BBC: Time to switch off and slow down

Link: BBC NEWS | Technology | Time to switch off and slow down.

At a hi-tech conference bristling with bloggers constantly checking messages on Blackberries, smartphones, laptops and handheld computers, it is odd to hear a speaker suggest an e-mail free day.

But journalist Carl Honore told attendees of the TED conference in Oxford they should unplug and slow down in a world that was stuck in fast- forward.

And for a wired world accustomed to having nearly unlimited information and the boundless choices of online shopping, it seems almost heretical to suggest that the infinite possibilities of the modern world leave us less satisfied instead of more.

But author Barry Schwartz told the conference that it was better when we had only a few choices of salad dressing instead of the 175 at his local supermarket.

These were just some of the suggestions to the audience at TED in their search for the good life.

Schwartz is author of the excellent book The Paradox Of Choice: Why More Is Less.

Honore is author of the book In Praise of Slowness : How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed which I haven't read, but it's going on my list...

Related: PC Turnoff Week

Comments

[Todd Gilbert]

Although i do feel it is healthy to "take a break" if you will from the computer, i don't recommend ever turning off a computer. Turning off the computer for a week could leave the end-user vulnerable to virues and other threats due to Anti-Virus software, Anti-Spyware and general updates being out of date.

[Kevin Arthur]

Good point, but I suspect this isn't really a risk. If you have an "auto protect" feature enabled in your anti-virus software (and everyone should), then when you boot the computer it should update itself before you have a chance to open e-mail or browser software that would make you vulnerable to a virus.

Leaving a computer on and unattended for long periods has its own risks. If you don't have a firewall and your computer is already infected with a virus, it could be acting as a "zombie computer" for hackers without you knowing.

There are lots of opinions on both sides of this... I say turn it off and save a bit of power.