Step Away From The Computer Before You Have A Mental Meltdown

Do I Read A Technical Manual Tonight, or Themine. On top of the time issue, how much
Lord Of The Rings?technology, or should I say , how much
Just out of courtesy, I think I should tell you thatcontinuous exposure to technology can the human
the following article is about as far from mybrain take before it just explodes. My family,
typical writings as I can get. Quite frankly, it isfriends, and associates routinely ask me "How in
nothing more than a very tired technology guythe world can you remember all these things
ranting and raving. Maybe a little wining too.about computers?" Sometimes I wonder this
My entire world is about technology; computers,myself.
data communication, wireless and wired Ethernet,I don't know about you, but sometimes I wish I
PDA's, mobile devices, firewalls, securitycould just completely isolate myself from
assessments, and on and on and on. I'm soeverything electronic; spinning fans, clicking hard
addicted to technology and business that I havedrives, bussing monitors (even these darn flat
trouble deciding whether to read a technicalpanels), the clicking of the keys when I type, and
manual or a good sci-fi / fantasy novel.lets not forget the inevitable beeping of my UPS's
I love what I do and have no plans on makingseveral times a day because Florida Power and
any changes in the foreseeable future butLight can't seem to regulate the flow of electricity
something as simple as checking the time of dayin a stable fashion.
nearly resulted in a mental nuclear meltdown thisIt's Vacation Time: Technology Prohibited At All
morning. This week has been considerablyTimes
stressing. I have written at least eight significantI've been in the technology business all of my life.
proposals, performed continuous work on aDo you know it took about 5 years of my wife
report for a external security assessment, madecomplaining about me bringing laptops and other
and received way to many phone calls, and havetechnology gadgets with me on vacations before
been staying up to all hours of the night, orI finally wised up. And guess what, the first time I
morning depending on how you look at it (It'sleft technology behind on one of our summer
2am on Saturday right now).vacations, it was like someone had lifted a
My Kingdom For The Right Time On All Mytremendous weight off my shoulders. It was so
Clocks!unbelievable that when my wife asked me where
This morning, I literally became overwhelmedthe laptop was it took her the entire day to
when I looked at the time on my desktopbelieve me when I said I left it at home.
computer. Between all the laptops, digital andI know I'm not the only person that has these
analog clocks, stereos, televisions, cable box, DVDlittle "moments". My New Years resolution this
players, and other electronic devices in my home,year was to simplify my life. I'm not embarrassed
there are 28 devices that display the time of day.to say that I've not made much progress yet but
And guess what, there was about a 5 minuteI am not going to give up. I am going to bring
delta in the current time between this vastharmony to my life if it kills me in the process.
amount of time pieces. It sounds quite ridiculousConclusion
but I nearly freaked out. With all the technologyI won't blame anyone who reads this article and
at our disposal, you would think it would be easyfeels compelled to send me a bill. After reviewing
to synchronize all the time pieces in my home.what I've written here it reads like notes taken
And keep them synchronized!during a psychotherapy session:. I've decided that
Ok, this article is not really about clocks but it wasI'm taking the day off from technology, right
"time" that set me off this morning. The fact is,after I'm done posting this article. And now, I'm
like many others, time is something that I justtired and going to get some sleep.
don't have much of. I believe Mr. Einstein wouldYou may reprint or publish this article free of
take a relatively strong position on this issue ofcharge as long as the bylines are included.