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• mobiledia.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  Millions of people will remember what it’s like to be disconnected, thanks to the National Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour technology detox that promotes real-life experiences.

  “Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you,” reads the National Day of Unplugging mission statement. “Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat together.”

  Constant connection can induce stress and anxiety, and waste a lot of time — even 30 minutes a day on Facebook and 30 minutes on Twitter means seven hours a week devoted to social media. The National Day of Unplugging, which begins today at sundown and lasts through midnight Saturday, urges people to find other ways to occupy their time, with the hopes of bringing awareness to over-reliance on technology.

  National Day of Unplugging, sponsored by Reboot, now in its third year, has drawn millions of users in the past. Reboot, a nonprofit that examines how Jewish culture fits in with the modern world, held a SXSW Unplugging Party in Austin where around 200 plugged-in people turned off their devices.

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• tecca.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  Think back: When was the last time you spent a full day of your life without coming into contact with high-tech devices or the internet? They’ve become such a huge part of our lives that many of us can’t even imagine not checking our phones for new messages every few minutes. But if you think you can benefit from a day away from all your fancy devices, then post a temporary farewell on your Facebookwall — the third annual National Unplugging Day begins tomorrow.

  The event, created by Jewish non-profit organization Reboot, starts at sundown on March 23 and ends 24 hours later. The organization is asking you to completely shut down and lock up your computers and devices: “Stop the constant emailing, texting, tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you,” the event’s manifesto reads.

  If ever you decide to challenge the limits of your self-control, head over to Causes and officially take the pledge to unplug for the first half of the weekend. Once you’re done with your voluntary tech exile, don’t forget to visit Tecca to catch up on what you might have missed!

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• HuffPost Living

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  Stop posting Facebook pictures. Halt your Twitter updates. Ignore that potential picture of puppies for Tumblr. It’s time to unplug.

  The National Day of Unplugging is a movement taking place from sundown on March 23 to sundown on March 24, and it’s calling for you to step away from the computer, the tablet, the smartphone — anything that connects you to the electronic world, and not the people around you.

  The idea stemmed from organization Reboot’s Sabbath Manifesto, based on the Jewish tradition of resting from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown without using any electricity. Going on its third year in 2012, Reboot recently hosting a talk at “the most plugged-in place on the planet,” Austin’s South by Southwest festival, on “Can You Survive A Day Without Technology?”

  Even The Huffington Post’s own editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, has made it her personal mission to ensure people get more sleep and reconnect with those around them.

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• itproportal.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  Yup, it’s that time of year again

  Can you survive without technology for 24 hours?  No?  Then this challenge probably isn’t for you. But for those who feel they can live without the urge of poking or retweeting, then get ready to unplug for a day.  Yes, it’s that time of year already – the digital detox of National Unplug Day.

  Celebrating its third year of tearing people away kicking and screaming from their laptops and forcing them to engage in real-life interaction, the event begins at sunset on Friday 23rd March 2012 and ends at sundown on Saturday 24th March 2012.

  With 66 per cent of techies admitting to be gadget obsessed, the event was created as part of an effort to encourage people to get back in touch with reality – and reconnect with family and friends away from the temptations of the Internet.

  “Shut down your computer,” states the pledge. “Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together. ”

  The campaign was first thought up after Jewish organisation, Reboot, borrowed the idea from the Sabbath tradition – whereby technology is turned off for 24 hours every Saturday.  Approximately 1,200 people have signed up to the initiative through Causes.com.

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• allmediany.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  How much can you disconnect without going completely crazy?

  Imagine a day without a laptop, microwave or television — it shouldn’t be too difficult, the Amish do it every day.

  However, on the off chance that you are one of the 66 percent of people that say they are addicted to these and other devices in order to survive daily life, taking a 24-hour break from them might be a bit more difficult.

  The third annual National Day of Unplugging will begin at sundown on Friday, March 23 and end at sundown on Saturday, March 24. Needing these devices for work is not an excuse (for most of us), because it’s the weekend.

  “Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you,” the NDU pledge states. “Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.”

