first Word: Lance Ulanoff

FIRST WORD lance ulanOFF

A Tech-Free Vacation

Over the years, I’ve made jokes about using old technology and living without technology, but I’ve really never done either. Then, a few weeks ago, I took a vacation. No, not a staycation or a working vacation, but a real, leave-the-country, exit-the-electronsphere kind of sojourn—one in which phones don’t work and there is no Internet connectivity. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I could have turned on my phone and even accessed the Internet on this cruise, but both acts would have emptied my bank accounts within a few days. So, I turned my Treo off and pulled out the battery. I also left my laptop sequestered snugly in my cabin. It soon became apparent to me that previously I had been using technology, especially my Treo, to shield myself from inactivity and boredom. Typically, when I’m in a line or waiting, say, for people to join me at a dinner table (or rejoin me when they’ve perhaps taken a bathroom break), I’ll pull out the phone and check Google News, attack my steady stream of e-mail or, more recently, check Twitter and add an update or two. At home, my laptop is ever present. I usually pop it open when I get home at night and later leave it on an end table so I can pick it up at any moment and engage in all the aforementioned activities. Of course, there’s also ad hoc work. I’ll jot down some column notes in a Word file, go on TweetDeck, work on a budget spreadsheet, or maybe just noodle around on the Internet. My family often makes fun of me and tells me I should have the thing attached to my lap. That might be kind of nifty, especially if the lid is spring-loaded to pop open every time I sit down. During my vacation, however, I had no digital diversions. I’d be standing in the salad-bar line and my hand would reflexively reach for my pocket—searching fruitlessly for the phone that wasn’t there. I felt unmoored. On a typical day I’m in contact with two dozen or so people in my office and hundreds more around the world (via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook). On this vacation it was me, my family, and my fellow cruisers. Despite all the hundreds of people, I was often alone with my thoughts. In that first day or two, I suffered mini panic attacks. I felt as if I was living in a bubble. I had no idea what was happening at the office and received scant information about world events. There were local and national news programs on TV, but since I rarely use those sources for local, national, and international information on all the topics I track, I felt as if I was try-

ing to suck a potato through a straw. There was no way I’d ever get the same information blast from that narrow pipe. It wasn’t until the anxiety attacks and cold sweats stopped that I understood I was going through digital detox. I honestly didn’t know how to function without instant access to a world of information (personal and public). People around me likely noticed my pallid, sweaty appearance and darting eyes—surely that’s why they cut a wide berth around me. However, by the third day, I had stopped looking down at my empty hands and wondering if I could take out a small loan to pay for one full day’s Internet access. I started to take in my surroundings. My family looked upon me as a welcome acquaintance whom they hadn’t seen in a very long time. I’ll admit that the anxiety would still creep up every once in a while, and I’d have to shake my head and stare at the brilliant blue ocean until the feeling subsided. It always did, and I can remember long stretches of time where I didn’t once think about my phone, my computer, Twitter, Facebook, or the Internet. In those times, I read, drew, engaged with my family, and lived a blissfully tech-free, 20th-century lifestyle. When the vacation ended and we arrived back onto U.S. shores, I did what I knew I would do and turned on my phone. Within minutes it began gagging on a flood of 500 or more e-mails. I stared down at the screen in wonder. My thumbs fluttered over the keys but did nothing. I just let the

mail arrive while I savored the final few moments of my digital-free vacation. Seventy-two hours later, my phone was in my pocket, my computer was on my lap, and I could hardly remember those precious hours when I lived without 24/7 connectivity and interaction with a vast population of technology elite, enthusiasts, followers, and friends. I don’t know when I’ll do that again, but I’m certainly glad for the memory.

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On a typical day I’d be in contact with two dozen or so people in my office and hundreds more around the world (via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook). On this vacation, it was me, my family, and my fellow cruisers.

Follow mE on TwiTTEr! Catch the chief’s comments on the latest tech developments at twitter.com/LanceUlanoff.