Yesterday Tech Crunch’s Alexia posted an article entitled ‘I’d Rather Watch Instagram Than A Movie.‘ Highlighting how Hollywood is no doubt competing with what she described as ‘kill time’ startups. Fair point.

The post sparked a variety of interesting comments, some agreeing with Alexia’s argument and some against. I’m not going to debate the difference between Instagram or movies, because a person can spend their free time doing whatever they please. But from a society perspective, the mere fact that this kind of argument has legs is alarming.

The drugs don’t work, they just make you worse

Two years ago I wrote a post about how spoiled by technology we all are, with one excerpt being; “Technology can be just like a drug… Give someone a little taster and if they like it, they will want a little more.
Give them a lot more and they get addicted, they forget how they lived without it and begin to lose control.”

That was then, and this was one woman’s comment under the Tech Crunch article reaffirming my excerpt:

Hollywood aside, this fragmented behavior and loss of attention concerns me. I agree that the tech universe has found a way to entertain the masses. That said, social media can resolve to be a simple addiction rather than a habit with benefit.

Take heroin for example. It feels good…it numbs your serotonin receptors into submission. Without our understanding of heroin’s affect on the brain, we would all probably assume heroin was a great idea. But what about social media’s affect on the brain? What about the fact that most people can’t wait in line, have dinner, watch their wife give birth, etc without re-directing their attention to a group of mostly strangers?

Long term thinking is being affected by our constant diversions and short attention spans. So…go kill Hollywood if that’s your intention but try not killing your brain in the process. Do you think Plato could have written The Republic if he was constantly hounded by Twitter notifications? Social media has an amazing benefit but have we all forgotten the simple benefit of thinking in our own heads? If you can’t last 24 hours without your phone and social media, you’re an addict and as funny as that sounds, it’s not.

She’s right isn’t she? That comment was by Caroline Giegerich,a Huffington Post Blogger and Social Media Consultant.

A world in denial

So where does this all end up? In a world where residents of cities like London already live in fear of communication with strangers, afraid to make conversation while we commute and generally get extremely anxious about the unknown; how are we really moving into a better connected world? A world where we attend concerts, momentous events and amazing festivals only to experience them through the 4.5 inches held in our hands, exchanging the emotional excitement so that we can garner the attention from people we don’t even know. For what reason? Because we ‘crave’ the buzz and egotistical thrill of being in the spotlight. Still not addicted?

A moment of clarity

In the same comment thread, another user posted a link to a video of a poet known as Marshall ‘Soulful’ Jones performing a piece titled ‘Touchscreen’. Powerful, entertaining and though provoking. I have transcribed the video into words for all of you 140 character quoting whores.

Listen. Appreciate. Acknowledge. Think.

Introducing the new Apple iPerson complete with multi touch and volume control, doesn’t it feel good to touch, doesn’t it feel good to touch, doesn’t it feel good to touch.

My world is so digital, I have forgotten what that feels like.
It used to be hard to connect when friends formed cliques, but now it’s even more difficult to connect now that clicks form friends.

But who am I to judge…

I face Facebook more than books face me hoping to book face to faces, I update my status 420 space to prove Im still breathing; failure.
To do this daily means my whole web wide world would forget that I exist. But with 3000 friends online only 5 I can count in real life, why wouldn’t I spend more time in the world where there are more people that LIKE me. Wouldn’t you?

Here it doesn’t matter if I am an amateur person, as long as I have a pro-file, my smile is 50% genuine and 50% genuine-HD, you will need blu-rays to read the whites of my teeth, but im not that focused.

Ten tabs open, hoping, my problems can be resolved with a 1600 x 1700 revolution, this is a problem with this evolution, doubled over, we used to sit in tree tops, till we swung down and stand up right, then someone slipped a disc, now we’re doubled over at desktops.

From the Garden of Eden, to the branches of Macintosh, Apple picking has always come at a great cost.
iPod, iMac, iPhone, iChat, I can do all of these things without making iContact.

