Taking a break. Eurotrip
In two weeks, I will be heading off to Europe for a three week vacation touring Denmark, northern Germany, Benelux, with a brief stop through London.
No worries... I am going to queue up treatises of some very interesting topics as blog entries inside of Community Server to publish during that time period. Yes, I will clearly mark them as such. No, I obviously will not be responding to comments/questions during that time. And before you ask - no, I will be COMPLETELY "disconnected" during that time.
To Connect, or not to Connect, that is the Question...
I am intentionally not carrying a cell phone, not bringing the satellite phone or PDA (not that I have/use one...), not bringing a laptop, not hunting down any wireless Hotspots, not hunting down any wired Internet Cafes, not browsing the web, not checking any email, not IM'ing, not blogging... ok, you get the picture. Unless you know my itinerary, know my walkie-talkie frequency, and get within 10 miles of me, you are not going to find me.
It is a vacation, remember? ;-) That time period when one takes a break from the norm and does whatever relaxes and recharges the body, spirit, and soul? Uhh... yeah. THAT vacation.
In this increasingly "connected" society of ours, where the active cell phone allows anyone to locate and converse with you at any time, where email allows anyone to converse with you asynchronously, and every other convenience communications/connectivity gadget slowly but surely robs you of your own precious time... I believe it is important to perodically and intentionally "disconnect" from society; to savor and enjoy what life was like BEFORE humanity discovered industrialization, mass-production, and instant-communication.
No... I am grateful for the technological advancements since the Renaissance; I just think that our current-day lives are very "unnatural" and periodic "breaks" are necessary.
You think you know me...
I know, I know, it must seem strange to hear these sorts of thoughts from me... the supposed technologist who loves computers and related technologies... but aha, I caught you red-handed! You are simplying assuming and mis-labeling me, and I absolutely defy that! ;-)
For someone who works in/with the technology, I am remarkably conservative when it comes to adopting/using it. See this blog entry for examples. Nope, I have not upgraded (nor do I plan to any time soon) any of my gadgets, other than the digicam. In addition to the walkie-talkies, this will be the only other electronic gadget I will carry during this time period - a Canon PowerShot SD 630 - ultracompact 6MP camera with a 3" LCD and the usual Canon features. mmm... sleek style, bold function, and diminutive package... me like.
Anyhow... I am looking forward to the trip. I hope English will be sufficient because I have no clue about any of the native tongues spoken in the countries I am visiting... and will have no Euros on me - I am only taking a Visa credit card and ATM debit card. Europeans will SO think I am a Japanese tourist... I just need that random baseball cap and wave "V" with my fingers everywhere to complete that look. ;-)
Danish butter cookies, LegoLand, Belgium Lambic beers, Party-town Amsterdam, German Autobahn, medieval castles, Rhine river... here I come! :-)
//David