Artifact #2 Response

     William Powers discussed his book, Hamlet's Blackberry, on his book tour and described his process and experiences that went into writing the book. Powers speaks about a moment he had earlier in the day when he sat on a bench along a path and observed people, most of whom were on their phones or other devices. He only spots a few people who weren't on any devices. Powers talks about our society today and how people are always caught up in the latest news and headlines. He describes the time online and on the phone as being connected. He believes that people need to spend more time disconnected. One way that Powers and his family have made time for themselves and each other is by turning off the Internet on the weekends. In preparing to write this book, Powers read a lot about past philosophers and how the public responded to technological advances in the past. He came to the conclusion that people need some balance between time connected and time disconnected.
      I found this video extremely interesting, especially as someone who as grown up in this age of technology. I completely understand what Powers means when he describes people who are almost always connected. It is difficult to spend time disconnected when the Internet is at your fingertips, either from your phone or your computer. People are always checking facebook and twitter and updating their status's in order to remain on top of things. One thing that I found very interesting was when Powers talked about how people can put up walls that don't allow them to fully understand and reflect on themselves. People often mimic parts of other people that they admire. They spend all their time checking out the latest news in the public. These people may seem superficial because they don't think for themselves or spend any time for inward thought.
      I admired the amount of research that Powers put into understanding the subject and developing a strong and thorough book. Powers spoke a lot about past philosophers that he read about. I was very interested in learning how the public viewed certain technological advances in the past and how they thought it would shape the future. He said that when printing came out that many people thought future generations would lose the skill of writing, but in fact writing remained important, just in different forms.
      I think it is important to have balance in almost every aspect of your life. There is time for work and there is time for play. Even with something as simple as eating. It is important not to eat too much but you also don't want to eat too little. Powers talks about a balance between being connected and disconnected. I think many people would benefit greatly from spending some time with their phones turned off and the computers unplugged. I know my family is always on the computer and even when we're holding conversations among each other we are often looking at our phones. I think spending some time disconnected would help people build stronger relationships with the people in their lives and allow them to find enjoyment being alone and left to their thoughts.