Perhaps this is an example of my modern Luddite tendencies coming through, but I enjoy writing with a fountain pen. For that matter, I just enjoy writing (that would be part of why I run a blog). I write notes, scribble out todo lists, doodle in my margins, compose blog posts, jot down interesting quotes, and otherwise record things in a written format.

Because of this tendency for the written word, I always have a writing instrument on me. Since I enjoyed my Pilot Plumix so much, my fabulous wife presented me with a Lamy Safari for Christmas last year. I’ve been carrying it ever since.

This pen never fails to receive a comment from those around me, especially once it’s borrowed. Some love it as much as I do. Others try it for a few moments and decide that it’s not for them (writing with a fountain pen requires a different style than writing with a ballpoint.) Love it or hate it, a simple writing instrument manages to incite interest and provoke comments. That’s a pretty good day’s work for a pen.

If you happen to see me around and need something to write with, I’ll have this guy with me. Who knows, you might begin to share my passion after trying it.

It occurred to me that I’ve been writing about Twitter, but not all you would be familiar with it. If you know what Twitter is, feel free to skip this post. If it’s new to you, then keep on reading.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a micro-blogging site. Users can sign up for free and then send text-based messages, called Tweets. Tweets can be no longer than 140 characters (hence the micro part of micro-blogging.)

Following / Followers

Twitter allows you to “follow” others. When you follow another twitter user, you see their tweets in your twitter stream (the main page of your twitter account). Likewise, you have followers, which are the people following you and they see what you tweet.

@replies

People can talk to and interact with one another on Twitter by using @replies. By typing an @ symbol followed immediately by the user’s name (ie: @AdventureSome ) the tweet will show up in the mentioned user’s @reply stream. This allows conversations to take place as people talk back and forth, as well as allowing one to know when they’re being talked about.

Direct Messages

A direct message is Twitter’s version of an email. The private (still 140 character) message is visible only by the person you send it to. Unfortunately, unlike email, it is not currently possible to forward the message, and if you reply the person must remember the original message so they know what you are replying to.

Lists

Because it is possible to follow thousands of people, there has to be some way to manage that amount of information. You can add users to lists and narrow them down this way. You can create as many lists as you like to organize the people you follow as you prefer (though you might want to be aware that users can see what lists they are on) and then view only the lists that you want to really keep up with.

What’s it good for?

This is one of the great debates that take place concerning all social media venues. The greatest potential it holds is to build relationships. Isn’t this just another form of networking? Yes, it is, but you really have to build a relationship, not just know someone. Twitter allows people to connect who would never meet otherwise (think A-list graphic designer talking to a graphic design student).

This is why I’m interested in keeping my Twitter account. I want to reach out and connect with others who share my interests and passions. The majority of the people I will talk to won’t be anywhere near me, geographically, but Twitter will allow me to connect with them anyway. Hopefully I will network, but the real goal is to make new friends.

It’s easy to spend a lot of time on Twitter, but with a little forethought, one can easily be productive in only a few minutes a day.

I mentioned that I’m going to become something of a modern Luddite, but I didn’t explain what exactly that was. So, here we go…

A Bit of History

During the Industrial Revolution, a group of people protested against changes that were taking place. This social movement often expressed itself by destroying mechanized looms. These textile artisans felt that the machines were going to replace them and that their livelyhood was in danger.

Their name comes from Ned Ludd, who was believed to have destroyed two large pieces of equipment (stocking frames) earlier in England, making him the first actor in the movement. At that time, breaking machinery could be punished by execution, so the name Ned Ludd might have been ficticious. False name or not, the name stuck, and the Luddite movement was formed.

Since the Luddites thought that the new machines were going to take away their source of livelyhood, they were acting in self-preservation. They didn’t understand basic economics, and so didn’t realize that they would still have their jobs, the factory in which they were working would have simply made more product by using the machines.

Modern Luddites

The term Luddite managed to stick around from the early 1800s until today. In the 1970s large numbers of people began to question technology and called themselves “New Luddites”. And so the Neo-Luddite movement was born. People opposed to advances in technology because of the cultural and socioeconomoic changes that are associated with it.

Most often, the term Luddite was used in a negative way by advocates of technology, insinuating that Luddites are backwards and foolish for their beliefs. However, I believe that the term can hold a positive connotation. It is with this aim which I will be using the word.

My Version

Luddite as a positive. I am not against technology. I believe that technology has provided us with many opportunities that simply weren’t available only a few short years ago. The world has shrunk, we can travel around it in a matter of hours, we can talk across it after only a few short rings, on phones that we carry in our pockets. Work can be done from anywhere, at any time. What amazing opportunities are now available to us!

Unfortunately, with the ready availibility of technology, it has begun to take over our lives. I constantly see people who “cannot live” without their cell phone and texting, or without an mp3 player of some sort stuck in their ears. Not only do I resent the erosion of manners that have taken place, but I feel that we are actually less productive than ever before, precisely because of the devices that have been created to help us.

