Mindful - you will want to be assimilated
I consciously "switched off" during much of the past year. Only sporadically tweeting, commenting or posting something here and there. Only checking my personal email every couple of days. Information overload? Amongst other things. I just knew I needed a break, from everything.
I didn't miss it you know, the "always on", "up-to-date", "in-the-loop" sense of being. On the contrary, I found I finally had time to think, process, reflect and form clear insights. I chose to spend time in the library instead of staring at the computer screen. Life can and does go on remarkably well, without being online all the time.
But I've also realised it's about getting the balance right. Switching off is not really a smart option in this day and age.
Particularly for someone in my line of work. I need to be "in the know". There is so much to be learned from the hive mind.
For example, while catching up on the pre-conference Twitter chatter around the thisismindful.com (Melbourne May 21st), I discovered I have been missing out on so many optimistic, interesting and inspiring conversations. A shere buzz of positive energy to be explored, tapped into and redistributed to an ever wider audience... Individual intelligence augmented by the collective. Challenged, pushed forward... to the edge.
That's where I want to be!
I particularly found @davidahood 's tweets resonating strongly with my sense of values and what I really want and need to be doing. I've also been reading up on some of the speaker's publications, e.g. Everett Bogue's "Augmented Humanity". Interesting, though, I have my reservations.
It made me consider what kind of experience I'm hoping to have at the Mindful conference. What can I contribute? What am I hoping to get out of it? I've been thinking a lot these past few years about how technology has impacted our lives. I want to be inspired, challenged... pushed. I'd love to focus on how I can help others use technology more effectively, enabing them to take control and improve their lives.
There are some interesting videos on the thisismindful.com website and here are a few video links in David's recent tweets that I would encourage you to watch:
Neil Pasricha: The 3 A's of awesome (17 min. - Just to put a big smile on your face ;-)
Digital Nation - Life on the Virtual Frontier (90 min. - this video doesn't seem to embed well in Posterous, click the title link to go directly to the PBS site.)
