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Monday, Nov 10th 2008
“Don’t you just want to throw the thing in the trash?”
Years ago, I was explaining to a girlfriend my frustration with my husband and his Blackberry usage. It wasn’t so much my husband I wanted to be rid of, but that rectangular hand held device he always kept nearby. That remarkable piece of technology that made emails instantly accessible, had become my arch-enemy. The Blackberry came into my home without my approval and like Ben Franklin said about fish and guests, got stinky within three days.
My friend nodded knowingly. Her husband had a Blackberry too and she had the same feeling about it. We talked about its invasion into our homes. Sure, our husbands could turn it off, but the business culture forced them to be highly accessible and the Blackberry created a new sense of obligation 24/7.
Twice in the last ten years, John’s Blackberry landed not in the trash, but in the toilet. It wasn’t me. William went through a phase as a toddler where he loved putting things in receptacles – any receptacles. I luckily looked in the trash many times to find non-trash items - a shoe, a random toy, a spoon, his pajamas, all of which he had thrown in while I wasn’t looking.
One day we caught him pointing at the toilet. We found the Blackberry, waterlogged and lifeless. John tried to dry it out, taking the battery out, wiping it down, practically giving the thing CPR. We’ve found first hand, William’s method was highly effective at destroying it instantly. I have to admit, both times gave me some short-lived satisfaction.
Today it’s John who wants to throw my iPhone in the trash. After I got the phone, it almost immediately felt as if I couldn’t live without it. It draws you in with its cool features and sleek beauty and to top it off, I can get a lot of work done with it.
As much as I love my iPhone, I recognize like all technology, it can be both good and evil. The other day, I wrote about trying to “pair down” the excess in our lives. I’m expanding this concept to the excess of my accessibility. The more accessible I am to the world, the less accessible I am to my family.
Perhaps someday they’ll make an iPhone that’ll expand time. Until then, unless William flushes my iPhone down the toilet, it’s up to me to limit my usage.
Years ago, I was explaining to a girlfriend my frustration with my husband and his Blackberry usage. It wasn’t so much my husband I wanted to be rid of, but that rectangular hand held device he always kept nearby. That remarkable piece of technology that made emails instantly accessible, had become my arch-enemy. The Blackberry came into my home without my approval and like Ben Franklin said about fish and guests, got stinky within three days.
My friend nodded knowingly. Her husband had a Blackberry too and she had the same feeling about it. We talked about its invasion into our homes. Sure, our husbands could turn it off, but the business culture forced them to be highly accessible and the Blackberry created a new sense of obligation 24/7.
Twice in the last ten years, John’s Blackberry landed not in the trash, but in the toilet. It wasn’t me. William went through a phase as a toddler where he loved putting things in receptacles – any receptacles. I luckily looked in the trash many times to find non-trash items - a shoe, a random toy, a spoon, his pajamas, all of which he had thrown in while I wasn’t looking.
One day we caught him pointing at the toilet. We found the Blackberry, waterlogged and lifeless. John tried to dry it out, taking the battery out, wiping it down, practically giving the thing CPR. We’ve found first hand, William’s method was highly effective at destroying it instantly. I have to admit, both times gave me some short-lived satisfaction.
Today it’s John who wants to throw my iPhone in the trash. After I got the phone, it almost immediately felt as if I couldn’t live without it. It draws you in with its cool features and sleek beauty and to top it off, I can get a lot of work done with it.
As much as I love my iPhone, I recognize like all technology, it can be both good and evil. The other day, I wrote about trying to “pair down” the excess in our lives. I’m expanding this concept to the excess of my accessibility. The more accessible I am to the world, the less accessible I am to my family.
Perhaps someday they’ll make an iPhone that’ll expand time. Until then, unless William flushes my iPhone down the toilet, it’s up to me to limit my usage.
Jean Yih Kingston
Jean Kingston, who co-founded SixSeeds, spends many of her waking hours in her SUV hauling carloads of children to various and sundry playing fields across the state of Massachusetts. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
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