Imagine a world where people rarely venture outside their homes, only to purchase goods they can’t buy online. A world where people have few face-to-face, in-the-flesh friends and relationships. Their relationships are built on pixels, chats, texts and zooms. Their vision has become so myopic they have difficulty clearly focusing on the larger-than-human world outside … Read more
Imagine my surprise to discover The Unplugged Club could be considered a neo-Luddite movement. Once you understand the historically correct meaning of Luddite, which few people do, you might even consider yourself a Neo-Luddite or at least be a bit more sympathetic. Machine smashers, yes, but so much more Most people know the Luddites smashed … Read more
Turns out the writers, poets, stoics and philosophers across the centuries were onto something science is finally proving. Those long walks in Nature they were all fond of for figuring stuff out? The ideal way to tap into your creative brain. The unfocused approach is the key Consider: In 1989 University of Michigan environmental psychologists … Read more
Serious question. What if we returned phones to their original purpose – simple 1:1 communication? What if we Ignored the massive computing power and global reach of the device in our hand? GenZ is leading the way The teenagers in the Luddite Club in New York City actively reject modern technology – like Smartphones – … Read more
Friends visiting from Nevada in mid-April were delighted to hear a tree frog chorus for the first time – a Southern harbinger of spring – as we drove along country roads in the early evening. I’ve never seen a tree frog in the 13 years I’ve lived in North Carolina but I can pick out … Read more
At the risk of labeling people with yet another biased label, let me throw a few more at you: Native Analog and Native Digital. These come from Category Pirates, a newsletter on Substack dedicated to reinventing marketing as it has been practiced for decades. A quote from a recent article, Why Native Digitals (People Under 35) … Read more
This newsletter launches my new digital enterprise, The Unplugged Club. My mission is to help you eliminate your digital overload and regain focus, energy and peace in only 120 minutes per week outside. Why I’m Publishing This Newsletter Last year I started with a much bigger digital concept that has gone through at least eight … Read more
Most people believe they have to get away from their life – work, demands, email – to recover from mental fatigue and restore their concentration. While nature escapes are a popular way to recharge, they are not the only way. Nor should you wait — that’s a recipe for burnout. But here’s why an escape … Read more
The idea that people don’t read books as much as they used to resonated strongly with several subscribers. Connecting our lack of book reading to too many digital distractions to read deeply, however, was a surprise. Makes sense on many levels A neighbor called me up that evening to say “That hit me right on … Read more
Don’t Let Reviews Pick Your Personal Tech Stack Have you ever considered why you use a particular piece of tech – tool or platform – in your life? Maybe it’s a work requirement and you had no choice. Perhaps you saw an ad online and it looked interesting. Or maybe there was social pressure – … Read more