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• techzone360.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  Many moons ago in one of my media classes, we were asked to go on a week-long media fast in which we didn’t listen to the radio or watch television or read a book – well, except for homework purposes. Of course, this was during a time where the Internet was still fairly new, so it wasn’t uncommon that we didn’t include that in our projects. It wasn’t a part of our everyday lives. But a week without music or television or reading was quite a feat then.

  Nowadays, with smartphones and tablets and wireless connections galore, we are so connected to everyone in the ether, and yet we are seeing a disconnect to those who are physically around us every day. This sort of always-on attitude, while great for work productivity, has put a damper on traditional activities, like going outside or eating a meal with our friends or families.

  That’s the reason why Reboot, a Jewish organization, instituted a National Day of Unplugging. Based on the Sabbath tradition in which everything is unplugged on a Saturday for 24 hours, this day aims to bring us back to what’s most important – life, without the cord.

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• off-grid.net

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  The third National Day of Unplugging, begins at sundown today (Friday).

  We’re overdoing it with our go-to gizmos, unpluggers argue. We’ve become distracted, unavailable, oblivious, twitchy, obsessive, needy and, in some ways, insufferable. We need, they say, to give it a rest.

  The National Day of Unplugging was started by a New York-based nonprofit called Reboot, which is working to reinvent Jewish traditions and culture in ways that resonate for a new generation of Jews and others. The unplugging idea appears to be gaining traction, says Tanya Schevitz, Reboot’s San Francisco-based national communications manager. She cites the increase in Web traffic to sites promoting it. (Web traffic before and after the national day of digital detox, not during).

  And she’s right. But can you do it?  Can you unplug for 24 hours?  And no, not just because the NCAA’s Sweet 16 will play out this weekend — prime time for tweeting, score-checking and the occasiona lFacebook smack-talk. OK, maybe that’s part of it.

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• blog.fossil.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  It’s hard to imagine the last time we actually went longer than a couple of our hours (let alone 24!) without using our smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.  After all, we rely on our smartphones for everything from waking us up in the morning to getting the latest Twitter update. But, starting this evening, we’re going to (try) to take a break from all of that. In its 3rd Annual National Day of Unplugging, Reboot has teamed up with Causes.com to ask users to pledge to discontinue their use of technology (this means no TV, no internet, no smartphone…you get the idea) for one full day. The National Day of Unplugging begins at sundown today and ends at sundown on Saturday. What exactly will we do now since we won’t be checking our Facebook statuses or playing Angry Birds? Check out this list for some ideas. So, what do you think? Are you up for the challenge?

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• myturnstone.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  In preparation for today, I attended a session on unplugging from technology for a day at SXSW. For the entire hour, cell phones were not allowed in the room (although there were still folks tweeting during the session at the hashtag, hmmm).

  Regardless, the session got me thinking once again to our ultra connected world. Technology has enabled us to meet with teammates on the other side of the world, to distribute work to people spread globally, and connect us all in new and exciting ways.

  There is also the peril that because of this, we’ve lost a bit of the meaning of what it means to be present. I’ve been to many meetings in which the team is gathered in the same room but typing or checking email the entire time, defeating the purpose of getting together in the first place.

  In the session, it was brought up that perhaps we’re at a tipping point of feeling the efficiency of being plugged in all the time. Yes, I can’t imagine not having my iPhone around in the evening to check up on email, but what about truly unplugging for a moment to actually plan, think, and innovate instead of being reactive?

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• blog.indieflix.com

  March 23rd, 2012 by admin

  What will you do with your day off tomorrow? Will you hike a trail? Sail a boat? Read a book? Knit a hat? Reacquaint yourself with your family? With yourself?The Sabbath Manifesto is “a creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world.” Taking inspiration from the Jewish tradition of the Sabbath, which begins at sundown on a Friday and continues until dusk on Saturday, the Sabbath Manifesto, in collaboration with Causes.com, has organized a Day of Unplugging.

  If you’re like me, and can’t think of the last time you had a thoughtful philosophical conversation with a friend—or a stranger—where both of you were sitting in the same room, even possibly making eye contact, you might consider joining the thousands of people so far who have pledged to go offline for 24 hours.

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