my phone.</b></span><p></p><p>One of the ways I limit the urge to endlessly scroll is to only access Twitter from my desktop computer or my Fire Tablet. (As I've written before, <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/airplane-mode.html" target="_blank">my Fire tablet is mostly used for offline media consumption</a>, but I now have limits set for online Twitter access.) My phone is used as a phone, a text app, a camera, a map and and access to Instacart and Door Dash. I suggest removing all the other apps, but if you can't handle something that drastic, at least put apps in a folder several screens away from your home screen.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2019/10/trees-that-hug-back.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1920" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA75RX7eAjuzwZoFm2ctQBXBVE4N3yjTL8m691gLK1QdoaXwhTyuYeZfCtJXZEJj_IvOMY1xnLF-0aXwZ62yXBTebQKZfysmn5P2vJC9y8B1nk6G80AH12rDbPVBs_DQmFvrM8l2tWdwrdBSVCNnF4QQ4nr_FDHsMpKsRNIFhUQF0-8BiK7JKyslJYig/s320/flowers-276014_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">3. I take plenty of time to destress from Twitter dystopia.</span></b><p></p><p>In a lot of ways, Twitter is a direct pipeline to hell. It reveals some of the worst, divisive, most extreme aspects of our culture. I want to remain hopeful, productive, and happy in my life, so I do things to soothe the hellscape burn. For me, a good life means lots of analog things: reading books, drawing, cooking, enjoying my garden, playing fetch with my dog, as well as analog-through-digital activities like watching films, shooting pictures and videos, accessing library e-books, and listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Mindful, intentional digital minimalism is ever-evolving, and what worked before the pandemic has changed. </span></b></p><p>Zoom is a regular part of my life. Many in-person activities have gone online, and some are improved by it. (I think telemedicine is one of the greatest gifts of the internet, and don't get me started about digital library offerings.) I'm no neo-Luddite, but dedication to living in the tangible, touchable world permeates every decision I make about digital space. </p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This week more than a few people referred to me as their pandemic librarian. This is definitely an archetype I can work with in our emerging dystopia. <a href="https://t.co/Eex9aGuuVT">pic.twitter.com/Eex9aGuuVT</a></p>— laurie allee (@laurieallee) <a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1550939257249755136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Twitter, for me, is a way to publish information. Reading, organizing, and compiling medical studies is something I'm good at, and I'm happy to have a way to share <a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1524834145179869187" target="_blank">useful information</a>. Pandemic Librarian is an analog archetype I'm pleased to embrace -- even though my shelves are virtual. (If you want to see all of my topics on the pandemic, <a href="https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1524834145179869187" target="_blank">click here</a>. Just don't stay on Twitter too long.)<p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For great analog things, here's my <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">master list</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For my guide to social media alternatives, click </span><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">. </span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div></span></b></div></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-54403233995306743972022-01-04T15:27:00.002-08:002022-01-04T15:27:20.725-08:00Have an Old-school New Year!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6OyhlXX8LZUzGTTZivUA4YhoFGhNgQ8AyzenPwmAXbcBD77q_I1xe8hV7h2Kj2Q3shJGD4GV8jIGV5rZOvq8MpKECWRyRLSAsDR_VBK80Kof75jII_6QYdbuBG6u5q0eSiJAh8i8Idukr0enQGBlghzHV-1pZAfmK8T64afUWNQzMgz9ZG6khhFbotw=s1920" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1393" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6OyhlXX8LZUzGTTZivUA4YhoFGhNgQ8AyzenPwmAXbcBD77q_I1xe8hV7h2Kj2Q3shJGD4GV8jIGV5rZOvq8MpKECWRyRLSAsDR_VBK80Kof75jII_6QYdbuBG6u5q0eSiJAh8i8Idukr0enQGBlghzHV-1pZAfmK8T64afUWNQzMgz9ZG6khhFbotw=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Get off Zoom and find some outdoor space...</span></b><p></p><p>It's been a long, strange pandemic, and it's ramping up for another act. Join me as I try to stay sane, stay safe, stop doomscrolling and ride out the latest Covid wave. Stay tuned for more.</p>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-6293786759825699232021-05-21T18:48:00.006-07:002021-05-22T16:44:13.536-07:00Let's Have a Vinyl Listening Party... <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe height="640" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uctgMwEzGbQMdwYs-WHAk4qky71uWTQ5/preview" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="30" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://archive.org/embed/lp_the-oscar-peterson-trio-plays_the-oscar-peterson-trio" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>If we were at my house, I'd make you a drink.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" target="_blank">Check out the entire Unlocked Recordings Archive</a> </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Brought to us by the beloved, madcap archivists at <a href="https://archive.org/" target="_blank">The Internet Archive</a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So, I did something crazy when I was in my 20s. When my roommate decided to move to Boston, I agreed to help her drive her truck across country from Los Angeles. She planned to sell most of her stuff before making the trek, and since I was also in flux -- and broke -- I added a few things to her yard sale to make some extra money.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Selling my jerky ex-boyfriend's leather jacket he never bothered to pick up was a no-brainer. Selling jeans I no longer wore and jewelry I never really liked? Obvious. But selling my record collection...</span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLaECESujAW2bkrTy8XRsaQiMf0cReKlH8fxPTQ2AjO0Nntgr_Fox1MHt2nQkJRBEkSg4ZGc4UM_ZMopG8XQmUsK33ft3WWV31J_UIFZp5IuUzD0-OXJBdlDnYwKJs0M2TNaqZrFm-X2a/s320/pexels-cottonbro-3693095.jpg" /></a></div><br />...even at the time a little voice said, <i>um, you might regret this.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">"No I won't," my 90s self replied. "Nobody listens to records anymore. We listen to tapes. CDs if we can afford them."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>But... but RECORDS... </i>my inner voice pleaded.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">"I don't even have a stereo anymore!" I insisted.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And with that, I lugged my box of LPs out from the back of my closet -- a box with Beatles and Artie Shaw, Psychedelic Furs and the Cure, the U2 I practically wore out when I was 19, the David Sanborn that always reminded me of my first boyfriend, Robbie Robertson, Everything But The Girl, The Smiths, The B52s, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Queen, Coltrane, The Doors, The The, Kate Bush, Crosby Stills and Nash, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Chopin and Mozart and <i>more</i> -- and unceremoniously dragged it over to the pile of items for sale on the sidewalk where, not even an hour later, a surfer guy in a Karmann Ghia gave me $30 for the entire box.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have regretted it ever since.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the age of Spotify, some people are surprised to learn that collecting vinyl really, truly is <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=collecting+vinyl&oq=collecting+vinyl&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6j0i390l3.6031j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">still a thing. </a> If your town doesn't have a local used record store, there are plenty of <a href="https://www.departures.com/lifestyle/home-design/best-online-shops-buy-vinyl-records" target="_blank">online options</a>. (<a href="https://amzn.to/3f7eOKU" target="_blank">Even Amazon will ship you LP</a>s.)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>One of the things I truly miss about life before ubiquitous cell phone scrolling is the way we used to stop what we were doing and listen to records. </span>Vinyl has always been about a little more than just the music. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8lKXn_3ZvLewx8OxbUEiduMozkdJtKpqWWy_aOHKa167hunRqs7qRI6vrNL8ZUpzjkO5PtNq8ol9qWZHJppvNaRV2PSX0OihRGlCs1VqUWcRwqsbKSLl0rST0sKImuFFMoxzXOK6aW9S/s320/pexels-matthias-groeneveld-3916058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Everything about vinyl is intentional: leisurely flipping through albums in a record store, deciding which ones are worth the cost, carefully opening the shrink wrap, pouring over the liner notes and album art, blowing fuzz off the record (while carefully holding it by the edges in between both palms,) delicately placing the needle onto the smooth little line at the record's outer edge, and then meticulously adjusting the stereo equalizer. (I like more treble for jazz, and probably less bass than usual for rock.)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, just listening. Not setting a playlist to random while scrolling Twitter. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Just. Listening. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Taking time to experience the music. Hearing the tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk at the end of Side 1. Carefully flipping the record to listen to the rest. Interpreting the album as a whole work of art, not just a collection of songs. (Unless, of course, you popped for a Greatest Hits album.) Deciding which songs you'll lift the needle and skip ahead for the next listen. (<i>Moby Dick</i> on <i>Zeppelin II,</i> <i>Mother</i> on the Police's <i>Synchronicity</i>, The Smiths' title song on <i>Meat is Murder</i>...)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what if I told you that the zany librarians at <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" target="_blank">The Internet Archive</a> have put together a collection of almost 8000 20th Century albums that are no longer commercially available? What if I told you they made pristine recordings of all of them, with all those wonderful little scratchy vinyl noises? What if I told you they scanned all the album covers and liner notes, too? What if I told you that you are allowed to stream or download these recordings?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Imagine a used record store where every single album is one-of-a-kind and unavailable anywhere else ... and you can have all of them <i>for free</i>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8BDqBowSuMvNZLQ16pJvfhqP6rivoaMGpn82eWQNBIx1rUANaIuZV0n8IF1BVyoW3mmaNBWwPKzM2Y6meP7BZUgkb3ZKWbOd884IrCuq6-P_pFTr4x4kUX_iaFjdaKzJYzzDd3BvE8ym/s320/pexels-lopsan-2191013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Welcome to the <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" target="_blank">Unlocked Recordings Archive</a>. Okay, so you don't get the actual, physical records. But the experience of browsing and listening to the albums in this archive is honestly the next best thing to visiting a friend with a killer album collection -- like, one that takes up three rooms.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>This is an example of digital technology being used to preserve our disappearing analog world, and I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me. There's no algorithm leading you to things you might like. There is not much organization of the archive, so it's as if your friend with the killer album collection never bothered to alphabetize the records, and you just have to wander around the stacks, seeing what you can find.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I knew I loved the folks at Internet Archive. They're already making sure </span><a href="https://www.bookswithlaurie.com/2021/04/a-bookworms-dream-browse-preview-and.html" target="_blank">every single book that has ever been written will have a digitized copy available online.</a><span> They are also saving old radio programs, old TV shows, old photographs and even old software. I'm sure they will get around to archiving blogs. (Howdy to readers stumbling upon this in the year 2070!) </span><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIY8Us3eYvHZJFyLYepaohBCeh-TJvHyLY9vfoGjPIL4w45QHHEGXhbVTIsMPCM1zCPDu4Af21jXy-SkY3eKJMNCgUf4eDO-f4pu7hPQonCwo2OXq4Xj8xH60pmJgd9cwMYWqWIBy1_A0E/s320/plate-4725349_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Make yourself a drink, and then click play above to listen to one of my favorite records. My parents had this album when I was a child, and I was so surprised when I stumbled upon it and recognized the cover. The recording of <i>Fly Me To The Moon</i> on it is one of the reasons I fell in love with jazz. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After you enjoy my pick, take a look at the entire collection in <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/the-unlocked-recordings-archive.html" target="_blank">The Unlocked Recordings Archive.</a> A small number of archived albums are limited to 30 second samples of each song, but thousands (and <i>thousands</i>) more are available in their entirety. Design nerds: the archive is a staggering collection of album art from the 1930s-1970s. Jazz, Big Band and Bossa fans: prepare to swoon. There are symphonies and spoken word albums and early versions of audiobooks. There are weird covers of even weirder originals. Eclectic music buffs: there are things here that Dr. Demento would have found too strange to include in his radio show. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There are some truly bizarre records included in the archive, but more than a few treasures. (Prepare to stay a while.) </span></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Analog-Real-Things-Matter-ebook/dp/B01IMZ5GGM?dchild=1&keywords=analog+book&qid=1621642081&sr=8-2&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=858d884f42f0bb81b3bd388ad6f7c672&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01IMZ5GGM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">By the way, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uarGo7" target="_blank">Revenge of the Analog</a></i> is a great read about why we love collecting vinyl and buying paper books and shooting 35mm film and basically embracing the things tech told us we no longer wanted. Digital minimalists will find a kindred spirit in David Sax. I join him in a full-throated, celebratory cheer for all the robust, real, tangible things that are readily available if we just log off social media and look around. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">* * *</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> For a peek at the Internet Archive's Open Library of books, take a look at <a href="https://www.bookswithlaurie.com/2021/04/a-bookworms-dream-browse-preview-and.html" target="_blank">my post about it at <i>Books With Laurie</i></a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For other great analog things, here's my <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">master list</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stay tuned for more hands-on, analog activities to avoid phone scrolling.</span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div></span></b></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-16987484625961337262021-04-28T14:16:00.006-07:002021-04-30T14:51:50.518-07:00Great Use of Screen Time: Jose Briones and Digital Minimalism<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dOH3R5IcKcQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Follow Jose Briones <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/JoseBriones/about" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="http://www.lifeanalog.com" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Must Watch for Digital Minimalists</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X_beTYhdBE" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhs1iiH88hsiSO_pXLvCTmm34Z0eEHRcDn4F4gFkHgUSnaDR3sEwCE-92UEFtmWMZ-Ho2SzEIzTJkr7lpFvKByyeQdy-sySogdZ_b2RhxJ6A6OMCUP_VJ6cz0DOyghEBXtUeA0725tm6f/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-04-28+at+1.59.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X_beTYhdBE" target="_blank">Watch Jose's interview with Joe Hollier,<br />creator of the Light Phone</a> 2 </span></td></tr></tbody></table>The ironic part about living a life less digitally saturated is that by conscientiously spending time offline you can miss out on some great fellow travellers. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFtVwG0NFd6gT3TXfMCU7oA" target="_blank">Jose Briones</a> is well worth your screen time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I first discovered Jose when I was researching dumb phones. I was struggling with the incessant temptation of my iPhone, and I wondered if there was an alternative that would allow me to stay connected without getting sucked into an endless vortex of scrolling, likes and retweets. Jose's channel is the perfect one-stop clearinghouse of detailed reviews, with plenty of explanations and demonstrations of the user experience. If you are shopping for a phone that won't own you, Jose's channel will definitely help you make an informed decision. He will point you toward some devices I guarantee you have not heard of before. </span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/airplane-mode.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA44oi0nfNFmv9BF59BptoH_6s97likLvskczHryhZDzkQA3yEawSGS2w5NC3qekRMe-THrjyuqlPT4sDtJYoWWFPUf3V4XgVAQFkk4ywHfqxBp8YaJbS_6jocZy1MYF9KfJP_uzLc66YW/w225-h400/A3D7DE28-C861-4067-B4B3-E671BB0B98A1_4_5005_c.jpeg" width="225" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/airplane-mode.html" target="_blank">My iPhone is now a (kinda) dumb phone.<br />(I just deleted most apps.)</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Ultimately, I turned my iPhone into a dumb version of itself by deleting most apps and hiding the rest a few screens over in a folder. I can still send and receive texts using the iPhone keyboard. I still have the ability to listen to music, download audiobooks, use Uber and order from Instacart, but I no longer grab my phone to check Twitter or aimlessly surf the internet. (Find out more about what I did to unplug <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/quickstart-guide-to-unplugging.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But sometimes -- <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/introducing-smart-phone.html" target="_blank">for reasons we all understand</a> -- I still think I might want to make the leap to a truly scaled-down device. For that I turn to Jose's expertise. His knowledge of phones is exceptional, but he is more than just another product reviewer. As you can see in his video at the top of this post, he is a thoughtful devotee of the slower tech, digitally minimalist philosophy. His common-sense approach to living more intentionally in a digital world is inspiring, but it's also <i>doable</i>. Jose shows us that we don't have to check out of all technology in order to have a balanced life. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Jose also hosts interviews with members of the digital minimalism community. (See his great talk with Light Phone 2 creator Joe Hollier by clicking the photo above left, and learn more about the slow tech rebels behind the Light Phone <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/introducing-smart-phone.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Jose is a kindred spirit, and I always look forward to watching his videos. I've included a few of my favorites <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/great-advice-on-digital-minimalism-from.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For another great use of your screen time, check out Study With Merve <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/03/great-use-of-screen-time-study-with.html" target="_blank">here</a>. If studying isn't your thing, maybe you'd rather make art. <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/04/analog-things-art-journals.html" target="_blank">Here is some inspiration</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stay tuned for more hands-on, analog activities to avoid phone scrolling.</span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div></span></b><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-17985736470663529892021-04-13T18:12:00.004-07:002021-04-30T14:55:30.076-07:00Analog Things: Art Journals<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNwWDp1qMWE?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My art journals...</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="http://www.lifeanalog.com" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; text-align: left;">This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info</a>.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Making your own illuminated manuscripts...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Okay, so maybe they don't rival <i><a href="https://mymodernmet.com/how-to-make-medieval-illuminated-manuscripts/" target="_blank">these</a></i> illuminated manuscripts, but art journals have taken my regular blank books to a whole different level. They've also given me a meditative practice that I look forward to doing. Illustrating my journals adds another layer of creativity to my life, and provides a great alternative to scrolling on my phone.