We used to sprint to pick and store Blackberries, now we run to the Sprint store to pick Blackberrys, it’s scary.
I can’t hear the sound of mother nature speaking, over all that Tweeting, and along with it is our ability to feel as it’s fleeting.

You would think these headphone jacks inject in the flesh the way we connect, the disconnect, power ON. So we are powerless, they got us love drugged. Like e-pills, so we e-trade, e-mail, e-motion like e-commerce because now money can buy love, for 9.95 a month – click!

To proceed to checkout – click! To X out where our hearts once were – click!
I’ve uploaded this hug, I hope she gets it – click!
I’m making love to wife, I hope she’s logged in – click!
I’m holding my daughter over a Skype conference call while shes crying in the crib in the next room – click!

So when my phone goes off in my hip, I touch and I touch and I touch, because in a world where there are voices that are only read and laughter is never heard or I’m so desperate to feel that I hope the technologic in reverse the universes so the screen can touch me back, and maybe it will, when our technology is advance enough to make us human again.

The following are 25 points taken from 100 points @julien noted in a recent blog post about life, people and happiness.

These are the ones that stood out to me and if I am not already living by them, I will be incorporating into my life.

1. Spend more time around people that both challenge and respect you.
2. Remain skeptical forever.
3. Fight for what matters.
4. It’s easy for people to talk a good game, so watch how they behave instead.
5. Find things that inspire you and pursue them, even if there’s no money in it.
6. Learn a new language.
7. Eat more protein.
8. Keep people around you that will tell you the truth.
9. Genius gets you nowhere. Execution is everything.
10. Don’t discriminate. Connect anyone in your network to anyone else.
11. Twitter followers don’t keep you warm at night.
12. If given the choice of equity or cash, always take cash.
13. Repeat people’s names when you meet them.
14. Always remember those who helped you. Deliver two or three times as much value back.
15. Learn to meditate. Go on a retreat if you have to.
16. Say no to projects you don’t care about.
17. Find ways to cheat the system– just don’t cheat people.
18. Good connections are about people, not social networks.
19. If the internet is the best thing in your life, you have a serious problem.
20. Find mentors. Just don’t call them that.
21. If you see someone who needs help, stop asking yourself if they need help. Instead, just help.
22. Everyone feels like they’re not good enough. It’s not just you.
23. Courage is a learned skill.
24. Go to Iceland. It’s worth it.
25. Don’t take anything personally, ever.

Inspired by http://inoveryourhead.net/100-tips-about-life/

The end of a year and start of another is no doubt a time for reflection. Another depressing Christmas period followed by the anti-climax of a New Year countdown that is supposed to symbolise a fresh start. Gimme a break.

New Years resolutions? Don’t bother with the added pressure, we already commit to more than we have time for, so leave the gut in tact and erase the thought of joining the gym, trust me, you’ll save a lot of money.

Challenges seem to find their way into my life on a regular basis. By challenges I could mean problems, I could also mean opportunities. I guess that’s all based on outlook.

I always find myself saying to people that ‘time is the most important thing in my life’. As if I am the King of productivity and make the most out of every second. That would be an understatement. In all honesty, at the moment; time to reflect is what I seem to have a lot of.

For a long time, my head was in so many places, so many projects and my energy was spread between a variety of commitments. I didn’t really have a clue how to time manage and found myself obviously, spread thin. I was always looking for the next leap, the next jump, more excitement, more opportunities, more networks and never found contentment. Yes, this is both frustrating and demoralising.

Knowing these weaknesses, we can have an idea of how to approach the next steps. For me, 2012 will be the year of both commitment and contentment. It’s time to be appreciative of what I have. Time to understand what I have achieved so far and what I can accomplish if I put my mind to it. Time to focus on the things that I have in front of my eyes and to stop reaching out to try and grab what I can’t have. Time to realise that I made certain decisions for a reason and have to make the most of the present. Time to realise that sometimes bad things do happen. But there’s nothing you can do about them, so why worry. Hakuna Matata!

