Wednesday, January 17, 2007

unplug yourself

lately, there have been some conversation about being always online, get connected anytime anywhere. more discussion have been generated by the iphone presentation and the 24/7 connection features and more from a discussion about focus groups and empiric on field research.

i do believe that we should be able to unplug ourself, switch off all our device and get into the real life.
the digital world and the blogosphere are great environment to meet people, i'm delighted to have met great people around, they provide me with friendship, knowledge, culture ans support.
just to mention some of them: ann hadley and all the contributors at dailyfix, masiguy, ck, lewis green, valeria maltoni, gavin heaton, luc of mindblob, simone morgagni, pierfrancesco scotti.
and more i hope to meet at the bar camp.
but in the meantime, get unplugged, have a walk, get lost in you city, discover places where you have never been before, rediscover places where you have been since long time.
back to your job, to your desk, you may see things with a fresh perspective and a wider approach.

give a look to this great ad from bmw. it's one year old or more. it about the pleasure of driving, of getting lost, of seeing things.






12 comments:

Luc Debaisieux said...

Gianandrea,
What a very nice post. You're right... it is important to be able to unplug. It is easy to get lost and so, to loose contact with real life (seems like this is the topic mood of the moment - and I do feel connected to it, really). Most of all, I also feel lucky to have met you and all these very nice people of the community.

Hopefully, the great thing about it is that we all share the consciousness that this experience is more than just "digital/professional". It is a human experience, deep, rich and respectful.

Anonymous said...

Verissimo. When you allow yourself to be in the moment, which may feel like getting lost at times, you see with new eyes. As my friend Peter said in our recent blog interview on modern virtues: "you can only be lost if you think you should be somewhere else."

I'm ejoying being here with you and all these other interesting people just fine. So in that sense, I am already unplugged.

gianandrea said...

luc and valeria, thanks for your comments.
i do feel that we do not talk to ourself and listen from ourself enough.
and the chance to do it, it to take some time off.

Anonymous said...

Bello: I am fortunate to have you to learn from and to always be such a friend to me. I value that, as you know.

And, just because you told me to...I'm going to take some time to unplug and get lost. Great advice and ad. Love how far your blog has come.

Anonymous said...

Nice post and a very good reminder, G. I've been on a treadmill, it seems. Time to step off for a few.

gianandrea said...

ck, don't get too far and leave us poor bloggers alone.
ann, good to see you. sometimes i feel it more a rollercoaster.

Anonymous said...

Great post G! I am with Luc ... "deep, rich and respectful", but do also sense burnout and frustration amongst our little community.

And the more I think about it, I think the two are related. Some of the relationships that we have established online are making us realise and appreciate the value of the OFFLINE WORLD. In this way, we are becoming "true" writers ... that we owe at least part of our selves or our existence to the person-who-we-are-while-writing. It is just that our readers can carry on more than a one-way conversation.

Interesting! I need to think on this more (and sleep too). Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Gianandrea,
My feelings precisely. We need to unplug.

Gavin,
I am personally sensing the burnout of which you speak. In less than 12 months, I have written a book, posted 209 pieces on my blog and 37 at the Daily Fix, and written a number of magazine articles. Lately, writing seems more a struggle than a passion.

Pier said...

What a delightful post this one is. and it's nice to observe that for each comment you can observe a different concept of being unplugged...which makes you truly realize that this is a real community. your is a precious suggestion, the only thing that's missing is time. in the end, writing an early morning comment to a post or being online on a Saturday night will just do...it still means that you're saving time for yourself.
see you in a couple of days.

gianandrea said...

i wish to thank all of you. pier is correct when stating that everyone has his own concept. and he is correct when stating that time is the factor. time is precious, it's the real gold of this century.

Tammy Allen said...

Living on a treadmill
can be alright
sun gets up on time
and the stars come out at night.

(from a song a wrote many years ago.)

Yes!!!! unplug. enjoy nature. talk to your friends face to face. I try not to look at the computer when I get home from work.

gianandrea said...

tammy, this is a good suggestion: talk face to face is the greatest way to share. and by the way good to know that you are into modern and contemporary art. i am into them, too. let's chat about.