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: large; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&sxsrf=ALeKk02MmkrfqH1QVsTvBVrtSmlKs8PEmQ:1618357725825&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=art+journals&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG1_eqtPzvAhU_HzQIHa3MCbsQjJkEegQIBxAB&biw=1920&bih=891" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFcqqL1qjP1nFjSA_i8dlH-HG2iWCR0CsBxZZlawDpMDtAQLYPoUGa8Pes7CE8hLYoLyHCAMt3qX0VAcePS_YbB1vGgSqAiMK_co-bOygKTaY0a4jucIQDG2EikWuklLxiKgk96Vb1Bi6/w400-h225/Screen+Shot+2021-04-13+at+4.50.27+PM.png" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&sxsrf=ALeKk02MmkrfqH1QVsTvBVrtSmlKs8PEmQ:1618357725825&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=art+journals&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG1_eqtPzvAhU_HzQIHa3MCbsQjJkEegQIBxAB&biw=1920&bih=891" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Here are a lot of different art journals.</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: large;">So what, exactly, is an art journal? </span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>According to Wikipedia, it is a journal often containing both words and sketches, and occasionally including mixed media elements like collages. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Don't let the name fool you into thinking you need to know the intricacies of shading and perspective to partake in this</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">endeavor. (Although if you know these things, you will make great art journals.) I consider an art journal any blank book that you use to draw, doodle, trace, color, collage or otherwise alter to include your own illustrations. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKj1WXCh6gNxzVXD5EkOwVjDdAHiQmc_QA6K5FQY3denbd0rK43kSd6o4VE0zr9udAyEywmB2v6cYStnRHr9OKyrywCLzboTDc6F_rOmtyloT0RxkuT3vuYqPOw4P8rY1msRoCcuLmJjG/s2048/5D368A95-80F0-486D-BF60-4B02A2A585B1_1_201_a.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKj1WXCh6gNxzVXD5EkOwVjDdAHiQmc_QA6K5FQY3denbd0rK43kSd6o4VE0zr9udAyEywmB2v6cYStnRHr9OKyrywCLzboTDc6F_rOmtyloT0RxkuT3vuYqPOw4P8rY1msRoCcuLmJjG/s320/5D368A95-80F0-486D-BF60-4B02A2A585B1_1_201_a.jpeg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">One of my early diaries. (Blame the 70s.)</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been a regular diary-keeper since I was in elementary school. My early entries were what you might expect: light on substance, heavy on pedestrian activities with lots of details about passionate crushes on boys.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>When an English teacher in junior high assigned </span><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wRR9F7" target="_blank">Diary of Anne Frank</a>, </i><span>I was profoundly moved to try to do more with my journals. Sure, Anne complained about her mother and professed her undying love for Peter, but she also left behind a memoir of great beauty and importance. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Her diary guarantees the world will never forget the holocaust. It inspires as much as it informs. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: large; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxTmasUrHYKwloWJ5s0e4J2bRzBt1S-pf79px0gPg45z9yIlrTUvYrgz2V_boQHP3l4GtNaHSKQb9rWWw8amNquQYpZNudYcEwqzeWHWUL6jxQrO9C85WnIcu8k0qQQwGLIRwzMb4nxNB/s2048/6487BE9B-C120-4E79-B111-AE2B893CC272_1_201_a.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxTmasUrHYKwloWJ5s0e4J2bRzBt1S-pf79px0gPg45z9yIlrTUvYrgz2V_boQHP3l4GtNaHSKQb9rWWw8amNquQYpZNudYcEwqzeWHWUL6jxQrO9C85WnIcu8k0qQQwGLIRwzMb4nxNB/s320/6487BE9B-C120-4E79-B111-AE2B893CC272_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">Let's just say I was no Anne Frank.</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reading Anne's diary made me realize that <b>journals could actually change the world.</b> Honest, introspective personal histories were important. While I never, ever rose to the level of Anne Frank, keeping a journal has definitely made me a better writer and a better person.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Regular journaling helps me work through problems, explore opinions, flesh out creative ideas, keep records, document my experiences, chronicle (and possibly exaggerate) my adventures, process grief, experiment with sentence structure and write </span><span>pages and pages and pages of fairly mediocre poetry. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keeping a journal led me to becoming a professional writer and it (naturally!) led me to becoming a blogger. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1plB9ieE9_2yHWUkH_9Np6ODjBoN4oY1tU0xZjJ97Bh8dXNDZGwQafbbcr4mbMK5R7Wxm_E6aN_94JdkIf_1L0tfB5eouoF2bXtX-2gceVnStLa6fCpz6A7M7SF4Wyn4802YA9mnZqmUS/s320/84DD39A5-E72F-4806-9BE7-2D4620D6DBC5_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">I don't think this counts...</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">My boxes and boxes of old journals contain all kinds of scribbling, but they don't have much in the way of illustration. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Chalk it up to coming of age in an either/or era that insisted you were either a writer <i>OR</i> an artist. I never thought of my blank books as places to sketch or doodle. They were places to write... right? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Not necessarily...</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhCapCe7OlhVNZofemjJRoJo-OlYctmN0JJBEHiUK-phlNjR2r5DLC0Oit7FEEJQF_GJKz7dmOSwV2-q6GeWPU2fFVTz_BlOpyqe6drjjODQzjD4KYLC0iFP7vNJ1YSJLGDXqAoae-yCi/s320/E4543BB4-053C-4A96-96D8-F81F8CAEF6D6_1_201_a.jpeg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">It's more than a blank book now.</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The pandemic has given many of us an opportunity to explore new pathways for creative expression and personal enrichment that we might have been too busy to discover before. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">While I am dedicated to avoid living most of my life online, the last 13 months in lockdown have been challenging. It's tempting to fall back into the old habit of scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Journaling has always been a great analog alternative to posting on Twitter --with infinitely more space to make a point --but I'm not always in the mood to write. Maybe I've already been writing a manuscript all day. Maybe I just don't want to put words together.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The thing that makes social media so tempting and addictive to me is its effortlessness. It's easy to mindlessly stare at all those ever-changing images. Getting out a sketchbook to MAKE ART, however, can feel daunting ... especially when it's so much easier to binge-watch funny Tik Tok videos. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FEVsD-JrWEdbkAtaeu8VHT987g90OV-KhQ_53J3mYTxwmYV1wHSY2kD2egoji1DlD1TondHeAsEWDWaFltwu_QYqozavoq-hoiWenqEAFLlv1bMVw3EolqPIEPKaBnDkmjSLyZJAjiUo/s320/31322512-8F73-4AB6-BD22-6CBB704CC6FF_1_201_a.jpeg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">This page is coming up roses.</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Joining the adult coloring craze is an option, but coloring books don't interest me for long. <b>Maybe I just just never liked the idea of coloring within someone else's lines. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Doodling in a book I use as a journal, however, is a perfectly effortless alternative to social media. Coloring in those doodles elevates them to illustrations. Going back to those pages to write makes me feel even more creative. You know how intimidating it can be to look at a blank page? I don't have the same hesitation when the page has cartoon flowers on it.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Art journaling is a great left-right brain collaboration. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: large; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/B08WF12GRY?dchild=1&keywords=The+artists+way&qid=1618355610&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=74f6e18a96d48567a1ed0895f332d64a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B08WF12GRY&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Morning pages and more creative hacks</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you don't have a regular journaling practice, I highly recommend giving it a try. For a great jump start, check out </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3tkIkBQ" target="_blank">The Artists Way</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. In this creative self-help classic, Julia Cameron introduces the practice of writing "</span><a href="https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">morning pages</a>.<span style="font-family: inherit;">" Millions of people do it every day. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>If you join in, your relationships will probably be better, your mind will be clearer, your ideas will flourish and you'll leave behind a record of your life that will probably surprise and shock your children when they eventually sort through your things.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Master-His-Emissary-Divided-Western-dp-0300245920/dp/0300245920?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1618356121&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=96278c72cf5d10844da30e15c9482910&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0300245920&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A great read about <br />the left/right sides of the brain</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">If you just don't see yourself keeping any kind of a regular journal, you might try turning your day planner or calendar into a kind of art journal. Or, just start filling a spiral notebook with doodles. If you don't want to doodle, you might like making collages. There are many interesting artists on YouTube making all kinds of beautiful things out of blank books. I've included a few favorites <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/art-journal-inspiration-videos.html" target="_blank">here</a> to give you inspiration. I don't do collages -- well, not yet anyway. My only supplies are <a href="https://amzn.to/3mLV3uw" target="_blank">my favorite Bic ballpoint</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2PZR55K" target="_blank">a lot</a> of <a href="https://amzn.to/3g95UO8" target="_blank">different</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3efMlRN" target="_blank">colored pencils</a>. (<a href="https://amzn.to/3dXNxsJ" target="_blank">Crayons are good too.</a>)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One of the things that surprised me the most is how much better my mind works when I spend some dedicated, relaxed time making visual art. I don't have the same experience editing my photographs and videos, possibly because I am not nearly as relaxed as when I'm simply drawing and coloring. <b>I solve a lot of problems and have a lot of eureka moments just zoning out with my doodles. </b>I don't even think about picking up my phone.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Be sure to watch my video at the top of the post to see some of my illustrated pages. I feel like a kid bringing my coloring book to show-and-tell! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For more art ideas, check out NerdForge <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/04/analog-things-making-art.html" target="_blank">here</a>. If art isn't your thing, make music. <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/11/analog-things-mountain-dulcimer.html" target="_blank">Here's some inspiration</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stay tuned for more hands-on, analog activities to avoid phone scrolling.</span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div></span></b><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div></div></span></div></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-87961134316478809362021-04-01T15:03:00.011-07:002021-04-13T18:46:21.903-07:00Analog Things: Making Art <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n4ZpkuMC29w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Do yourself a favor and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Nerdforge/featured" target="_blank">subscribe to Nerdforge here.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="http://www.lifeanalog.com" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here Be Dragons: The Magic and Wonder of <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/11/analog-things-mountain-dulcimer.html" target="_blank">Nerdforge</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> am a little bit controversial in the digital minimalism space. While a life with almost no screen time is admirable, I'm not a neo-Luddite. My life analog means using all the tools at my disposal to spend the majority of my time getting my hands dirty in the real world rather than scrolling mindlessly through hashtags and Instagram stories. I'm happy to use the internet to make my real life better. (Hint: I'm blogging right now, not writing with a quill on parchment.) (Although I like to do that too.) If you do it right, your screen time can lead to remarkable <i>real</i> time. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Case in point...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggHsHce2n3vvbJf_8YKrMA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1809" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqclG-XFZUUrg18gQNmgxUTBtw0k0CJ1fhJjfuhYIx_2zxY0s1T-Kz28ZVxrouLeTLC6nxlt-svjsYwg9ALB8Z5r8T14gX82FNuflIBKbxPuXp6mfx7UWF0FyWBvY_Dyy7EI0h0pCF1AyU/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-04-01+at+2.24.45+PM.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggHsHce2n3vvbJf_8YKrMA" target="_blank">Nerdforge</a> is a Norwegian couple named Martina and Hansi, and if you haven't landed on their channel yet then allow me to become your new favorite person by making the introduction. <b> These two live, eat and breathe making art. </b>Working in virtually all mediums -- acrylic, oil, wood, metal, leather, resin, gemstones, neon -- they defy categorization. I'd say the unifying thread in all of their creations is magic. And I don't mean stage magic. These two appear to be absolutely pixillated as they work in their studio of mythical and faery delights. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They hand bind grimoires worthy of Merlin. They paint enormous dragons on their office walls. <i><b>They seemingly create other dimensions on walls and in bookcases!</b></i> (See the video above.) They even painted their van following a Bob Ross TV episode. (Oh, and they converted the van themselves, too.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Nerdforge/featured" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1761" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl4c4hPqepj07R5hdXSb7MS9Z8IA_PXJxfiem08lSWHSgc8INQhAYnQ0d365PhyphenhyphenZSgJOegWLNK97_Fw8XFRRnqojPcMGqmBLB7lO0ow8TymLG09PiTpyL9HBjefT6GvqmQpwGjndgQZt6/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-04-01+at+2.27.00+PM.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I originally discovered <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Nerdforge/featured" target="_blank">Nerdforge</a> because of their zeal for books and bookcases. I don't know about you, but I feel like there might be a few fairies living in <i>my</i> bookcases and I'm happy to have the DIY instructions on how to make them a proper home. (I'll post my results when I finish!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Nerdforge/featured" target="_blank">channel</a> shows you that you don't have to put your phone in a lockbox to live a joyful analog life. Just use your phone to find ways to put it down and make art. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">If art isn't your thing, make music. <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/11/analog-things-mountain-dulcimer.html" target="_blank">Here's some inspiration</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay tuned for more ways to use technology to enhance offline time.</span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div></span></b><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-35713758014370925522021-03-26T15:53:00.009-07:002021-04-13T18:47:09.163-07:00Great Use of Screen Time: Study With Merve<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Imd1Ao5nN_0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">See Merve's entire channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; text-align: left;">If you're reading this via email, please </span><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/03/great-use-of-screen-time-study-with.html" target="_blank">click here</a><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; text-align: left;"> to see the accompanying video.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Must-watch...studying?!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Let's say you're at a film pitch meeting and you're trying to convince producers that you've got a workable idea:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"There's this Scottish student, okay? And they have this YouTube Channel where all they do is point an HD camera at a desk and out of the window where they, like, study alone for up to 7 hours. You never see anything except their hands as they write in notebooks and check a laptop. They've got over 201,000 subscribers and people join the live streams from all over the world to study with the videos and everyone has developed a camaraderie in the comment section..." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Yeah, I don't think you're getting that movie funded.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But here's where truth really is stranger than fiction...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbAko37Di2mJL6lLJDZpArGFw-vQ-c02FOmz7MZ_oj0C9EOtADylb464FmiPZ1mJI_IYF_rCWYJCXazBrzRR0TVl0JwoPRz8Ky_eK6EV0NIby7IGr6jVF-ZEOIx-Qf0isgI7Yw7dMwZWX/s320/6D186C0F-97F1-43E7-875A-1E02F93AF159.png" width="320" /></a></div>Identified simply as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" target="_blank">Merve</a>, "a student in amazing Scotland," this extremely organized International Relations MRes student from University of Glasgow has offered COVID-19 shut-ins, distance learners and those suffering from social media overload a calm place to study, read, write or just peacefully unwind without distraction. You know all those apps promising a surefire system to destress, or meditate, or organize work or practice mindfulness? Delete them all and tune in to Merve. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Merve's goal is simple: <b>"I hope this study video helps you avoid using social media while you study. You will find a quiet and cosy study room ambience in this video when studying at your home. Hopefully, this would get you motivated for more than studying. You might hear the rain, birds, typing sounds and the flipping of pages (and cars too, unfortunately) from time to time, and I hope that helps you to know that I'm there studying with you!"</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNtoBXQ8YNC2FLhFqVtxjhVkYo82SaukFC3amO9UHrxw5wr_5Q42jprEzfJf6jWCbAwhsxHgh1-zHBTgDbp2VfO8B4tAW5GVB_u0CSy5qYPZ8WWO79b3T7PeFDMfRWifo1fyKJdT-M18P/s320/557401EF-41CE-4AF8-ADFF-C1C21C0C4BC3.png" width="320" /></a></div>If you read the comments sections of Merve's videos you'll find scrolls of inspiring testimony. People from all over the world are studying a wide variety of subjects. They post what they are working on in the comments. There are PhD dissertations being written, theoretical physics exams being prepared for. There are authors writing novels and teachers preparing lessons. There are formally enrolled students and autodidacts dedicating time to learning languages or reading the classics. There are law students and medical students and a huge amount of distance learning kids who have finally found a way to escape Instagram and focus on homework. (My favorite comment, after a list of college-level learners had declared their fairly complex study subjects for the day, was simply "I'm 10 and today I'm studying math.")</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDxk6DQYrqo_KX-mJ7WdXANEJAs5428AX_T3qgTZ8bQDDOlfwkNtudS69yTWK-FRyH533232kKwh_Fiagl3C6Q8FysreQuKvNZ6kS1xIeG5XJFlFz3QyZeyzxvnsdv8S0jZVvr1JAHks4/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-26+at+3.38.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>I like to put Merve on a screen in the background while I write or edit. The system of working for 50 minutes and breaking for 10 has dramatically improved my creative output. <b>It's amazing how much you can get done with these blocks of dedicated time. </b> Knowing that I'm connected to a worldwide group of others makes it feel like I'm in the coolest study hall <i>ever</i> ... one with Scottish songbirds, an occasional rain shower, the gentle scratch of Merve's pen on the paper and the clickety-click of the laptop keyboard. (Heads up ASMR devotees!) As a bonus, no matter when you look up at the screen you'll see something calm and beautiful: a perfect coffee mug, an enviably organized desk, a gorgeous view out of Merve's window. Seriously, Merve lives in a ridiculously beautiful place, and is not only an extremely organized student, but a fantastic videographer with a superb eye for composition. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkPgEucgqedbckpzC2EUwIA" target="_blank">This is using technology to make real life better,</a> and I'm there for it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For more wonderful ambient background videos to enhance analog living, check out <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/03/instead-of-social-media-log-into-nature.html" target="_blank">this post.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stay tuned for more ways to use technology to enhance offline time.