So, as a modern Luddite, I am breaking the technology habit. People lived quite happily for years without a cell phone in their pocket, without email, and without Google to control all of their information. I will be taking a look at the technology that I use and make educated decisions about what to keep and what to let go.

Technology might be here to stay, but that doesn’t mean that I have to use all of it all the time.

Well, I’ve cleaned off my computer desktop, so the next natural step would be to… complete the homework that I have open in my browser. Since I have no desire to do that, and no looming deadline, I decided to work more towards my luddite goals.

There wasn’t much on my desk to start with, but most of those few items needed to go.

• I copied the photos from the camera onto my computer and put the camera back where it belongs.
• The todo/reminder lists were condensed and put into digital form.
• Random papers were filed away.
• The coin rolls from when I rolled my loose change were put in my backpack so that I will remember to change them for paper money.

Now my desk is much less cluttered and more pleasant to work at. On it are:

• My laptop and mouse.
• A hand-made mug (from childhood) that holds some of my fountain pens.
• A small scratch pad for capturing ideas.
• The piece of paper that is part of the project I’m currently working on.

After only about 10 minutes, this is a nice step in the right direction. Now I just need to keep the momentum going. Guess I should really get started on that homework…

As I mentioned in my recent post, one of the things that I wanted to do was to declutter my computer’s desktop (once again). Once I finished writing the last post, I decided that it was the perfect time to do exactly that.

As a sign that I really wanted to make this change, I had already narrowed my browsers down to a single window with only three tabs open (email, homework, and post editor for blog). It was a simple matter to close my email tab and leave the homework tab for later (since I need to actually do some homework.) And once I finish writing this post, the post editor will be closed as well.

I had gathered quite a few items on my desktop, so I had to spend a few minutes to take care of them. As I cleaned I listened to a podcast that I had downloaded. Once it was finished I was able to delete it. A number of files were reminders to myself, many of which had already passed. They were deleted, and the remainder were transferred to my todo list. The rest of the files were thrown into the “Stuff” folder on my desktop. This folder and the “Recycle Bin” are the only icons on my desktop at this point.

Of course, it was time for a new background as well. I checked to see what I had already downloaded, and then spent less than five minutes checking online. Nothing online beat what I already had, so I went with these adorable penguins. (Though I deleted the text, as it was too distracting to leave.)

So, the finished result? After less than fifteen minutes, I have a total of two icons on my desktop, a relaxing background that I enjoy, and far less clutter on my computer. Here in just a moment the only programs I will have open is some sort of music player and the web page I need to do my homework.

Much improved!

I spend way too much time on my computer. Reading blogs, looking up information, checking email, finding things to do, and other unimportant things. Unfortunately, this is nothing new, since I’ve written about it before.

This idea comes as an extension of the Minimalist Experiment. I’m going to become something of a modern luddite, while simultaneously trying to become more productive. Since I feel that I spend too much time on my computer, the vast majority of it in unimportant, unproductive tasks, it is time to cut out some of my computer time. I have better things to do.

So Here’s the Plan

I’ve got a few things that I want to get done, and a few ideas of how to do them.

Things to Get Done
• Write a minimum of one high-quality blog post a week (because I’m doing horribly at keeping any kind of a writing schedule going.)
• Create a digital resource (ebook) that I can sell.
• Keep up with my schoolwork and maintain my grades (some of my classes have major online components, so I’ll be using my computer frequently).

How To Get Them Done
This could also be called the “Things To Get Rid of List”.
• Check email only twice a day (instead of keeping gmail open at all times in my browser.)
• Determine how often I really use Facebook, and if it’s not often enough then delete my Facebook account! If it is useful, then I can at least unfriend all of the people that I don’t talk to.
• Determine how useful Twitter really is for me, and if it’s not useful, then delete the Twitter account! If it is useful, then at least unfollow the vast majority of the people who I don’t talk to.
• Ignore my cell phone more. I’m pretty good at this already, but I am still pretty dependent on that gadget that I carry around all day long.
• Since I don’t have a TV, I don’t struggle with the desire to watch that. I am, however, often tempted to watch some favorite shows online. So I have to ensure that I only watch them once my “to do” tasks are completed.
• Clean up my computer’s desktop to get rid of the distractions that lurk there.
• Clean up my actual desktop to get rid of the distractions that lurk there.

Timeframe
I’m hesitant to give a definite time restriction in which I want to get these things done. I will be putting them on my todo list each day. This way I will move at least a small step closer each day.
• Within a week I will have cleaned up my desktop and deleted or pared down my Twitter and Facebook accounts.
• Within a month I will have written the ebook that I said I would be working on for over a year now.

So there’s my plan. Would anyone like to join me as we take back our time from the technology that is supposed to help us?