#BelshawBlackOps12 has started – see you in 2013!
I’m composing this sitting cross-legged with my back to the wall in a hotel room in Porto. There’s an occasional gentle breeze that drifts through the open window that slightly chills the back of my neck. I expected Portugal to be warmer for some reason.
The cacophony of seagulls behind outside fades into the background as the sound of church bells fills the air. An earlier glance out of the window showed people getting ready for the day. They take for granted the magnificent, tall buildings with tiled facades; it’s no wonder the centre of Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’m going to spend the entire month of December being a lot more analogue. I’m really looking forward to spending that time increasing my mindfulness. I’ll still be performing my normal work functions for Mozilla, but will tend towards paper to get things done. Meanwhile, I’ll not be using technology for personal communications.
This means:
- I’m not looking at or responding to personal emails
- I won’t be active on social networks like Twitter or Google+
- No new blog posts or weekly newsletters in December
I intend to spend time with my family and read books that have been recommended to me. This digital hiatus is something I’ve done for the past couple of years and would highly recommend to anyone. At a time when I’m feeling slightly weary and cynical about the world it’s a period of rejuvenation that allows me to start the New Year with a bang.
See you in 2013! 🙂
Image CC BY NASA Goddard Photo and Video
Thanks Mr. Berlshaw,
I went through your list of recommendation and found a few gems I should read. Also, the month of silence sounds good – I guess you will be working out your major 2013 in that back-yard bunker of yours! Thrilled to see what will come out of it – will you book get any attention this month?
See you on the other side Doug – unless of course the Mayans were right, in which case it was nice (digitally) knowing you….
Hi Doug, have a happy digital sabbatical. I have to take a digital fast from time to time myself. One for your reading list: Mindstorms, by Seymour Papert. It’s a quick read, but absolutely great stuff on learning, education, technology and the intersections thereof. We’re finally beginning to build the things he was talking about in 1980.