I was recently told that the reason I ask so many questions and over think is because I am an Aquarius. Maybe this is true, maybe not, but I know in 2011 I exhausted myself trying to figure this out.

All I now know is, if I give the best with the tools that I have and dedicate the right amount of time each commitment; I know I will have done my best. And I guess that’s ok. And maybe for once I’ll be happy with that.

I’m just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don’t know where to go I can’t do it alone I’ve tried
And I don’t know why

I am just a little girl lost in the moment
I’m so scared but I don’t show it
I can’t figure it out
It’s bringing me down I know
I’ve got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

Lenka – The Show

Today I write this from a completely different and less emotional mind set, but with total appreciation to a man that not only changed the way in which whole world uses technology, but also how said technology influenced my life.

Personal

As I sit here writing this from my Macbook Pro I think about what it is about the products Jobs inspired that united a planet.

I purchased my first Apple computer in 2003. I was studying Music Production at Music Academy and it was stated to me by my tutor that to really get the most out the course, I needed to purchase a home computer. The decision that followed was crtical to my career; not because of the choice between a PC or a Mac, but because I didn’t have the money to buy a computer, or a job to save for one, therefore I had to sell my pair of Technics 1210MK3 turntables and my mixer so that I could afford the machine. This decision meant the end of my DJ career as I knew it, but the beginning of my love for Apple.

Eight years on and the only computers I have owned have been Apple. A quick break down of my Apple history:

The line that people used to stereotype Apple products with a number of years ago was, ‘Only creatives, designers and musicians buy Mac’s. Business people buy PC’s.’ I used to consider myself part of the stereotyped bunch; until that bunch became the rest of the world.

Appreciate

Now, like most of you, I didn’t know Steve Jobs. While I would love to have met him, from what I have read over the years, I am not sure I would have wanted to work for him. A ruthless perfectionist and at times being quoted as ‘a dictator’ are words that make me shudder. However, most company CEO’s and successful business leaders will agree that to reach the top and stay there for as long as Apple have, you need to have a powerful leader who can make the decisions others won’t want to.

In terms of products, I don’t know if Steve Jobs’ single handedly stood up in a room with his idea for the Mac, the iPhone or the iPad. I don’t even want to research who actually came up with these ideas. I just like to think that this one man drove his vision and ambitions into everyone else that worked below him so that the whole company could develop innovative products that make mundane tasks enjoyable.

Inspired

I remember the articles and passages I have read about Jobs’ history, from where he created Apple with Steve Wozniak; was then fired/sacked/resigned (whatever happened) from Apple in 1985, set up his own company off the back of this, which was then acquired by Apple in 1996 and from there he became CEO of Apple until he stepped down some six weeks ago.

That short summary alone is enough to make me believe that Steve Jobs clearly had drive, heart, passion, ambition, tekkers, the X-Factor, Superman powers and Merlin magic.

It was these fundamentals that now live on within Apple products that empower us to want to connect, write, create, build, design, develop, research and download more than we ever did before. Even if some of that is achieved using Microsoft Office.

Yes Steve Jobs was just a man. Most of us never met him and the world won’t stop now that he is gone. But like Michael Jackson or Princess Diana, the world has few real visionaries who are willing to give everything to achieve what they believe in. Why aren’t there more people like them? Because we live in a world where it’s apparently better to be quiet than loud, hidden than exposed, copy rather than innovate and normal rather than different.

It takes an individual like Jobs to prove the world otherwise. And it takes the death of these people for the world to wake up and realise.

That is why the world will mourn for Steve Jobs and that is why even if you don’t own any Apple products or care that this man is no longer with us, if you ever felt a fire in your heart to make a difference (big or small), you should appreciate what Steve Jobs did for the world.

Remember

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs – Stanford University (2005)

Bill Gates showed the world that geeks can be rich. Steve Jobs showed the world that geeks can be both rich and cool.