</span></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div></span></b><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-86322105726681692762021-03-16T18:19:00.010-07:002021-04-30T14:57:17.281-07:00Instead of Social Media: Log Into Nature Livestreams... <p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DY5RYp4sxYc" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Hang out at the Banzai Pipeline surf break on the north shore of Oahu</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Livestream hours: dawn to just after sunset, Hawaii time</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/03/instead-of-social-media-log-into-nature.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Seeing the World Despite Travel Restrictions</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Finding the analog in the digital</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Readers of this blog know that <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2019/08/unplugged.html" target="_blank"><b>I have a love/hate relationship with technology.</b></a> Before COVID-19, I felt like I was living in some kind of Matrix where everyone was willingly plugged into devices, ignoring each other while staring hour after hour into endlessly scrolling screens. I basically started this blog as a kind of rebellion against my phone. I dedicated myself a life more tactile and less digital. I unplugged to get my hands dirty and <i><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45477/song-of-myself-1892-version" target="_blank">"sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world"</a> -- </i>or to at least avoid the toxic political howling on Twitter.<i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">During the pandemic, however, <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/08/when-real-life-is-virtual.html" target="_blank">my screens have become windows to the people and things I love</a>. Managing this pandemic with health risks has meant a strict quarantine. Without Zoom, texts and Facetime, my husband, daughter and I would be truly isolated, like an urban <i>Swiss Family Robinson. </i>While I love and appreciate my tiny home garden, it's hard not to feel restless and anxious. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><b>It has been a challenge to figure out how to stay grounded...while literally <i>being grounded</i>. </b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Welcome Back to Nature's Channel</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">One of my favorite discoveries during a year in lockdown has been the preponderance of nature livestreams available online. I may not be able to travel, but I can still catch real time views into faraway (and some not so faraway) places. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">I spent most of last summer watching the surf lazily lap along the north shore of Oahu. As the seasons changed, the quiet Hawaii beach woke up and unleashed the massive, churning waves it is famous for. (See its current mood above.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">There are <i>so many</i> livestreams. I can tune into <a href="https://pstramway.com/long-valley-cam/" target="_blank">a lovely vista of fresh snow in the pine forest on Mount San Jacinto</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I know exactly what the meadow looks like in the afternoon light at the <a href="https://www.sbbg.org/" target="_blank">Santa Barbara Botanic Garden</a>, even though I've never actually set foot into the tall grass there. I have become deeply attached to the hippos snorting, lolling, tussling and snoozing in <a href="https://mpala.org/" target="_blank">a Kenyan watering hole</a>, and I still can't believe I am able fall asleep listening to a wildlife lullaby from Africa.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">These scenes and soundscapes are perfect ambient backdrops for reading, writing, sketching, playing music, meditating or just hanging out <i>not</i> scrolling on my phone. ASMR devotees will love all the soothing natural sounds. Pandemic-weary shut-ins will appreciate the changing views. You can find them on your phone, but I suggest propping up a tablet or laptop. Better yet, use Roku and check out the waves and trees (and hippos!) on a big screen.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Here are some of my favorites:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>Panoramic Live Views of Santa Monica Beach</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Even though this is my very own local beach, during lockdown it has been largely out of reach. This stream the next best thing. (Find out Santa Monica local sunset time and tune in then.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OWbI6WtlI-k" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Streaming 24/7 (with great night views of the Ferris Wheel lights on the pier.)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Multiple Live Views of Mpala Research Centre in Kenya</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Established in 1994 at the core of the Ewaso ecosystem in central Kenya, <a href="https://www.mpalalive.org/" target="_blank">this experimental conservation research centre</a> is located on the Laikipia Plateau and is defined by the Ewaso Ng'iro River and its tributaries. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Tune in at night in North America to watch abundant wildlife in the African daytime. Once you hear the hippos, you'll fall in love with this place. <a href="https://www.mpalalive.org/field_guide" target="_blank">Here is a field guide to identify the many other animals you will see.</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGpNSsnSlfo" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Streaming 24/7 with night vision during dark hours. (Be on the lookout for big cats after dark!)</span> </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">The Aurora Borealis: Live from Manitoba</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Even if travel restrictions were lifted, I don't know if I would be jutting off to a remote polar bear outpost in Churchill, Canada. This stream brings all the arctic wonders to me.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CwriDd8STdI" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b>Land of the midnight sun... streaming 24/7. Watch for the winter polar bears!</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>The Meadow at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Feel like spending your lunch hour in a beautiful garden meadow? The <a href="https://www.sbbg.org/" target="_blank">Santa Barbara Botanic Garden</a> offers a perfect spot. (Be on the lookout for ravens and hawks.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="476" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://video.nest.com/embedded/live/SvBFMhuHmQ?autoplay=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="620"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Streaming 24/7, with night vision. (Listen to the crickets and frogs at night!)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Livestream of the Ponte delle Guglie in Venice</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">Maybe you'd love a little Italian ambiance instead? This is a beautiful live view of the Canal of Cannaregio and Guglie Bridge as seen from <a href="http://www.hotelfilu.com" target="_blank">Hotel Filu</a>, with just the right wine-drinking music provided by <a href="http://www.interpretiveneziani.com" target="_blank">Interpreti Veneziani</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HpZAez2oYsA" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b>Streaming 24/7 </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">When in doubt turn to puppies and kittens ... live, 24/7</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">These are pretty self-explanatory.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XLwYWCzlfIw" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Iup70E0Ig0" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Log off (of social media) </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Tune in (to the natural world)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Opt out (of being stressed)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Stay tuned for more ways to spend your time offline.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span>For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span>For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span>Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div></span></b></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-50448331507783852372021-03-01T18:14:00.013-08:002021-04-30T14:58:03.220-07:00Analog Things: Building a Cabin by Hand <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWY9ykgxQnI" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank">Meet Erik Grankvist...modern Viking builder</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">by Laurie Allee</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2021/03/analog-things-building-cabin-by-hand.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">No Power Tools (or Nails) Allowed.</span></h1><div>Covid-19 restrictions have given people inspiration to do things they might not have had the time or inclination to do before lockdowns. I was feeling pretty great about my own self-isolation activities: learning the dulcimer, experimenting with Prismacolor art pencils and tackling the classic books I'd never gotten around to reading. Not bad, right? No mega-scrolling, no Twitter ranting, just good old-fashioned analog activities, even in the midst of a pandemic...</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I found out about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank">Erik Grankvist</a>.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusXc7u3P-jh-Bio92-K5Isv_uAHIOLDl7_bZ90B9ZiFCy54huDjn5j-YCDXFErpWWshBVvmGKUsqWJDDcSk8B3zHFY_Qw17SN5w0zMcBbKdDRaQdUhAMQKtM1wm7dxq7z-koHtthLA53J/s0/1ECB4F3A-2ECA-4AE4-B561-15F4A260F201_4_5005_c.jpeg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank">Courtesy Erik Grankvist via YouTube</a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Building a cabin by hand from scratch in the Swedish wilderness</span></b> (with no power tools or blueprints) beats the fact that I finally read <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> and <i>The Sun Also Rises</i>. Did I mention that Erik started this project right after he graduated high school in the summer of 2019? Yes, while you were playing Minecraft, this guy was actually <i>living</i> Minecraft. In 3D. </div><div></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">His video journey is as inspirational as it is impressive... </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDol5K2qMHCRGxmXVcsqfRZ8YIWqrH0zJ7PRnipnsUIiFjAihg0l9jAm4Y0mm5-XYg-_S_yNCxrJlQMQvTvOynKVCvTKVIEFO8RZtJ9UDzLYrdA3vGpVd6IlUwyz-6W34VhogGa2Q-dcl/s0/48A18A5B-688F-4507-BE60-DC1D521669FE_4_5005_c.jpeg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank">Courtesy Erik Grankvist via YouTube</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />When I say he built a cabin by hand, I don't mean he used 2X4s delivered from the Scandinavian equivalent of Lowes. Nope. <b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>I mean he cut the trees down with an axe, stripped them, carved notches in them and fastened them together like a giant set of Lincoln Logs!</i> </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Erik's words:</div><div><br /></div><div><br />"Sometimes we hear a call from nature. When I was 18 years old I ventured out alone with only a backpack full of simple hand tools to actualize my dream. Build my own traditional off grid log cabin by hand from the materials of the Swedish wilderness. Just like our ancestors." </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwWZzlEOntYRcfsdYWqArnOdK3vCglZGx1LuAf59z41MgSw8aSylaM10HltlInxRSM9dH8HroKIruLV1d7kx3T_lS8-9uOp20G0EBLHoJ0OqpQjsUfAwqTGyOVI_plcLMp8rxYQUuycWc/s300/67960AF1-1094-4F59-B496-5F4C922834D6_4_5005_c.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwWZzlEOntYRcfsdYWqArnOdK3vCglZGx1LuAf59z41MgSw8aSylaM10HltlInxRSM9dH8HroKIruLV1d7kx3T_lS8-9uOp20G0EBLHoJ0OqpQjsUfAwqTGyOVI_plcLMp8rxYQUuycWc/s0/67960AF1-1094-4F59-B496-5F4C922834D6_4_5005_c.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikGrankvist/featured" target="_blank">Courtesy Erik Grankvist via YouTube</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Erik is my hero! And, he is proof that we can get back to basics, even if it feels unfamiliar or overwhelming. Do I think I could build a cabin by hand in the woods? No way. (Not even if I went back in time to being 18.) But I can continue learning new things. I can find joy and purpose in living my life more offscreen than on. I can continue to get my hands dirty, make things and share them. I might not build a cabin, but I'm inspired to rebuild the fence in my garden. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Although I'll probably get Lowes to deliver the lumber. I don't think Los Angeles County would appreciate me cutting down trees.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Erik's compilation video above is a wonderful reason to stare at a screen. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Stay tuned for more ways to spend your time offline.</div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><br />Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-82220494913439853322020-11-23T17:16:00.005-08:002021-04-30T15:03:31.483-07:00Analog Things: The Mountain Dulcimer<p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nyoNl9uEMak?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGEI84_PLYPCOOvOUopOzyA/featured" target="_blank">Jeff Hames rocks the mountain dulcimer </a></div><div style="text-align: left;">by Laurie Allee</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/11/analog-things-mountain-dulcimer.html#more" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the accompanying video.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info</a>.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you looking for an acoustic instrument that is highly portable, easy-to-learn, inexpensive and capable of creating absolutely beautiful music? Look no further than the <a href="https://www.bearmeadow.com/smi/histof.htm" target="_blank">mountain dulcimer</a>. This unassuming little instrument has been known by a variety of names: lap dulcimer, Appalachian dulcimer, Kentucky dulcimer, "dulcymore," harmonium, harmony box and (my favorite) hog fiddle. Traditional to the southern Appalachian mountains of the US, this stringed instrument is one of the easiest to play. Essentially a fretted zither, it commonly has three or four strings and can be played by plucking or strumming with a pick.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And it sounds AMAZING.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While primarily used to play folk music, in recent decades the mountain dulcimer has been plucked out of obscurity (see what I did there?) and embraced by musicians in a variety of genres. As you can see in the video above, this instrument may be known for folk songs, but it happily jams with anything you want it to play. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you (like me) have struggled learning the guitar, I highly suggest the dulcimer. My daughter is a gifted guitar, ukulele, mandolin and piano player, so she doesn't really mind when I borrow the dulcimer I gave her:</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DURGW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=5fa5700473fb8cdaeb550e0a8205a02a&language=en_US" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0002DURGW&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" width="400" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B0002DURGW" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2KBFRRV" target="_blank">The Applecreek ACD 100 dulcimer with spruce body and maple neck and fingerboard</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Get ready for people to ask you, "Is that a lyre? A lute? <i>What is that?!</i>"</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b>Start learning to play here:</b></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IfcFQ5dMWuM" width="560"></iframe></div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4jtDJk3qi44?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/First-Lessons-Dulcimer-Joyce-Ochs/dp/0786687495/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=play+the+mountain+dulcimer&qid=1606179923&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=ed2ccb2fb0f429a73ea8e7b19fbc9e91&language=en_US" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0786687495&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1481163191" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1440438986" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Mountain-Dulcimer-Made-Easy/dp/1440438986/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=play+the+mountain+dulcimer&qid=1606179957&s=books&sr=1-5&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=fff05b2c9acb5c5779d1b740180009f0&language=en_US" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1440438986&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1440438986" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Method-Beginning-Mountain-Dulcimer-Futch/dp/1481163191/ref=as_li_ss_il?dchild=1&keywords=play+the+mountain+dulcimer&qid=1606179957&s=books&sr=1-4&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=503eca332939cc9d2971fa5cbee50d93&language=en_US" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1481163191&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1481163191" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Stay tuned for more ways to spend your time offline.</div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div></div></span></div></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-80928600426014238092020-11-02T16:34:00.008-08:002021-04-30T15:06:40.387-07:00Unplugging as a Political Act<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s856S1oIrzs?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="http://www.lifeanalog.com/" target="_blank">click here</a> to see my accompanying video.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info</a>.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Doomscrolling</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">As I write this, the president of the United States is probably adding another tweet to his ongoing, stream-of-consciousness tone poem in a frenzy that makes Kerouac's </span><a href="https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2624&context=etd" style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;" target="_blank">"spontaneous prose"</a><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> look downright mellow by comparison.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">For your sanity's sake, don't be like the president.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">As the 2020 circus of chaos </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">expands its rings, I can't seem to stop checking Twitter. A day's news seems like it will encompass an entire chapter of a future history book. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">And it happens every day. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">No, actually, it happens every <i>hour</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Lpj0lFgXmK54SxZRNhjEZFwqr8Uv8oSc0yJ95A4F5wba_56ClzdZUlNAmraGIh6-lC1PtTbx2g5i8J5RvJ-R6rF3nNxs6JBpcCRbP1MBqPjU3z61Zom610XRNL5waDLNlhuHMfd-P-lK/s1280/bullying-679274_1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Lpj0lFgXmK54SxZRNhjEZFwqr8Uv8oSc0yJ95A4F5wba_56ClzdZUlNAmraGIh6-lC1PtTbx2g5i8J5RvJ-R6rF3nNxs6JBpcCRbP1MBqPjU3z61Zom610XRNL5waDLNlhuHMfd-P-lK/w400-h225/bullying-679274_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">The strange new normal of disorder and upheaval has left me in a perpetual state of shock. I'm overwhelmed by the statistics, the scandals, the outrage, the ever-increasing vitriol, the spin...and my own crushing disappointment, fear and incredulity at the antics of all the lunatics running our asylum. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>To be an American in 2020 is to be part of an extremely dysfunctional family.</span> </span></b>It's like being a child of alcoholic parents who are locked in a bitter, ongoing divorce. I</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">nstead of providing for the children, these parents spend all their time fighting and pitting the kids against each other. They mismanage the money, neglect responsibilities, refuse to provide basic care and tell each kid that the problems are the <i>other</i> parent's fault. Sure, we have aunts and uncles who offer platitudes and promises. They won't feed us either, or give us a real way out of bedlam. Many of them have picked their team. They keep telling us</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> how important it is to choose which horrific parent we want to live with, and to never speak again to the siblings who choose the other one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPAJVAzRGkmWIY12jky1661dD_sBpTm_ZtXUMSynBkEOxo-DcWIW8deFuw3QSdtB3yMyTkqT0sPksjd2As9iVxSqWLI7sVetAy0SKtHscapTRfdcb_JWEwOrOF_QJwnTcVAoUq-iD82vC/s1280/male-2013929_1280.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPAJVAzRGkmWIY12jky1661dD_sBpTm_ZtXUMSynBkEOxo-DcWIW8deFuw3QSdtB3yMyTkqT0sPksjd2As9iVxSqWLI7sVetAy0SKtHscapTRfdcb_JWEwOrOF_QJwnTcVAoUq-iD82vC/s320/male-2013929_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These parents have given all the kids an irresistible toy to keep them out of the way and occupied: s</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">ocial media.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>In less hectic times, limiting social media was a simple act of self-preservation. Now, it almost feels like a dereliction of civic duty. </b> </span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span>As tensions from both the election and the pandemic continue to escalate, I'm hooked on Twitter's ominous scroll.