The Angst of Offline: Navigation

Of all the anxiety-producing categories, this is the one I identify with most. I have practically transferred my brain into my cell phone: it has archived all the names, places, dates, numbers, reminders, and notations – everything I can’t be troubled to remember. The first thing I do every morning is to check my calendar app to see what’s waiting for me. Without my cell phone, I would truly be lost. The amount of time and energy it would take to restore all that data is immense. The only time I’m ever really tempted to kiss a stranger is when … Continue reading

Instant Download: How Technology Warps Our Sense of Time

For several years I’ve been intrigued by my own perception of time. Part of it is age-related, I’m sure: the older I get, the more time seems to rocket into the future. The harder I try to catch up, the farther it seems out of reach. It’s age and kids and my particular time of life – but I don’t think that’s all it is. Part of this feeling that I’m never caught up, that I’m always behind, is cultural. As a society, our perception of time and the good, of what is instant and what is slow, has changed. … Continue reading