The Digital Detox Challenge

Have you heard of The Digital Detox Challenge?  www.adbusters.org say this:

Computer screens, iPods, TVs, phones and the dozens of other devices we’re cybernetically attached to are so pervasive that we can’t escape them. We live them, we breath them, we need them … Or do we? On Monday, April 20, Adbusters challenges you to do the unthinkable: unplug. Say good-bye to Twitter and Facebook. Turn off your TV, iPhone and Xbox. Reconnect with the natural world and the people around you. You’ll be amazed at how the magic creeps back into your life. Go to www.adbusters.org for inspiration, articles, videos, posters and more. Next Monday, don’t be afraid and don’t find excuses … take the plunge and see what happens.

Adbusters do some stuff I’m a fan of: Buy Nothing Day and their awesome Gift Exemption Voucher (featured in my newsletter more than once!).

I would love to do the Digital Detox Challenge but I can’t turn my computer off for a week as I run a business.  But what I will do is limit my use to ONLY between 9-6 Monday to Friday.  That will be a challenge in itself!  Same goes for my phone.  And the TV can stay off (not so challenging!)

Take a peek at this person’s experience… definitely worth the read.  Look out for:

1. The sinking ship analogy – hilarious!
2. fractalisation of stuff – soooooo true

Will you join me in the challenge?  Or is it an impossible concept for you?

About that old stuff you have tucked away…

All that old stuff you have lying about – make it useful!  Here’s two great projects:

1.  The Victoria & Albert museum in London has a Wedding Dresses fashion project you can contribute to by submitting your wedding photos, or someone elses, from Victorian times to the current day.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/things-to-do/wedding-fashion/home

I love this pic for the simplicity of attire and the fact that the couple look so young it’s possible they needed their parents permission.

The images are organised by decade but quite frankly, there are nowhere near enough pics from the 80’s (has the evidence been destroyed perhaps?!)  This 80’s wedding is worth checking out though! I remember that look well!

Why not contribute your own wedding pics?  When did you last check out the album anyway?  Dust it off and enjoy the memories!

2.  Another great project is thanks to Australia Post’s 200 year anniversary.  It’s the PERFECT reason to revisit the letters you have stuck in a box up the top of your wardrobe.  Australia Post are looking for letters to or from an Australia to contribute to the Letters of a Nation Project. It could be documenting an event – war, sporting moment, political event or plain everyday life.  I’m sure you have some great stuff tucked away!

All the details are here at the Australia Post website. It’s worth a play with the dragable timeline too – lots of visual fun!
Here’s a dramatic example from 1975. It’s an angry mother’s letter to Sir John Kerr, in protest of Gough Witlam’s dismissal she is returning a Christmas Card sent to her daughter.

Lost… and found!

I’ve been on the road again, helping folk all over Australia get organised.  This time, I was in Perth.  On the flight over, I managed to leave my favourite cardi on board.  no worries, I rang the airline and it was located so all I had to do was fetch it before boarding my flight home to Melbourne this afternoon.
Well, the guy at Virgin’s “Baggage Blues” couldn’t seem to find it… and after looking for a while, I told him I’d better board my flight.  He asked me to wait a sec while he grabbed a female member of staff to see if she could help.  She located the cardigan within 30 seconds.

Where was it?  It was in the bin clearly labelled “Items to be collected”.

Crikey, did he have a “boys look” or what?!