<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span>Maybe <i>this</i> hour will offer something positive -- and not just more cases of Covid-19 positive. Maybe <i>this </i>article will offer solutions. Maybe <i>this </i>expert will offer some hope. Maybe arguing a little more and forwarding a few more links will make the world better, will make me feel better, will make a <i>difference</i>. It's an impotent substitution for actual democracy, and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PitssRMj5gA" target="_blank"><i>Clockwork Orange</i></a> chamber of horrors, but I keep looking into the roiling pandemonium hoping to see shimmers of sunlight, or a hint of a rainbow, or at least a weather forecast suggesting clearer skies ahead. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzLCwxoY2Bm-ULR5voYfx0fdQMzLboShI6dKU0VUnqilXV6HPWBzk1A4f4_QRThKlD2-tr3CD-T6HR_h3wzVrX_64JnDG5JSgu7X_P8sgLoBMvoyRqPXHfG_PL4OQMGfXXDt5pMXJMy4w/s2048/online+meeting+pexels+cottonbro.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzLCwxoY2Bm-ULR5voYfx0fdQMzLboShI6dKU0VUnqilXV6HPWBzk1A4f4_QRThKlD2-tr3CD-T6HR_h3wzVrX_64JnDG5JSgu7X_P8sgLoBMvoyRqPXHfG_PL4OQMGfXXDt5pMXJMy4w/s320/online+meeting+pexels+cottonbro.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I was so happy to have found a silver lining in the dark squalls of 2020: a deepening bond with people I love that came, ironically, through screens.</b></span><b> </b> Those of us who seek digital minimalism have been trying for a while to find a healthy balance between screen time and real time. As Covid-19 began to unfold, the lockdowns, quarantines and restrictions brought about an unexpected twist: <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2020/08/when-real-life-is-virtual.html" target="_blank">a renaissance of connection using the very digital devices we'd been turning off. </a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">What had been an addictive, superficial distraction became a lifeline to our loved ones. Because we couldn't really go anywhere, we realized how much we'd taken everyday life for granted. So, we used our devices to recreate a world we'd lost. A Zoom coffee break with friends made us appreciate face-to-face time -- even virtual. It was a much more satisfying use of technology than sitting alone at a Starbucks scrolling Instagram feeds, or worse: sitting together at a cafe, each looking at our own phones. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Why did it take a pandemic to reveal something so obvious? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuEY7bBPAh39ZMNPtcjZE-1lPc8iXAkXLWw9MX9MffPjU2LySgVPGBWOVnwarU2SalN-oOFpyDRyoE1ZJ1GocpLppnCD3FRP8kc1B_19k1Q3Mw9AzQ7y-DM7YWkZzgZSPxxLYCEJgrHeC/s1280/IMG_5231.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuEY7bBPAh39ZMNPtcjZE-1lPc8iXAkXLWw9MX9MffPjU2LySgVPGBWOVnwarU2SalN-oOFpyDRyoE1ZJ1GocpLppnCD3FRP8kc1B_19k1Q3Mw9AzQ7y-DM7YWkZzgZSPxxLYCEJgrHeC/s320/IMG_5231.jpg" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Quarantine life also prompted many of us to step away from screens and do things that were more hands-on and <i>real</i>.</span> </span></b> Stuck at home, many people rediscovered all those wonderfully organic, three dimensional things: books and musical instruments and art and gardening and board games and guilt-free naps in the middle of the day. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Darker, troubling parts of real life came out of the shadows and demanded attention, too. Covid-19 compelled many to take a stand against the old status quo. It was no longer enough to merely like an activist's tweets or sign a few online petitions. People got out from behind their screens and into the streets. Boots-on-the-ground civil disobedience is about as real as it gets. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">I was hopeful, in spite of devastating Covid-19 statistics, a crashing economy and the negligent folks in charge. <b><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought the fever dream of this crisis would bring enlightenment... a kind of catastrophe-induced gnosis.</span></b> I thought we'd reached the breaking point and were finally going to address the root causes of so much unhappiness. I also thought we might finally break free of our screen addiction. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Like those folks in Plato's famous story, I thought we had finally recognized the illusion of flickering shadows. I thought we were coming out of the cave to be part of real life. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Instead, we've become even more captive. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Trending Topic: Dystopia</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">As crises deepen and starts to fester, social media's pernicious creep has grown. All that online trolling and yelling and blocking had already prompted many to delete social media accounts -- or, at least limit time spent logged on. But in </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">these weird, scary, uncertain times, we all look to online feeds for information and answers. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">What we get, instead, is an endless scroll of horrors. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu37QHxudTf_pM_ipJQMxbxib5PClWV5P3V3jjYyhp6Hxq8gGM09nAhfQBfb8OfiTx5D4oSqOQJbnPtpy9xMwYeSpC6Kz9E1A2PR03QTR8p6uZ-yl2_pXrNu8XEssc1BGDZQDUPeLBsTJ/s750/hitchcock+carousel+out+of+control.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="750" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu37QHxudTf_pM_ipJQMxbxib5PClWV5P3V3jjYyhp6Hxq8gGM09nAhfQBfb8OfiTx5D4oSqOQJbnPtpy9xMwYeSpC6Kz9E1A2PR03QTR8p6uZ-yl2_pXrNu8XEssc1BGDZQDUPeLBsTJ/w400-h323/hitchcock+carousel+out+of+control.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Our digital public square reflects the world back to us with the distortion of funhouse mirrors. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Social media's ever-updating litany of controversy and catastrophe</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> offers a dizzying, almost inescapable whirl. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Life has always been a kind of carnival, but now it's as if our dysfunctional parents put us on a merry-go-round that never, never, never, never, NEVER stops.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">So we jump off and try to run away. We tweet that we're "taking a mental health break." We try deep breathing and long walks. We read a book or play the piano. In an attempt to stay informed but limit our exposure to online fury, we decide to check the news once a day ... but there is always something so outrageous, so egregious, so worrisome, we can't seem to look away. <span>Before we know it, we're back on the merry go round.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Staying offline doesn't fix things, either. When I avoid Twitter, I don't feel more relaxed. I feel anxious. I can almost hear the creepy incidental music from JAWS softly playing in the background. Something is out there. What am I <i>missing?!</i> I might not see it yet, but it's there, just under the surface, it's about to get me, and it's <i>huge</i>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Every day there is something huge. The public response is equally huge because, just like kids trapped in a custody battle, we have no real power. <span>So we fight and we yell. Or we sit back and watch, horrified, while everyone else fights and yells.<span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMpWBuzWbxkgYrvasOvdK08psKAytbOTwSJinFETW9b7Gi9KUBFlCaHN8n9hpmrxp_6_znedqQUvsyP4OxwLAmsprFkoJew8uuYa80WYTLn1cYH_a0QNemDIEIhbHZm22m9_4d_d-_kke/s1280/love-4849342_1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMpWBuzWbxkgYrvasOvdK08psKAytbOTwSJinFETW9b7Gi9KUBFlCaHN8n9hpmrxp_6_znedqQUvsyP4OxwLAmsprFkoJew8uuYa80WYTLn1cYH_a0QNemDIEIhbHZm22m9_4d_d-_kke/w400-h266/love-4849342_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think what worries me the most is the fact that <b><span style="font-size: medium;">social media's acrimony has escaped the confines of social media.</span></b> Artificial as it might have been, we used to have a set of rules we (mostly) agreed to live by in civil society. Most of us didn't walk around looking for a fight. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We always used to say "Twitter isn't real life." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But now it is. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chaos Metastasizing</b></span> </div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">The "Karen" phenomenon is a direct outgrowth of social media. Sure, there have always been awful people yelling awful things in public, but we didn't see them very often, if at all. Social media's flame wars have jumped out of the screen and into Trader Joes. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I recently read an article arguing that all online "influencers" are now obligated to take a political stand. In other words, an account dedicated to knitting or jazz or painting or Roblox or beauty products now must also include</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">whether to vote blue or red or green or not at all. I recently read a long Twitter thread telling fiction authors that they can no longer sit by and avoid "being political," even if it alienates potential readers. During the recent vice presidential debate, a nasty Twitter fight broke out between two former cast members of </span><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">The Vampire Diaries</i><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">. Yes. Stefan and Alaric were arguing about the 2020 election.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Yard signs have been popping up in my neighborhood. They are the equivalent of Twitter bios for households. I'm not talking about the usual candidate support signs during an election. These are signs professing beliefs that might as well include hashtags. As well-meaning as most of them are, they declare a preferential "team." Us vs. Them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhG2L8xKOhhaHMtYGuZIOzLPMplvByjoCbl0IQqXepiruxfoxcCrQC8sY7EZwMQIfKx9UK4bJDMZIuaNJZdsBp85wYu5NQcoW3jV1jZdALtzW8Ipa6KFp1G9ds4WVjHonoJKNMKwgqOp4L/s1280/people-2590606_1280.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1280" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhG2L8xKOhhaHMtYGuZIOzLPMplvByjoCbl0IQqXepiruxfoxcCrQC8sY7EZwMQIfKx9UK4bJDMZIuaNJZdsBp85wYu5NQcoW3jV1jZdALtzW8Ipa6KFp1G9ds4WVjHonoJKNMKwgqOp4L/w400-h265/people-2590606_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As citizens, we should strive to be politically engaged. (My first political action was when I was a kid and I wrote an anti-nuke letter to Jimmy Carter after the Three Mile Island disaster.) </span></span><span>An informed, active citizenry provides a balance to unchecked governmental power. Movements bring about change. Movements ended slavery, got women the vote and advanced civil rights legislation. Movements stopped wars and demanded marriage equality. Without a movement behind it, Medicare for All wouldn't now be a topic of public conversation. Without current movements, an apathetic power structure would probably not</span><span> acknowledge systemic racism or climate change or income inequality. We need movements and real, vibrant political change, and we need actual political involvement to preserve what is left of our democracy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span><b><span style="font-size: medium;">But I think the politics of social media are less about making change, and more about picking fights.</span></b><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw11Q47ow1l8d6j3jB76ZN2NReaiiiTFRF3loKxNqL0UyVo-rVjc3fRRvo3bMdwmAjOxGTRMiRxjz7MK2uNmZ55PfMkoDoriRdZTqmHW5XJn95wOZtGnAUIZ3-F3Qv0__-yzRSxbo9aaFB/s1280/person-2244036_1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1280" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw11Q47ow1l8d6j3jB76ZN2NReaiiiTFRF3loKxNqL0UyVo-rVjc3fRRvo3bMdwmAjOxGTRMiRxjz7MK2uNmZ55PfMkoDoriRdZTqmHW5XJn95wOZtGnAUIZ3-F3Qv0__-yzRSxbo9aaFB/w400-h286/person-2244036_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Social media has made every single part of our lives "political" -- but not in any measurably positive way. Arguing with someone you disagree with and then blocking them is not furthering <i>any</i> cause. We're not building anything with all of this rancor. We've been corralled into sides of an unwinnable feud, prompted by these devices that tell us all day, every day, that the other guy is an enemy we need to defeat. Further, we are squabbling within the factions of our own "sides." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span>I guess the echo chambers of social media couldn't contain all of the rage. It overflowed into real life, sending people out looking for real fights. Some of them have real guns. <span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">We are the Divided States of America, where even wearing a mask to help stop infection -- something easily explained by sixth grade life science, something many of us used to do during flu season anyway -- is now seen as a political statement, or worse, an invitation to brawl. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>But look at me doing the same thing right now... taking my blog about living with less digital distraction, and making it political.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;">* * *</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Irreconcilable Differences?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18j9gcfaWCUvM2N2oA5qrF9UqNaPU-0ptA415uXHNgbqLve20lix6AjaLlrO9bf4_FYSL__NcZbZCikG2OTYWKEygO0KaTN2bnCg4XvU7dI1nNMokF1D9frhddPsIAaCBwTdD9ifdB8A9/s1280/hands-1939895_1280.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18j9gcfaWCUvM2N2oA5qrF9UqNaPU-0ptA415uXHNgbqLve20lix6AjaLlrO9bf4_FYSL__NcZbZCikG2OTYWKEygO0KaTN2bnCg4XvU7dI1nNMokF1D9frhddPsIAaCBwTdD9ifdB8A9/w400-h300/hands-1939895_1280.png" width="400" /></a></div>I think it's safe to say none of us have ever seen a U.S. election quite like this one. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">A friend texted me today to tell me that he saw a fight break out last night, right here in sleepy little South Pasadena, between a group of Biden supporters and a group of Trump supporters. One of my neighbors recently installed security doors and window bars on his little Craftsman house. A movie friend in Santa Monica said he rented an AirB&B away from the city to "ride things out." A mom I know told me she bought "election survival supplies." When I asked her what she meant she said "extra ammunition."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">If you check Twitter, the mood is bleak, with topic after terrifying topic ratcheting up fear and hopelessness. Twitter asks if this is like 1930s Germany? Twitter wonders if we will continue to have a democracy after the election? Twitter adds depressing Covid-19 statistics into the mix, then highlights the hashtags of pandemic deniers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Remembering our Shared Humanity</span></b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I'm old enough to recall a time when people thought of other political parties as opponents, not enemies. Growing up in Texas, I was the odd lefty. I protested apartheid and marched for the ERA and supported gun control efforts and condemned trickle-down economics. I was often called a commie pinko or (my favorite) "Jane Fonda" but the gristle of politics didn't choke the other aspects of my life. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">When I was still living in Austin, I belonged to a group that met weekly at a piano bar to sing jazz standards. The people in that group were diverse in every measurable way -- there were lifelong Democrats, old oil money Republicans, a few far left hippies, an anarchist, and several apolitical artists who didn't vote. There were a couple of rich society people, as well as waiters, teachers, college students and retirees. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">We got together every week for years, and I can honestly say we never stopped singing to fight about politics. (Before you insist "there wasn't as much to argue about back then" I'll advise you to look up Iran Contra, apartheid, the S&L scandal, Reaganomics, the AIDS crisis and the Gulf War.) My jazz buddies and I shared a love of music, and we also shared love for each other, even though we never would have agreed on how to govern the country. We may have loathed leaders...but we didn't loathe each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br />I remember working with people and never knowing how they voted. Or, if I knew and they had opposing views, I might have thought they were naive or misguided, but not evil. <span>You've heard the saying about never arguing about politics or religion?? That was a thing. </span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz958spMBxtg1PIVlctZZTJbRe8LHL0-j9yQH156jqEQ5vq0DgbMYy2OaxQE5bsGx61NAliXybNwWdjQsX9a5-6RqqL2d3xPyXye3CJXLFwL0M7q41SeTsMeMNsNVpEQqrWf2ccMT0PKI/s640/Covid+46+Karen+yelling+TraderJoes-Karen-640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz958spMBxtg1PIVlctZZTJbRe8LHL0-j9yQH156jqEQ5vq0DgbMYy2OaxQE5bsGx61NAliXybNwWdjQsX9a5-6RqqL2d3xPyXye3CJXLFwL0M7q41SeTsMeMNsNVpEQqrWf2ccMT0PKI/w400-h225/Covid+46+Karen+yelling+TraderJoes-Karen-640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I remember when being politically active meant hands-on volunteer work, not wagging a finger at those who disagreed with you. Civic duty meant voting, writing to representatives, attending meetings, donating to causes, actively campaigning for candidates and, yes, lots and lots of protesting. But it did not usually entail yelling insults at people in Trader Joes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b style="font-size: large;">That there were places free of invective and political strife meant we we could live with each other without hating each other. </b>It gave us time outs and safe corners to plan, strategize and use our energy to actually make a difference. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">It gave us the comradery of shared civilization. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Sure, there have always been people preaching on street corners, handing out pamphlets and posting flyers. We're used to a range of political beliefs, and the passionate arguments fueled by those beliefs. We've always seen those things. But until recently, we didn't have devices in our pockets to notify us, every hour of every day, of a repeating, overarching political message: that those who don't share <i>your</i> views are <i>evil</i>, that your neighbor very well may be <i>the enemy</i>.</span><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We certainly didn't have a president encouraging civil war.</b></span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span>We've always been a country of unherdable cats.</span> We all see things very differently and none of us like to be told what to do. Until social media came along, we at least tried to preserve and polish the veneer of public civility. We quoted Evelyn Beatrice Hall: "I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." We agreed, as a culture, to adhere to a basic framework of good manners. The framework was kind of like a traffic code. It enabled us to move freely but not crash into each other. Some may argue that it was fake -- and they wouldn't be wrong. But what we have now, as "real" as it is, is ultimately powerless. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=0804170045" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Fighting with each other doesn't seem to be bringing about an actual revolution or changing things for the better. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">The normalization of boorish aggression exemplified on Twitter (with a president who acts as its poster boy) has not served to uplift the downtrodden or muckrake the truly corrupt or rescue the oppressed or create good public policy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwR-jzhQJUsgDJf1HO2aUJKpjwtc9o883AXpKcPVsIMX9UsiiKlq6-Mkaywfe5q81sGw-8HVpVPis1YPUcMJopJ96QYtUkySrBIC6cuNRLnBKiC4urR9ZAXFcsiDuGbFIoql9iEmkO9FYr/s2048/pexels-artem-podrez-5108638.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwR-jzhQJUsgDJf1HO2aUJKpjwtc9o883AXpKcPVsIMX9UsiiKlq6-Mkaywfe5q81sGw-8HVpVPis1YPUcMJopJ96QYtUkySrBIC6cuNRLnBKiC4urR9ZAXFcsiDuGbFIoql9iEmkO9FYr/w320-h400/pexels-artem-podrez-5108638.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Social media may have started out as a place to talk about all kinds of things, but we all know it is now saturated with ugly politics. Even with many people participating, it is managed by a few who decide which topics trend. Far from a democratic place of equality, it runs on algorithms that favor the fraught, the controversial and the enraged. It censors and de-platforms those who break through the established Overton window. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It keeps us fighting and fools us into thinking we're doing something worthwhile by attacking each other...while the powerful are safe from what would happen if we actually came together and changed the world.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">* * *</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Personal is Political</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">When I decided to call this blog <i><a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">Life Analog</a></i>, it wasn't about collecting vinyl records and using mechanical clocks. (Although those things are awesome.) I was striving to live as much as possible in 3D life, prioritizing meaningful connection with people and with nature. My analog life focuses on interacting with things I can actually hold in my hands -- things that crack and get dirty and wear out. It involves embracing my humanity -- my fragile, unfiltered, all-too-short real life that is often overshadowed by a digital approximation. It means reconnecting with my conscience, as I disconnect from online chatter. <b><span style="font-size: medium;">It means finding ways to make a difference locally, connecting with the other human beings who share my community. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Fear and uneasiness are foundational to online interaction. Experts have agreed that <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/how-twitter-fuels-anxiety/534021/" target="_blank">Twitter makes anxiety worse</a>. As we enter our 9th month of a raging pandemic in a warring political hellscape, the physical world offers enough things to worry about. We need to approach our lives calmly, not in a constant state of simmering panic.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">In his book <a href="https://amzn.to/3lx6ULo" target="_blank"><i>The Shallows</i></a>, Nicholas Carr details how the internet itself destroys our ability to read and think deeply. Online life was making us scattered and unable to concentrate long before the pandemic, economic crisis, political breakdown and civil unrest of 2020. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">If ever we needed focus and depth, it's now. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">So how do we remain connected in a time of lockdowns? How can we make a real political difference in an era of so much pandemonium and vitriol? Maybe most important of all: <b><span style="font-size: medium;">how do we stay sane?</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Truth is in There</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XRXI3jQBoqazcmgWCZRoem-JsKwMXEMEf8h1p_aVxDi8_GyvZDx9RUSNx1BkHVmxFWWHhCb82L9D4e8i-iIYkFZzMXZZ2e84kOzKc3SuVp7D32hksNWJ00QnQ46f2C4vdZjRfkaI21sW/s1280/tiger-983297_1280.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XRXI3jQBoqazcmgWCZRoem-JsKwMXEMEf8h1p_aVxDi8_GyvZDx9RUSNx1BkHVmxFWWHhCb82L9D4e8i-iIYkFZzMXZZ2e84kOzKc3SuVp7D32hksNWJ00QnQ46f2C4vdZjRfkaI21sW/w400-h300/tiger-983297_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>For me, I have to be very, very careful with my time on the Twitter merry-go-round. This is especially true as we enter the climax of an election that makes the Gore/Bush hanging chad debacle of 2000 seem like a friendly competition between gentlemen. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Ralph Waldo Emerson warned about the dangers of distraction in <a href="https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/emerson/essays/selfreliance.html" target="_blank">his 1841 essay on self reliance</a>. For Emerson, spiritual isolation served as a buffer against the forces trying to steer his attention toward "emphatic trifles." He insisted it was better to rebel against conformity</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> and "false consistency," choosing, instead, to follow his ideals.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself," Emerson wrote. "Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles."</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I think if we want to keep our sanity (and our civilization) we need to stop following the conformity (whichever "side" you conform to) and false consistency of the Twitter terror scroll. We must choose, instead, to be true to ourselves, to hold fast to our own triumph of principles. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">We know the difference between right and wrong -- most of us, anyway. We know that we are never going to be able to erase HALF of the country, and somehow we're going to have to figure out how to live together peacefully regardless of which "side" currently holds power. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">As we unplug and look away from our screens, our view of the world gets wider. When we look around and actually see our neighbors, they become real, three-dimensional human beings, instead of Magats or Shitlibs. We start to realize that when this place breaks down and both red and blue elites have either retreated to bunker mansions or rocketed off to Mars with Elon Musk, it will be up to us to rebuild. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">When those shitty parents abandon us, we're going to have to take care of each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Unplugging as Liberation</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Twitter takes our complex world and simplifies everything into its lowest common denominator. Free of all that pesky nuance, political ideology is now as simple as an emoji: a blue wave or US flag or (hello, fellow comrades) a red rose. Social media has given us our digital public square, but now it is a playing field for round-the-clock, dystopian bloodsport. We no longer simply disagree. Instead, we are at war. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Good vs. Evil, Us vs. Them, Red vs. Blue. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">It's easy to block everyone you hate on Twitter, but how are we supposed to share this country if we devolve into real world sectarian violence?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonxgZhyphenhyphenfV-B3JSvZxZym1pmEsJbaswiGgtqTf5vZ9RTTFwTmIOGQAPzTlvmG6amdp0tYq2lwZgjkilONwy-PtGSd6n4-RIZVxFCOP51V_lTnRpbMJZCir8B43VLb_Fnjj6tjx3Jio7qFl/s1280/look+right+look+left.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1280" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonxgZhyphenhyphenfV-B3JSvZxZym1pmEsJbaswiGgtqTf5vZ9RTTFwTmIOGQAPzTlvmG6amdp0tYq2lwZgjkilONwy-PtGSd6n4-RIZVxFCOP51V_lTnRpbMJZCir8B43VLb_Fnjj6tjx3Jio7qFl/w400-h250/look+right+look+left.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We need to listen more to the inner voice of compassion, reason and humanity. We need to listen less to online personalities -- including the president, many members of Congress and most of the corporate media class -- who will do absolutely anything for clicks and likes, including egging on the public to take up arms against each other. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I realize there is no way to go back to the halcyon days before social media. There is, however, a way to stop giving the online world so much of our gaze. Capturing and keeping our attention is what social media is designed to do. In <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3jz0Noy" target="_blank">The Attention Merchants</a></i>, Tim Wu enumerates how the "information economy" is a wide net that traps and resells human attention. By keeping everyone online and fighting, shocked and outraged, afraid and unable to look away, the powers-that-be hold the ultimate commodity: us. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">We must break free. First, we must find ourselves, then we can begin to actually see one another.</span></b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Emerson's call to "trust thyself" sounds deceptively simple. He didn't mean to do whatever we want in reckless acts of amoral selfishness. Emerson believed in an ethical, capital T truth that is true for <i>all</i> people. He believed an individual's greatness comes from "the perception that the absolutely trustworthy" is "seated in the heart." We find truth, gain inner peace and approach wisdom through conscientiously doing good work. Emerson seeds a powerful idea with all of this: <b><span style="font-size: medium;">when we change our own lives as individuals, society can't help but be transformed too. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">With so many crises occurring in simultaneity, we can't afford to sacrifice our real world community by shutting ourselves away into online echo chambers. Whatever horrors 2020's prelude will lead to, the effects are most definitely not going to be virtual. We are in real world trouble, and we're in it together as a human family. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Emerson had a deep distrust of conformity, so it's no stretch to assume he'd have hated social media. He believed that external pressures from other people's opinions -- those of greater society as well as institutions -- most often lead people astray. He believed the pressure of conformity made people join groups that they inherently didn't believe in. It made them give to causes they distrusted, to support leaders they didn't actually like. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"I hope in these days," Emerson emphatically wrote, "we have heard the last of conformity and consistency." </span></b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I have to laugh because I just thought, wow, that quote is the perfect length for a tweet. Its message, however, is something we all need to talk about together -- even if those conversations are now taking place on Zoom, or through masks from 6 feet away. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Even if we are having those conversations with people who voted for the other guy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div><br style="font-family: Times;" /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I'll admit it: part of me just wants to unplug completely, hide away and not think about the many problems of my country and my planet. But living a life analog is not about isolating and turning a blind eye to real world dilemmas. (Most of us don't have that luxury, anyway.) </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXxd7S1WThDyVIX3XmWv2ePvJxYiO47gS_55cyedZjisgE4dbaf6UGGPSX9ol_Z3UDBJcaqkgseOQAlVplmfJiHx96cpOmLi2fD5T02QrwpovuxL6ew7JeBCRbY1-2UT96ZgrxqFm5Uie/s1280/heart-195147_1280.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXxd7S1WThDyVIX3XmWv2ePvJxYiO47gS_55cyedZjisgE4dbaf6UGGPSX9ol_Z3UDBJcaqkgseOQAlVplmfJiHx96cpOmLi2fD5T02QrwpovuxL6ew7JeBCRbY1-2UT96ZgrxqFm5Uie/w400-h266/heart-195147_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>What we can do, regardless of our politics, is seek to act in ways<br /> that will <b><span style="font-size: medium;">make things better</span></b>. We can choose to stop allowing social media to turn us against one another. It's as if we're all <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ZnaRMhD_A" target="_blank">Manchurian Candidates</a>, just waiting for the triggering hashtag that will send us out to kill each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">We can make positive political points by acting locally to help our communities. We can spend time actually supporting causes and candidates, rather than arguing online with people who support other causes and other candidates. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">We won't be able to save our world if we stay plugged into fury and dread. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">"For every minute you remain angry," Emerson wrote, "you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind." And further: "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon will be too late."</span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Let's make sure it's not too late.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">For my guide to social media alternatives, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">For great books to conquer digital addiction, click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">For political books to make you think, check out <a href="https://www.bookswithlaurie.com/p/political.html" target="_blank">my library at <i>Books With Laurie</i> here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Okay, so here I used Twitter for good: <a href="https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1323069275574132736" target="_blank">ways to stay sane right now.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Leave me a message <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> </span></div>Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-73727422717106213312020-08-28T13:06:00.002-07:002021-04-13T18:44:36.289-07:00When Real Life is Virtual...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="http://www.lifeanalog.com/" target="_blank">click here</a> to see my accompanying original video.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info!</a></i></span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Together Apart</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b> Finding the analog in the digital</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyone who reads this blog knows that <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/2019/08/unplugged.html" target="_blank"><b>I have a love/hate relationship with technology.</b></a> The last few years have made me feel like I'm living inside a dystopian technocracy, where people have been mindlessly sucked into screens, where tech billionaires determine what we see and how we see it, where real life is superseded by social media with everyone corralled into digital echo chambers, crouched behind their highly-filtered avatars. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And yet, there are <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">so many things I love about technology</a>. I was not only an early adopter of most new tech, I also made my career writing copy, advertising, branding and educational content for the internet -- starting way back when it was mostly seen on a dial-up version of AOL. I've <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/my-other-blogs.html" target="_blank">blogged</a> for over 11 years. I <a href="https://www.laurieallee.com/portraits" target="_blank">license my photographs</a> mostly to digital platforms. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyWtcs_OWkvqp2qM7oSMgiA?view_as=subscriber" target="_blank">I even have my own little YouTube channel</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Back in the early days, I and my colleagues had big, utopian plans for the world wide web! But what we all hoped would be a great unifier has mostly turned into a big shopping mall filled with a lot of angry people who can't seem to stop yelling their team's propaganda sound bites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Or sharing cat videos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Or blocking each other on Twitter and then scrolling to find more things to buy, more cats to stream and more people to block on Twitter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have thought for years that we were missing out on so much of what technology <i>could</i> do for us, by focusing on <a href="https://amzn.to/3aSIhED" target="_blank">a weird, compulsive urge to just scroll, scroll, scroll</a>. <b>If tech is capable of connecting us, I thought, then why have so many of us felt utterly disconnected?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">These thoughts are what made me start this website, and <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/quickstart-guide-to-unplugging.html" target="_blank">dedicate myself to the concept of #slowtech</a> and what <a href="https://amzn.to/32pSaG4" target="_blank">Cal Newport has defined as "digital minimalism."</a> I wasn't about to relinquish Wikipedia, GPS directions, email and my favorite YouTube accounts. And, I'll admit, nothing beats Twitter for connecting with fellow activists and artists. But I decided I was going to impose some tech restrictions on myself. <b>I would approach my devices with equal parts respect and wariness.</b> When I put down my phone, I was happier. When I scrolled less and read more books, I was calmer. When I decided to produce more and consume less, my creativity flourished. I even slept better and got less headaches when I turned off WiFi.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I found my relationships improving when I spent more actual time with people -- real, face-to-face, screen-free time -- rather than relying on perfunctory likes on their Insta feeds or heart emoji replies to their texts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I stopped virtually chronicling my nature walks and meals and evenings out...and started actually experiencing them. I rediscovered the joys of snail mail, long phone calls and deep creative focus uninterrupted by any urge to check my phone. <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/quickstart-guide-to-unplugging.html" target="_blank">(Yes, the compulsion goes away if you wait long enough.)</a> When I'd tell people what I was doing, most of them smiled and nodded and went back to their phones, but a few joined me. I thought: this is a movement, slow but steady. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>But just as I was getting used to how nice it was to be more analog in this digital world, COVID-19 changed everything.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When California declared a state of emergency and locked down on March 4, I wasn't surprised. I'd seen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClHivjMLEM-ZqrI3skBPMHw" target="_blank">videos from Wuhan</a>. I'd <a href="https://www.bookswithlaurie.com/2020/08/the-books-with-laurie-pandemic-reading.html#more" target="_blank">read books on global pandemics</a>. On March 19 Governor Newsom ordered California to go on lockdown, and I had a feeling it was going to be a long time before we would open back up again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>We were looking, <i>really looking</i>, at the world out of grasp. </b> We were celebrating <a href="https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a31705362/venice-clean-water-coronavirus/" target="_blank">crystal clear water in Venice</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/us/los-angeles-pollution-clean-air-coronavirus-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">the unusually clean air in Los Angeles</a>. We were admiring each other's <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-gardens/home-gardening-blooms-around-the-world-during-coronavirus-lockdowns-idUSKBN2220D3" target="_blank">gardens</a> and <a href="https://www.earthday.org/stressed-out-art-can-help-get-us-through-the-coronavirus-pandemic/" target="_blank">artwork</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/forget-baking-sourdough-everybodys-making-banana-bread-11588255498" target="_blank">countless pans of banana bread</a>. Many of us were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/11/cooking-calligraphy-people-stuck-home-are-finding-new-space-creativity/" target="_blank">getting pretty creative</a> and instead of just forwarding YouTube videos, some were making them:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As friends and loved ones fell ill, technology became the only way to connect while quarantined. As others were hospitalised, <b>our technology became the only lifeline to visit hospital bedsides, and all-too-often, the only way to say a final goodbye. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In California, the partial opening and ensuing surge of disease has not brought a return to "normal" life. There are health directives and staged reopenings. And, <a href="https://www.history.com/news/1918-pandemic-public-health-campaigns" target="_blank">just like the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic</a>, there are some who aggressively refuse to socially distance and wear masks, denying the severity of the crisis and no doubt hastening its second wave. Many people are still mostly hunkered down at home. My family has health risk factors, and in the absence of a vaccine or reliable therapeutics, we have stayed at home for the last five months except for walking the dog, taking a few drives and making a couple of trips to the pharmacy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>And something kind of amazing has happened.</b> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBSD5Jbjv5xK8yP4b-zXmeW6v4LXxeGnHpBURMOLPV8aJoH3Bj5_GYvCljKSGwxijmWKk61Wca-soxDtt4hnMYEM11U5fj4it_mj0Q7TM_PHYojaDfooYOBRm67E8zzjUQnZbj2X-Njl9/s1600/online+meeting.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBSD5Jbjv5xK8yP4b-zXmeW6v4LXxeGnHpBURMOLPV8aJoH3Bj5_GYvCljKSGwxijmWKk61Wca-soxDtt4hnMYEM11U5fj4it_mj0Q7TM_PHYojaDfooYOBRm67E8zzjUQnZbj2X-Njl9/s320/online+meeting.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Separated from beloved family and friends, abiding by the instructions to not gather with those outside our households, <b>many of us have, through our screens, rediscovered each other.</b> Instead of meeting for dinner but constantly checking our phones while sitting together...we're using our phones (and laptops and tablets) to <i><b><span style="font-size: large;">BE together</span></b></i>. Technology has shown me it can be more of what I always hoped it would be: an actual way to connect, rather than a synthetic distraction to alienate.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WkgfKnvueeeoLLKcw209wmXCFFmih-aq9oKBbjBadbk8XtGXgROw1dwwl_Dk4kFkt_t8gbASfUNmfQoyUUP0km7t-OnCoe1KVfjlACVQybaiMtLXEYk-wcuoNZRaxcNcAhIKw31SdU-Y/s1600/online+meeting+pexels+cottonbro.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WkgfKnvueeeoLLKcw209wmXCFFmih-aq9oKBbjBadbk8XtGXgROw1dwwl_Dk4kFkt_t8gbASfUNmfQoyUUP0km7t-OnCoe1KVfjlACVQybaiMtLXEYk-wcuoNZRaxcNcAhIKw31SdU-Y/s320/online+meeting+pexels+cottonbro.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>It seems strange that it took a global pandemic to make people start having more real conversations...to meet online for old-fashioned party games and virtual dinners.</b> Before Covid-19, video meeting software was rarely used by anyone other than professionals. They primarily utilized it to host webinars and connect with remote teams. With the exception of avid <a href="https://discord.com/" target="_blank">Discord</a> gamers and college kids hosting all night streaming parties on </span><a href="https://www.kastapp.co/" style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;" target="_blank">KAST</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, most of us didn't really use technology's virtual meeting capacity for more than occasional FaceTime calls. Let me put it this way: even among my nerdy, tech-obsessed friends and colleagues, nobody ever invited me to a Friday night Zoom party until Covid-19. <b>Even my tech-savvy Gen-Z daughter and her friends--wildly active on text and Instagram groups -- only started having face-to-face Zoom parties after lockdown.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And speaking of professionals, for years businesses have insisted that remote workers couldn't perform as well as those in cubicles. Full-time, remote positions have been the unicorns of the professional world -- with many of us opting to freelance in order to have that flexibility.<b> </b> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy Ketut Subiyanto</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It looks like the remote work naysayers have largely been proven wrong. <b>As of this past April, 62% of employed Americans worked from home.</b> According to a recent study from McKinsey Research, <b>41% of those workers say they're <i>more</i> productive than they were before the pandemic. Many workers report more fulfilling, better use of time without the wasted hours (and stress) of commutes and travel. </b>Many companies are discussing the benefits of accessing new pools of talent with far fewer local constraints. Workers have better work/life balance, and potentially reduced real-estate costs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Remote workers are eating lunch with their families, walking their dogs, taking more naps, and spending more time with their kids. There is more time for yoga and playing guitar and reading books. I don't know a single professional person who misses the freeway, the office parking structure, the water cooler or the ubiquitous banks of fluorescent lights. Even taking into account how challenging it has been for parents to balance distance learning, at home work and family life, people are overwhelmingly on board for remote work. In fact,<b> <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-people-and-companies-feel-about-working-remotely/" target="_blank">a whopping 98% of people would like the option of working remotely for the rest of their careers. </a> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Technology facilitated all of this. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy Tatiana Syrikova</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I'm acutely aware of how grossly unfair this is to the other 38% of American workers -- many of whom are bringing groceries and essentials to those of us lucky enough to stay safely at home.</b> These workers have employment reliant on digital technology -- they are the app workers and delivery drivers who have literally kept our country functioning during an unprecedented crisis. <b>They are also the ones most harmed by the double-edge of tech's mighty sword, wielded by a system that values profit over people. </b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They are underpaid, largely without protections, reliant on the freelance gigs that <a href="https://cafwu.org/" target="_blank">well-meaning laws now threaten to abolish</a>, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/uber-lyft-california-shutdown-pause-let-s-use-time-help-ncna1237765" target="_blank">businesses refuse to replace</a>. These workers risk their lives every day while people like me are lucky enough to stay at home.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x5AreBqzipLqxLviOPJkeZ5ntVJMcBE9bTuhDAMNIymHTOm2P-dW1fa-metSQd_KyUpgK3lZU-vEXou1rUsKUpR6frSVnSt6Br0eF23YrkbzN0pWM8tmzNylNc64io-m5T3WCfh8mO2a/s1600/pexels-norma-mortenson-4393426.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x5AreBqzipLqxLviOPJkeZ5ntVJMcBE9bTuhDAMNIymHTOm2P-dW1fa-metSQd_KyUpgK3lZU-vEXou1rUsKUpR6frSVnSt6Br0eF23YrkbzN0pWM8tmzNylNc64io-m5T3WCfh8mO2a/s320/pexels-norma-mortenson-4393426.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy Norma Mortenson</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Through technology, my loved ones can avoid risking Covid-19, safely order groceries online to be delivered by workers who deserve better from the companies who pay them. <b>This pandemic has shown how technology can help us take care of each other. We need to make sure to take care of the workers serving under that technology.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maybe I'm still a bit tech-utopian at heart but I believe through activism and<br />solidarity we will use the reach, convenience and capacity of digital technology to demand -- and create -- better jobs. Essential work is often gig work, and we must make sure those jobs are safe, pay fair wages, allow work/life balance and offer flexibility.<b> </b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'm a member of <a href="https://www.freelancersunion.org/" target="_blank">Freelancers Union</a>. I like their approach to the gig economy and the changing face of employment in the 21st Century. In 2017 they successfully campaigned for <a href="https://www.freelancersunion.org/get-involved/freelance-isnt-free/" target="_blank">New York's landmark Freelancing Isn't Free legislation against nonpayment.</a> As a freelancer for almost 3 decades, I believe legislation like this is as vital and necessary as other the other laws enacted to hold businesses accountable and strengthen unions. <b>As technology erases more and more traditional work, we must find ways to help, protect and empower workers.</b> This was true before Covid-19. It's even more vital now. (If you are a freelancer who has lost work during the pandemic, take a look at the Freelancers Union <a href="https://www.freelancersunion.org/resources/coronavirus-resources/" target="_blank">Covid-19 Resources Page.</a>) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I don't know how we're going to get out of this pandemic, the ballooning unemployment crisis and economic catastrophe but one thing is clear: a lot of people are going to be scrounging for freelance work. Much of that work will involve apps and online deliveries, especially as we go into the inevitable second wave of Covid-19 with more inevitable closures and restrictions. I hope we all do what we can to help each other, and help the workers unable to work from home, or unable to work at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I've personally seen the political power of digital tools in my experience with various grassroots causes,</b> and especially in my volunteer support for Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020. Using my phone and a few apps, I was able to reach far more voters than I ever did when I walked actual precincts in my youth. Using social media, I have been able to make alliances, join like-minded groups, organize and distribute information. By using technology to reach voters, I've been able to actually <i>talk </i>with many who don't necessarily share my political beliefs. Actual communication is how we will come together as a country. Hashtag activism tends to alienate, but I've found that one-on-one conversations enlighten and facilitate empathy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I hope we all can find ways to make a positive difference using our devices, because the toxic aspects of political social media are abundantly clear.</b> Can any of you remember an election as belligerent, antagonistic and angry as this one? I don't care where you lie on the political spectrum, it's obvious that while our screens can be windows, they can also be weapons. As much as Covid-19 has brought together families and friends via Zoom, it has dug more warring trenches via Twitter. </span><b style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The Covid-19 crisis has made me rethink my relationship with technology yet again. While I have no doubt at some point, when life really does return to a more recognizable version of normal, a lot of people will go back to mindlessly scrolling, letting phone calls go to voicemail and having shortcut communication via gifs and emojis. It's easy to hide behind the screen. It's seductive to abandon real life for a digitized version of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>But I like to think that a lot of us will expect more from our devices.</b> I'm enjoying my regular Zoom and FaceTime visits with people I rarely saw even before Covid-19. I love all of the online classes and discussion groups and meetups that have cropped up since we've all been staying at home. I value the ability to spend time more with a doctor via a televisit, rather than being rushed in and out of a crowded waiting room. For the first time in many years, I feel like my technology is connecting me to actual people, rather than just data mining my Google searches to sell me more stuff. It's almost as exciting as the first time I heard my dial-up modem connect to Compuserve, and I found out I had mail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We're seeing what our lives and relationships might be like if we use technology to find balance, keep safe, work better, bring people together, make social change, facilitate creativity and enhance rather than replace the very real, tangible, touchable, <i>analog</i> aspects of being human. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And if you have a Zoom group meeting regularly to talk about these things, count me in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Click <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/airplane-mode.html" target="_blank">here</a> for great ways to be more intentional with technology, including excellent ways to connect more meaningfully with others online.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b>Be sure to check out my original video at the top of this post.</b> (Making videos is a great use of digital technology!)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-style: italic;">This is the first installment of my series: </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Analog Via Digital in the Age of Covid-19. <i>You can sign up for email alerts in the form on the right column of this page.</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I love connecting! Feel free to leave a comment or reach me directly <a href="https://www.lifeanalog.com/p/leave-message.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </i><br />
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<br />Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-27862269340876675552020-07-23T14:50:00.001-07:002020-07-23T14:50:39.744-07:00Views From The New Normal<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In what has to be the biggest irony of 2020 for me, the very digital devices that were causing so much isolation, distraction and harmful addiction are now the ones bringing us closer together, helping us focus our goals and protecting us from illness. The internet, in a way, has become humanity's central nervous system, and our devices are a lifeline to the in-person world now largely out of reach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>I'm not even sure when the crisis is past that we will ever go back to eschewing real life for online simulation.</b> Something profound and life-changing is happening as a side effect of this global pandemic, revolutionary uprising and financial crisis. We're finding out how much we really need each other. We're realizing the scope of our structural failures, demanding not only justice but a complete system overhaul. We're seeing how much more fragile, transient and brief this time on earth turns out to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Instead of removing us from real life, our devices are now keeping us in touch with what's real. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Digital technology is the new Analog. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">More thoughts on this coming soon.</span></div>
Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-33267999056079142252020-04-17T15:37:00.002-07:002020-08-21T14:57:59.048-07:00Analog in the time of COVID19... Coming Soon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The coronavirus crisis has changed the way we live our lives, making onscreen connection often our <i>only</i> connection with friends and family not huddled inside with us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been thinking about this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stay tuned. New post, videos and ideas coming late spring/early summer, 2020. In the mean time, take care of your health -- physical and mental. Safely seek natural surroundings, sunlight and simple things. Reach out to loved ones in your home as well as those we can now see only through technology. Make sure to avoid internet overload and despair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'll be back.</span><br />
<br />Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-2430626930851621012019-10-21T17:59:00.001-07:002021-04-13T18:43:24.160-07:00Trees that Hug Back<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">By Laurie Allee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">If you're reading this via email, please <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/10/trees-that-hug-back.html#more" target="_blank">click here</a> to see my accompanying original video.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info!</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Celebrating the many benefits of forest bathing...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Occasionally I stumble upon something so obvious it seems revolutionary:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In a tech dystopia, we need to connect more with trees<b>. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maybe you can relate...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">The ubiquity of technology has placed a screen buffer between people and nature. But because tech regularly delivers synthetic versions of flora and fauna to us -- and we look at all those pretty pictures and videos of the natural world -- <b>we might not realize how truly separated from Mother Earth we've become.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span>I'll use myself as an example:</span></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I love nature! I love it so much I subscribed to newsletters from the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society and the Green Party. I followed NatGeo photographers on Insta and liked hundreds of their images. I watched 4K videos of crashing waves and babbling brooks and long, epic GoPro-on-a-drone shots of Arctic glaciers and Greek islands and Caribbean beaches and Swiss mountaintops. I binge watched </span><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">Nature</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">BBC Earth</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">. I watched a YouTuber survive in the Rockies for several weeks with nothing but his wits, a bag of trailmix and a few bottles of Dasani. I read <i>Into the Wild</i> on my Kindle. <b>I had at least five relaxing nature sounds apps on my phone!</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As a street photographer, I often found myself wandering off the beaten asphalt path and into one of SoCal's many areas of wilderness. This is good, isn't it? A chance to take a break from the digital realm and get my hands dirty, right? Well, not exactly. I was not outdoors to commune or connect with the natural world, but to take pictures of it. <b>I once managed to get stressed out on the beach at sunset trying to capture a perfect sunset shot.</b> (I inevitably pushed the saturation on it because, you know, humankind is always trying to improve nature.) As you might expect, some of my nature pictures would end up on MY instagram. (#sunset!) One picture was even liked by one of those NatGeo photographers. (🙏)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>All of that high def virtual worldliness ultimately made me feel even more disconnected.</b> You know how social media doesn't really make you feel closer to your friends? Well, all those scrolling shots of sunsets and beaches and forests and flowers didn't make me feel closer to the earth, either. Listening to digital rain sounds as I browsed gardening accounts on Twitter before bed was not exactly grounding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Nature had become just another thing I could Google.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Stressing out over how to perfectly shoot a sunset kind of defeated the purpose of watching a sunset.<b> </b>But i</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">s there really a </span><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">purpose</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> to watching a sunset? I've come to think there is. I think as humans we have a basic need to go outside. I'm not talking about the need for Vitamin D synthesized from the sun (although that is also a basic human need) I'm talking about stepping away from all of our civilized creations and <b>literally touching base with our roots. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">I started spending more time outside with my phone on airplane mode. I noticed that not only had I been missing out on connecting with people in real time, but I had been missing connecting with the natural world. I'd forgotten what it felt like to just be outside -- not shooting pictures, not getting from one place to another, <b>just <i>being</i> on the earth and under the sky.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">So, I started staring more at clouds instead of my screen. I started watching ant trails on the sidewalk and bees in my front yard. I started noticing when flowers bloomed and faded, when leaves budded out and greened up and dropped off. This may sound like obvious stuff, but the less I tried to analyze any of it -- with no Googling "diminishing bee populations" or "life cycle of ants" -- the more I started to relax and feel connected. I'm not talking about the kind of relaxed you get from a glass of Prosecco at happy hour or a benadryl and a half before bed. <b>I'm talking about a deep, satisfied connectedness that, to quote Robert Browning, makes you feel like "all's right with the world."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And I noticed I felt this kind of zen bliss most when I was around trees. It didn't matter if it was at a local park or on a dense, forested hike. I even noticed it sitting in my backyard garden under our heritage oak. I wasn't out there reading tweets. I wasn't out there texting. I was just there chilling under my oak tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Now I understand why Buddha got enlightened not by striving or searching or researching enlightenment... but just by sitting under a tree. There is something about being near trees that turns contentment up to 11. <b>And when you're content, everything becomes illuminated.</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Bathing-Trees-Health-Happiness/dp/052555985X/ref=as_li_ss_il?keywords=forest+bathing&qid=1571697145&sr=8-3&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=cadec07b4f1ee0882ad2cfc853bf472d&language=en_US" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=052555985X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" width="226" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">As serendipity would have it, when I started making more effort to just hang out with trees, I happened to stumble across a book at the library called <i><a href="https://amzn.to/35TCHze" target="_blank">Forest Bathing</a></i>, by Dr. Qing Li. I'll admit, I first thought this sounded like a great title for a memoir from a 70s nudist colony member. (Sadly, no.) Turns out, it's a beautiful little book about the Japanese practice of <i>Shinrin-Yoku</i> -- yes, that is a word that actually translates to "forest bathing" -- and how it can help combat what many researchers are now calling Nature Deficit Disorder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dr. Qing Li is the world's foremost expert in forest medicine (THIS IS A THING!) and he shows us how the tradition of spending long, uninterrupted time among trees can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, strengthen immune and cardiovascular systems, facilitate weight loss, boost energy, lift mood, and even improve creativity and concentration.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>This is not subjective hearsay, either. </b> Dr. Li brings receipts in the form of published studies. Dr. Li is a doctor at Tokyo's Nippon Medical School and has been a visiting fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a founding member and chairman of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine, a leading member of the Task Force of Forests -- which sounds like the coolest superhero legion of all time -- and the vice president and secretary general of the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There's a solid materialist argument for forest bathing made by the book. It's convincing. <b>What moved me more, however, is the poetry and spirituality of <i>shinrin-yoku</i>. </b> The book makes a tender case for reestablishing our relationship with forests -- even the little groves that grow along our neighborhood streets -- because it is good for our souls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When people began practicing <i>shinrin-yoku</i> in Japan in the 1980s, it came out of a common sense idea that being in nature and around trees was good for us. The early adopters also thought that in an era of ecological awareness, environmental chaos and deforestation, any practice that brought attention to forests was bound to be good for forests and trees as well as people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Practitioners soon discovered that their intuition was right.</b> Dedicated walks in tree-filled areas offered measurable improvements in human health. It also led researchers to discover that moods improved and productivity increased and relationships thrived when people hung out around trees. As more and more Japanese citizens embraced the practice, more and more forests became protected. Win for humans. Win for nature.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I loved learning some of the onomatopoeic words for nature in Japanese:</span></span><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>Kasa kasa</i> is the word for the light sound of rustling leaves underfoot. <i>Gasa Gasa</i> is the word for the heavy rustling of branches swaying in the wind. The Japanese even have a word for the interplay of sunlight seen through leaves: <i>Komorabi</i>. It also means a melancholic longing for a person or place that is far away from you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I guess I can say that our tech dystopia fills me with a kind of <i>komorabi</i>. <b>I miss a time before ubiquitous screens.</b> I miss who I was before I had a phone attached to my hand. Regular practice of <i>shinrin-yoku </i>has been a way to not only see the interplay of sunlight through leaves, but to see an illuminated version of myself through all the shades of my civilized life. I like who I see shining there. She's one who wonders and appreciates and daydreams. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">To me, forest bathing is a low key combo of yoga, tai chi, hiking and blissfully wasting time. (And yes, I'd kind of like to actually bathe in a forest, but I'm in Los Angeles and I think that might be illegal.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://amzn.to/35TCHze" target="_blank"><i>Forest Bathing</i></a> led me to read several other books on <i>shinrin-yoku</i>. (You can browse through most of them <a href="https://amzn.to/35SG6Ot" target="_blank">here</a>.) All of the ones I read are helpful and informative, but I say start with Dr. Li. And be sure to read it as an actual book rather than on your Kindle app! The book design is lovely, and the photos are even better than Instagram.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Multitaskers can arrange for rigorous <i>shinrin-yoku</i> hikes that your Fitbit will chart as calorie-burning workouts. Or, like me, you can incorporate little <i>shinrin-yoku</i> breaks during the day by taking walks along tree-lined streets or in city parks. Leave your phone on your desk or in your bag, and <b>plug into the healing energy of trees.</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-89316238801224217572019-09-29T16:48:00.001-07:002019-10-21T11:12:45.579-07:00Away from Keyboard: Embracing Slow Tech<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">by Laurie Allee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/09/away-from-keyboard-embracing-slow-tech.html" target="_blank">If you're reading this post via email, click here to see my accompanying original video.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">This post contains affiliate links. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/affiliate-mar.html" target="_blank">Click here for more info! </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">So I've been offline a lot in the last few weeks. While I think I can say I've successfully relegated my phone back to the status of <i>a phone</i> instead of a tiny monitor that never leaves the palm of my hand, I still feel the siren call of the internet when I'm working on my computer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">And I have to work on my computer. </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I have </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">to do things like design websites, write manuscripts, edit photos, produce videos and update online shops. Even when I'm just writing -- something that in itself doesn't require WiFi -- as much as I wish I could just open a Word document and write uninterruptedly</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"> and without distraction, like Henry David scribbling in a notebook beside his famous pond, there's always that damned web browser singing so sweetly from just beyond the margins, beckoning me to swim out for a little while...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"> <b>And before I know it, what I convince myself is just a little harmless "research" for a project or quick look at the news turns into a soul-crushing dive into the miasma of pop culture, politics, propaganda and consumerism. </b> </span></div>
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/be-intentional-with-your-technology.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisj7AbIow4Shn-AWzN3gs7eJyWSFJBLhn_lsxwyWXgj2-4r7OAT-AlXJJ-2nMsuK5E3kgDbQ8UNxp0ZWTKQFWoRFqL4Dd0xwKQQHQLvLci4wHhR-EV7OI41xWsf5mS-ihZEOUeYRVBJIZt/s1600/coding-1841550_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I can put my now nearly app-free phone on airplane mode, tuck it away and not miss it, but it's hard to get rid of the web when I work... because it's where I work. The irony of writing about this on a blog (<i>a blog!</i>) is not lost on me. (And it's actually kind of meta.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>We are all forced to plug into a version of the Matrix for huge amounts of time every day. </b> "Smart" technology guarantees that even more of our lives will become inextricably connected online, and while transhumanists may cheer, it all makes me feel dizzy, synthetic and lost. Virtual life is already grafted to almost every aspect of what's real, and while I can't stop it, I can be extremely intentional about spending as much free time as I can offline. I can choose real life without a digital trail of social media posts or Siri's assistance or even a recently updated version of Google Maps.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/be-intentional-with-your-technology.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5t_RTP3Mw6UAYUEGlEtANnaaX4jEOsKvIP4DNk9RbWLr0GgzJLG6W32PsC0tVauc0lg0iMmLsr-r_qZ8p3DGg9_VC5GmFrLc6Azi0vg2QevVwbd9SI1RTX4YIjkKciHV0O0B6vDelGnKX/s1600/beach+braid.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/quickstart-guide-to-unplugging.html" target="_blank">When I first started doing this</a>, it felt really weird. Maybe you've felt it too. The first few days without a phone are kind of like being stranded alone on a deserted island. If you don't look at your friends' Instagram accounts, your friends basically disappear. If you don't text people, you don't talk to people. Without constantly looking down, you look around...and rarely does someone look back because they're all looking down. It's lonely and strange and it seems to bend time to almost intolerable curving stretches of inactivity. Without scrolling Twitter in line at the grocery store, you actually have to be alone. With your thoughts. You have to think about stuff for all the time it takes for everyone else ahead of you to put down their phones while they fumble getting their chip debit cards to work in the reader. It's odd and alienating! And the guy in front of you is posting about how long the line is and/or how bad chip readers are!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">What happens next is even weirder. <b>The more you choose to unplug, the more you realize that most everyone else is happily staying plugged right where they are.</b> You might learn to leave your phone on airplane mode, but you still run home and open up the laptop just to find out what everyone is talking about! This week I found out everyone is talking about Dark Mode. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><i>Finally my eyes don't feel like they're being abused!</i> They tweet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Finally everyone can spend even <i>more</i> time staring at screens...</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V5zvGLCGrr6PzrceDyVEMuEnnWrTpH1RzJsNqGsGKFgrF_Gk9-J0dm1YO3OtMwwzccWulVW_Jz2bYiUdS0PZSrAInDRo3Le6xt1L5z6n8iU0XXMINiACGByY9qMPobgGX9GY_TqIAe8h/s1600/cloud-2104829_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1280" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V5zvGLCGrr6PzrceDyVEMuEnnWrTpH1RzJsNqGsGKFgrF_Gk9-J0dm1YO3OtMwwzccWulVW_Jz2bYiUdS0PZSrAInDRo3Le6xt1L5z6n8iU0XXMINiACGByY9qMPobgGX9GY_TqIAe8h/s1600/cloud-2104829_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">But I'm not trying to lead an analog revolution -- and anyway, if Che Guevara were alive today his Twitter account would be huge and he'd probably host <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Diaries-Notes-American-Journey/dp/1876175702/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=24SGKVXE855OM&keywords=the+motorcycle+diaries&qid=1569803015&s=gateway&sprefix=the+motorcy,aps,246&sr=8-2&linkCode=sl1&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=713ff3ab371f39edddeb307863d835a6&language=en_US" target="_blank">The Motorcycle Podcast</a></i>. What I am trying to do is reconnect with things that don't require battery power or WiFi or Dark Mode. And when I do go back online, as we all inevitably have to do, I am trying to not get sucked into neverending, dehumanizing streams. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>In the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time offline thinking about how to make my online life better. </b> <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/soothing-promise-our-own-artisanal-internet/" target="_blank">I was inspired by this article</a> by <i>Wired</i> journalist Casey Chin. The phrase "artisinal internet" really resonates with me. While the slow tech movement has not (yet) gained the traction of the slow food movement, I feel like our numbers are growing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"When every aspect of our behavior online is surveilled and monetized," Chin writes, "the prospect of clean living sounds sweet."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Yes, it does. And when <i>Wired</i> magazine itself starts talking about being less plugged in, we really must be at the brink of a paradigm shift. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">For those who aren't yet ready to turn away from nonstop social media, the concept of slow mornings seems to strike a chord. <b>Waiting to grab your phone in the morning when you wake up seems like a good idea, but many of us struggle with it.</b> I loved <a href="https://elemental.medium.com/why-slow-mornings-may-be-the-secret-to-tech-life-balance-b44c2139963b" target="_blank">this article by Andrew Zaleski</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"The digital world is both Henry and Hal," Zaleski writes, "a delightful, informative space that enriches users as well as drags them into baseless diversion. Striking a balance is becoming increasingly important for people who want to embrace the realities of modern living while still remaining healthy and burnout-free." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">How can we find the balance? Waking up and choosing not to scroll is a really good place to start. (I include a version of this idea in my <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/quickstart-guide-to-unplugging.html" target="_blank">Quickstart to Unplugging</a>.) </span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Simple-Living-Frantic-World/dp/1492665541/ref=as_li_ss_il?keywords=slow&qid=1569796963&s=gateway&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=66e468bf999220c2a567438aaed0c11a&language=en_US" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1492665541&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=laurieallee-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=laurieallee-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=1492665541" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I also recently read a wonderful book that addresses not only internet overwhelm but fast-paced modern life in general. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Simple-Living-Frantic-World/dp/1492665541/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=slow&qid=1569796963&s=gateway&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=14762ad78d3990f68955f155fa49c946&language=en_US" target="_blank">Slow</a>, by Brooke McAlary is a wonderful little meditation on slow living that you can read in an internet-free afternoon. What is slow living? According to McAlary: "It's a way to find happiness by stepping away from the never-ending demands to constantly succeed and acquire more and more. It's easy to get stuck in the carousel of frantically wanting, buying, and upgrading the things in your life. The philosophy of simple living is about finding the freedom to be less perfect, and taking time to enjoy the pure joys of life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">While many minimalist authors recommend a stripped-down austerity that feels far too ascetic for me -- I'm way more <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Hygge-Danish-Secrets/dp/0062658808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=hygge&qid=1569798613&s=gateway&sr=8-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=laurieallee-20&linkId=091290f151d500fbee50be2a0584d194&language=en_US" target="_blank">hygge</a> than minimalist -- McAlary's slow philosophy feels cozy and relaxing and wonderfully <i>human</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_id=114&ipn=icep&toolid=20004&campid=5338583634&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2334524.m570.l1313.TR3.TRC1.A0.H0.Xalphasmart%2Bneo.TRS0%26_nkw%3Dalphasmart%2Bneo%26_sacat%3D0%26LH_TitleDesc%3D0%26_sop%3D15%26_osacat%3D0%26_odkw%3Dcaller%2Bid%2Bbox%26LH_BIN%3D1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6udRXsE5eYWxGIttf8_W8IX5tpqo2Yl-cDIoIHsPcmZu0H4nDIXzuLSmS1Ko952DgN3cz5PtAL55XgZIZdDaFLOVCF4dru6pkXeJZQFD9O5RJJZuhq8gpsr0onEYBw0HJZjInkJmbt2BM/s400/Alphasmart+neo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>As for trying to find an approximation of Thoreau's distraction-free writing at Walden Pond, I have landed upon a wonderful tool.</b> <a href="https://bookswithlaurie.blogspot.com/p/alphasmart-neo-perfect-writing-tool.html" target="_blank">The Alphasmart Neo</a> is an early 2000s electronic word processor designed by Apple engineers to help Y2k middle schoolers learn to type. Now, it allows burned-out, distracted writers a chance to work uninterrupted, and later upload files to Word. <a href="https://bookswithlaurie.blogspot.com/p/alphasmart-neo-perfect-writing-tool.html" target="_blank">You can read my rave, rave review of it here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Check out <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/library.html" target="_blank">my library</a> for more books to inspire your search for a slower, more human, less digital, more analog life. For a clue as to what kind of things I've been doing offline, just watch my video at the top of this post. (And look <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Until next time, I'm AFK. </span><br />
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Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-45763602925046642532019-09-03T18:14:00.000-07:002019-09-11T13:18:32.659-07:00Disconnecting to Reconnect<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNdcm13AOcU?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">by Laurie Allee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/09/disconnecting-to-reconnect.html" target="_blank">If you are reading this post via email subscription, please click here to see my accompanying original video.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>The mixed blessing of deleting my accounts...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Have you cut back on social media and noticed a weird reaction from friends and family? Now, before I continue, let's get one thing straight: if you are proselytizing digital minimalism to people, then I understand their blowback. There's nothing more annoying than someone ranting at you to do something a certain way. Nobody wants a lecture about social media or phones. (They don't want one about politics, religion or child rearing, either.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I'm talking about the gut reaction from people when you mention you've quit Facebook or decided to put down your phone. There's an undeniable defensiveness that comes out, and I think it's so strange.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Here's a sample of the kind of things I regularly hear: </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/social-media.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MysPdCmvhancsIdjeg9SHX1iCkeT1r8-VTt3uk0aJSTQ_5ybvqmL3snEdtigGd0w2asyHpiK0DjiHD6uHM9Pr6jwTuXb14njjyVDR4-BIeIOmRlmfh2fI8F0v1T4DUFJiDDHXfuUA1pR/s320/social-1206612_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"Social media is the way people keep up with things now. Are you just becoming a hermit?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"I wouldn't have a career without Facebook. You're hurting yours by doing this."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"Social media is a fun way for people to connect! I don't get why you want to be antisocial."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">and my favorite:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"I guess you just don't want to know about your friends anymore."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Sound familiar? </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/social-media.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ29mp17CzZPSZSC2Cqb13tHl5dhOJbTobUAArblWppflJXxxuUE9ovYI5DKeP7AA_BlNLrI3E-kVQ1lgyg_febgqKMXXXxhRffV1GehaH_LWsu1FVqO2UDaj3JWb4AiQwaqX_zwbUpXp/s320/social-1206614_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I don't notice the same response when I say I'm on a restricted diet. Nobody immediately says "But we need food to live! I guess you're just planning on starving! Are you saying I should stop eating food too?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">If I say I'm trying to limit sugar and carbohydrates nobody comes at me with "I can't believe you want to live a bland life with no sweetness!" Nope. They just say "Oh, good luck with that." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">And then show me something on their phones.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1245" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3B1IYyHaVZBPmGMBFEnYYXDl8ZouMvEr1ExZ2T8y7mYWs8RR_e_STyUNAKLZWH3aKX1rrDFOOtKivlhQMa0Le9CY_QCZYu4HjbhRAVzMGkqw9YXsnDSQcWg5NSPOQ4LyF0-fuAAgAkfi/s320/smartphone-1184883_1920.png" width="248" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>When I realized that I was spending more time scrolling posts on <i>my</i> phone than actually interacting with people I loved, a similar defensive reaction rose up in me.</b> I couldn't <i>possibly</i> be one of those people with a bad phone habit. I wasn't <i>overusing</i> Twitter and Snapchat and IG. (<i>Social media is how we connect! It's fun and healthy! It's good for my career!</i>) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/08/unplugged.html" target="_blank">After I accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet</a> (and experienced the resulting panic and withdrawal) I did not use the opportunity to examine my phone and social media usage. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Instead, I got a new phone and went right back to my usual tapping, scrolling and "sharing." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">But it wasn't really sharing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I realized that many of my good friends had become ripples in a stream of accounts to scroll through on Twitter or Instagram.</b> Even when we connected, it was now usually through text -- and often using emoji shortcuts. Here's an example:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Me: How's it going? 😁 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Loved One: 😫</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Me: ???</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Loved One: Work 💩 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Me: 😘</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Loved One: 👍</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Then, I would click over to IG to see their photo of a full coffee mug on their desk, or a meme of "It's 5:00 o'clock somewhere" with #SadlyNotHere or #Goals or #IWish added below. I'd dutifully add a </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">❤️ </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">or a 😂 </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">and move to the next meme, selfie or hashtag.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/ring-ring-ring-ring/561545/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauUbZv3opRZHzE2oWRR2r8ilheezVnaiCkS1tdsaBF8RZ34wgBji8PWSxntV5fdl_gDtQN5uAvn3kQRVGO6BhzM49XJqcnSTVMmmqN8hl3OVDr7851OjG5xDWVfuX_WyEn9h2OI2ll4Oi/s320/emotion-1740913_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I wondered why I never called people anymore to connect. I decided to bring back this relic of the 20th century and phoned a friend I hadn't spoken to in a while. She answered like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"What's wrong?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"Nothing. I was just calling to say hi."</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/why-people-dont-make-phone-calls-anymore-according-to-psychology.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmp5I5DivVTL1fEH3LPpruMafty4f3TA3FzMupENscB_4rO8MMbfum5FRD2geCBBQmp7Y-8lKEJL8RYZ133b1Deu7m0vSm9J_VnnRIsqo8N9n1kyzGPPZiYKpFwEubrY_fSPk8pV0Xp2A/s320/emoji-3202669_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">She paused and then said, "That's great but why didn't you text? I thought something bad happened."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Later I tweeted something like <b>"When did we stop phoning each other? Now we're supposed to use a phone to text instead of actually call?"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I'm not sure who, exactly, I was hoping to reach with that tweet but immediately my phone rang and a friend said "I agree with your tweet. We should phone more often!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I was stunned that my own gut response was, <i>hey, he should have texted first...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Yeah, it's complicated. <b>We've rewired ourselves to think a few emojis are conversation, that viewing public social media messages is the same as spending quality time with people we care about.</b> I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while and I asked how she was doing. She didn't hide her irritation when she said,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">"Well, if you were on social media like a normal person you'd know how I've been."</span><br />
<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/airplane-mode.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYLATzSBr-HmqM6dCiwdZFpHpOIJjlhRm-2lnhESZcsjEUBm7BPExw9UHqHGqyVQfXFyZVx7NoXYRio8SihZzPm8WPpwZJBjtrTaCFH5-XnDoXnsF9pD_bYaBEaEpqWzHVvDUh64xrPBN/s320/smiley-1041796_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">If I could hashtag my own life at this point I'd probably use the label <b>#normalisoverrated.</b> Since pulling way back from social media, I've felt an almost gleeful reconnection with the world around me. My mood is no longer dictated by the day's trending topic. I no longer feel nine kinds of outrage before breakfast. I no longer wonder if I'm missing out or measuring up or meeting expectations ... because I've disconnected from what had become my constant attachment, the phone as some kind of weird external hard drive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">If you'd asked me about it before, I would have told you no, of course not, I don't check social media very often. But I did. Dozens of times a day. I checked when I was at the park with my daughter. I checked sitting in traffic. And many of you do, too. (Would you eat that much sugar every day? All day? Stopped in traffic?) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">For me, it was best to just get rid of Instagram and Snapchat. I'd already been off Facebook for years but I was heavy into the others. I had started to notice that I felt compelled to "share" every little tidbit of life. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><i>Here are my library books. Here is my family having dinner. Here is a picture of my feet as I relax at the beach. I'm so relaxed at this beach I'm taking the time to curate a post about it.</i> <b>What had started as a way to post my photography had become a compulsive chronicle of my personal life. When I really thought about it, I felt creeped out and silly. WHY was I posting all of this stuff? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">So I stopped.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I'm still on Twitter, and I'll be honest: sometimes I really feel compelled to dive into political Twitter's rabbit hole. But right now I am struck with the urge to argue that I <i>only</i> use it to promote my work and forward interesting information about art and politics. I'm tempted to make sure to reiterate that I don't post selfies or stuff about my life and <i>did I mention that I need to utilize social media for my career!</i> But now I'm rationalizing. </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdAfNS9SSNdtPP28QVkspyoBzcKSIhLqkl6Xh7aj0viqhlUeOLfjXHBraA49_4HqjcM7z4vQCIJO2ZF8LYy33R1768Jky7cwWmrynsIIwPsngv_SzaAF0tZ0-WcjjFzLKVZfLzwhTtkv1/s320/bad-example-2780441_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I wonder sometimes, maybe all of this is like being an alcoholic. Maybe there is no way to just have one glass of wine at dinner once you've gotten used to bloody marys at breakfast, martinis at lunch, cocktails at 5:30, two bottles of wine at dinner and a nightcap of Schnapps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Maybe social media is something you either get fall-down wasted on or abstain from altogether. </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Yes, using social media really is good for your career -- and many of you have found this blog through it -- but I don't want to treat my real life as a career. I am a person, not a brand. I want to live my life, not reveal curated portions of it and hope for approval. <b>I want to TALK to my friends, not just like their posts and communicate in cartoon happy faces.</b> And I don't want the times we get together in real life to devolve into showing each other YouTube videos or taking selfies and posting them. (#BFFs!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">But here I go proselytizing. And we all hate that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I remember back in the early days of social media I thought it was going to be a wonderful way for friends and family to <i>stay</i> connected. I never expected it to <i>replace</i> so much real connection. I thought it was going to add something, especially with people who lived far away. But for me, it took so much away. <b>When my "relationships" with old friends began to resemble my "relationships" with celebrity twitter accounts, I knew something had gotten seriously effed up. </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/be-intentional-with-your-technology.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg9rMng2vgU1JlxfJZ-dagjeg19RheGb0LkGvkmz4v3GssKRuK_6t9yv7uL4uMJW9EH0Q1qQIyvI0TEX9fI_i3cbQq0Fyznzb9HVFon2au_4Z6zPEYJSnY-KZUbJLxBgvTuSZb3HKZmDz/s320/emoticon-1610518_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I have a handful of loved ones who share my feelings. Since pulling back from social media, we've spent more time connecting one on one. Our text streams include complete sentences -- paragraphs, even. We regularly Skype and Zoom each other for coffee instead of posting photos of our mugs on Instagram. We talk on the phone. We send letters and cards in the mail. I make time to get together with local friends and family more often, and when it happens we keep our phones put away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">But there are too many other friends who don't answer the cards, or even email. The ones who let their phones go to voicemail or text "I've been so busy!" (Maybe adding a few emojis for emphasis.) Their social media accounts remain active, though. Throughout they day they post pithy messages universal enough to be directed at everyone and no one in particular. <b>I realize by not liking their public expressions, I've slipped out of their private view.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">And I miss them. I wish I could find out what is really going on behind the veil of an Instagram filter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Pulling back from social media has made me realize that my actual relationships are so much better when I dedicate myself to nurturing each one on its own terms ... no one size fits all post, no online declarations. It seemed like I was keeping touch with people by liking their posts in my feeds, but I wasn't really connecting with them anymore.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3hUNX7oVbSNlZWSwcc48Nz2Nwcmh-_wBfD7Qt1bYmaAZi_kIgD064DQ7vbFgjssUTBwDy28fKOjeDwdOu9zzf2tfOxc087xZCehYyMfRJw7Crfs9x12K_G-KOHCikJNtgxfh26l55C4b/s400/social-media-2778056_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Social media rewards the shallow. It never requires more than a few seconds of attention. You quickly review posts curated for a wide audience, and then move on. <b>For me, social media had begun to feel like being at a cocktail party that never broke up into smaller groups of real conversation. </b> Again, I once would have argued differently. <i>But we all still have the deep conversation with each other when we get together!</i> I would have protested. <i>Social media is just an addition to the relationships we have. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><i>Isn't it?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Maybe it is for some, but not for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I got together with loved ones recently who I had not seen in over a year. At lunch I noticed that each one kept his or her phone on the table or in hand -- something we'd never done before. While we had fun talking, the conversation was constantly broken up by their phone notifications. There were also the obligatory selfies posted to Facebook and Instagram. A rather large percentage of conversation was devoted to outrage about political tweets and amusement at YouTube videos. <b>I thought, Good Lord, we have become social media. Even in real time we are posting, tweeting, liking and blocking.</b> When I suggested that everyone put away their phones, you'd have thought I'd have suggested they willingly volunteer for amputation. </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_UrzA14CW8DVcLWsp32uxTN-SaA7YI_pnE1pv6V1ft7Eyku_qxccs7iN4U4klxPLNR_9SsVEtwLVm8WngLfa7LhfRJP-LqkJXTbay1aMoPCMrb0Jo6A2gFGPF6ShIN9VjPqzJ_TU9miD/s400/finger-1002577_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Each loved one deserves my undivided attention -- at least part of the time. I spent far too many hours looking at people's posts rather than being with people. <b>It takes time and hard work to make my handful of close relationships thrive. But it's so much better than seeing how many likes I could get for a picture of a sunset.</b> It seems crazy to me now, looking back, how although I saw hundreds of vacation pictures, memes, selfies and videos, checked out all the new houses and baby pictures and meal choices and pets, liked all of the events and confessions and cloud photos and wine glasses ... I had never been more disconnected from the people I loved. </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCeAVVRZCr0YquaGHaQoTWF_-hON6sphd2XvPwRfXgBgkpInuCyRGVUYiX6_EbD84JxXb0gUGjkP4esrwoBX-8oGYT807VIj704kvTMXPTHamrGmjRkCNLfmKpv7DIW9F5L24cE_USevn/s400/heart-1986105_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>So, when I say I've cut back on social media I don't say it to be confrontational.</b> If you can manage all those feeds and still have the energy to devote to your families and friends, that's great. For me, I had to pick between digital shorthand and the messy, complex, cursive love letter of real life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Someday emojis and hashtags are going to be as archaic and outdated as morse code and telegrams. Today's social media will be the next generation's passe sitcom joke. I don't want to spend my real life on digital ephemera in the cloud. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Instead of scrolling IG, I now write a letter -- a real letter that needs a stamp. I call a friend and get the heart to heart details on what is actually happening. I go to the park with my daughter and if I take pictures there, I keep them for our family photo album. If I check Twitter, it's after a long, full day of being unplugged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">I choose real life. </span><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">I'd love it if you'd put your phone down -- at least for a while -- and join me. </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">Read more about social media (including my recommendations for alternative sites) <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/social-media.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span>
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Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-41391764873000278782019-08-10T17:22:00.000-07:002019-08-30T21:38:59.931-07:00Unplugged<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/resources.html" target="_blank">Come out from behind the screen!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/08/unplugged.html" target="_blank">If you subscribe by email, click this to see the accompanying video</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/2019/06/is-this-working_14.html" target="_blank">See my Life Analog introductory post here.</a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phone junkie me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When I first realized I might need to rethink my relationship with technology, I took baby steps. You know what I mean: I only checked Instagram ONCE an hour instead of repeatedly, every few minutes. I waited maybe five minutes after getting up to check Twitter, instead of taking the phone into the bathroom with me. I put the phone on my nightstand instead of cradling it to sleep. <b>I mean, come on, I didn't have a problem.</b> <b>I wasn't one of those phone people.</b> I could actually get through a dinner with someone by just sideways glancing at the phone on the table as notifications came in. It wasn't like I picked it up. (Well, not much.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I really thought I was just fine...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I had a healthy balance of tech and real life, I told myself.</b> I knew when to close up my laptop. But I have to be on social media, I said. It's part of what I do as a writer and a photographer. It's how people connect now, I said. It's a good thing! Sure, it's weird to feel compelled to post so many formerly private parts of my life but that's what we do now! Isn't it great to see everyone's vacation pictures in real time? Doesn't everyone look fabulous with blur filters? Isn't it fun to notice the differences between a friend's Snapchat story and their Instagram story of the same event? Aren't we all brilliantly informed by repeatedly checking breaking news on all our feeds? Aren't we taking part in democracy by liking our friends' bold political tweets? Isn't it great to be able to do all this networking?! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Don't judge me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I used my phone for work and play, right? Just like everybody?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The thing that clued me into the fact that I might be more attached to my device than I realized was when I dropped it into the toilet. (Okay, so I didn't wait five minutes to pick it up on that particular morning!) I watched as my iPhone 6 shimmered brightly under water, its little app icons brilliantly glowing, its high res screen beautifully shining. I watched in horror as my beloved object of so much joy, connection and inspiration was slowly sinking, like Jack in that fateful scene from Titanic...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My phone, like Jack, reached out from underwater as it died. It kept hopefully notifying me of texts from my family, as it sank to the bottom of the bowl. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Where did you go? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My sister's text appeared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>LOL look at this </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My nephew sent a meme from Reddit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Your Amazon package has been delivered</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I saw it on the screen as -- almost like magic -- I heard the UPS guy ring my doorbell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The last thing I saw before my phone drowned and the screen anticlimactically turned black was:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>New For You in Kindle:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was haunted that I didn't see what the book was. My phone, like Jack, was gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My first thought (other than OMG how do I fish my phone out of THE TOILET?!) was panic. I felt disconnected. I felt naked and alone. I felt like everything I knew and loved had been cut off from me and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. </span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/airplane-mode.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9DDi2usjitAzZXLBjHn4T-MlZi6WF30bhFSmg_F4CEzpTe62Q0gsJmKOYVG6pQyMGsWTkeZvgvDxzu26kMnE76tPYvfbmdp_YNdpL9vfHMWVn1xOlZuXaImLM2JBi7xfm2hvTYce6AMt/s320/life+analog+no-phone-2533390_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I wouldn't have admitted all this, of course. I mean... it was only a phone, right? I took part in digital culture, but it wasn't my entire life. Surely I could manage until I got to the AT&T store to get a replacement. I was due for an upgrade, anyway! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">How hard could it be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">That morning, I felt kind of like Tom Hanks when he washed up on that island in <i>Castaway</i>. I had managed to fish the phone out of the toilet, and I looked at it the way he looked at one of his soggy, sandy FedEx packages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I felt anxious and unsettled. I felt out of touch. When I took my little girl to a drama class that afternoon, I felt like I was endangering us both by DRIVING WITHOUT A PHONE! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It was then that I started thinking about how my life had changed since the introduction of smartphones and social media. I'd been blissfully tech-adoring for decades. I had written for the web for more years than I'd written for print. I'd blogged for almost 10 years. I oversaw my daughter's online classes for school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But something had changed. I started to look back fondly remembering the days when email and the Internet were only on the laptop, and when texts required some serious numberpad dexterity to execute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>It had been nice when we had full access to the Internet, but a phone was just a phone. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I started to remember long phone calls with friends that had become weirdly out of place in the texting age. I remember when we'd catch up in person, instead of checking a heavily curated public feed. I remember when we didn't put out the equivalent of daily personal press releases, when we weren't expected to be available at all times, when we went to bed without staring until our eyes glazed over at an endless scroll from a tiny screen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remember conversations that never, ever, ever started with "I saw on Facebook..." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>I remember when going somewhere didn't require that I chronicle it for a collection of people I've known from virtually all walks of my life. I remember when I didn't give a crap if any of those people approved of what I had done that day ... that it would have never occurred to me to ask any of them. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Those days started to seem kind of great. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I ended up not getting to the AT&T store the day my phone drowned. I decided to go the next morning. Maybe I was just being contrary. I think part of me wanted to prove that I didn't care about a device. I think I wanted to see what I felt like that night as I got into bed without texting or Twitter or YouTube or Internet research. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As my husband played online chess on his phone next to me that night, I nestled into my pillow and looked into the dark, familiar room around me and thought... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Oh god I miss my phone.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I wasn't sure what do do without it. But maybe, I thought ... maybe I should find out.</span><br />
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Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114274991357173915.post-72713549096418430662019-08-01T00:03:00.000-07:002019-08-24T12:38:49.050-07:00Towards a life less digitally saturated...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;">Disconnect to reconnect</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">by Laurie Allee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Welcome to <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">Life Analog</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>A simple blog for living IRL</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b>Log off. Tune in. Opt out.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">Maybe you've felt it too: that weird, sinking feeling that something is now missing. Despite the constant connectivity, the app for everything, the Prime Same Day delivery, the likes, the swipes... something is <i>gone</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">There's a feeling kind of like what you get at the end of a long, drunken party. Sure, it's been fun. It's been rowdy and wild and exciting. But we've all had a bit too much, and our heads are swimming. People are showing off and picking fights and throwing up. At this point it would be really nice to get away from all the chaos, sleep it off, and wake up to something a little more grounded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">If you're nodding right now, then stick around. <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">Life Analog</a> is my place to piece together a more truly connected life than the one I can get checking Twitter. Join me as I try to find the tangible in a world that is becoming more and more virtual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">Explore the tabs and links for help with digital addiction, smartphone overload and the inevitable social media hangover. Look around for inspiration and validation from a weary but hopeful fellow traveler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">I'm not suggesting we completely abandon the digital party. But let's go back and find the analog treasures we lost there. Let's step out from behind the screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">I post several times a month. (More than that would encourage you to keep scrolling!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;">You can find out more <a href="https://lifeanalog.blogspot.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
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Laurie Alleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14460272282273523408noreply@blogger.com