[static]

A little more than a week after buying the iPad, I returned it to Apple. The problem wasn't the iPad exactly, though it has some flaws. The problem was me.

I like technology, but I'm not an early adopter. I waited for the second-generation iPod, the second-generation iPhone, and the second-generation MacBook Air.

But the iPad was different. So sleek. So cool. So transformational. And, I figured, since it's so similar to the iPhone, most of the kinks would already be worked out.

So at 4 PM on the day the 3G iPad was released, for the first time in my life, I waited in line for two hours to make a purchase.

I set up my iPad in the store because I wanted to make sure I could start using it the very moment I bought it. And use it I did. I carried it with me everywhere; it's so small and thin and light, why not bring it along?

I did my email on it, of course. But I also wrote articles using Pages. I watched episodes of Weeds on Netflix. I checked the news, the weather, and the traffic. And, of course, I proudly showed it to, well, anyone who indicated the least bit of interest. (That could be a whole post in itself. We proudly show off new purchases as though simply possessing them is some form of accomplishment. Why? I didn't create the iPad. I just bought one.)

It didn't take long for me to encounter the dark side of this revolutionary device: it's too good.

It's too easy. Too accessible. Both too fast and too long-lasting. Certainly there are some kinks, but nothing monumental. For the most part, it does everything I could want. Which, as it turns out, is a problem.

Sure I might want to watch an episode of Weeds before going to sleep. But should I? It really is hard to stop after just one episode. And two hours later, I'm entertained and tired, but am I really better off? Or would it have been better to get seven hours of sleep instead of five?

The brilliance of the iPad is that it's the anytime-anywhere computer. On the subway. In the hall waiting for the elevator. In a car on the way to the airport. Any free moment becomes a potential iPad moment.

The iPhone can do roughly the same thing, but not exactly. Who wants to watch a movie in bed on an iPhone?

So why is this a problem? It sounds like I was super-productive. Every extra minute, I was either producing or consuming.

But something — more than just sleep, though that's critical too — is lost in the busyness. Something too valuable to lose.

Boredom.

Being bored is a precious thing, a state of mind we should pursue. Once boredom sets in, our minds begin to wander, looking for something exciting, something interesting to land on. And that's where creativity arises.

My best ideas come to me when I am unproductive. When I am running but not listening to my iPod. When I am sitting, doing nothing, waiting for someone. When I am lying in bed as my mind wanders before falling to sleep. These "wasted" moments, moments not filled with anything in particular, are vital.

They are the moments in which we, often unconsciously, organize our minds, make sense of our lives, and connect the dots. They're the moments in which we talk to ourselves. And listen.

To lose those moments, to replace them with tasks and efficiency, is a mistake. What's worse is that we don't just lose them. We actively throw them away.

"That's not a problem with the iPad," my brother Anthony — who I feel compelled to mention is currently producing a movie called My Idiot Brother — pointed out. "It's a problem with you. Just don't use it as much."

Guilty as charged. It is a problem with me. I can't not use it if it's there. And, unfortunately, it's always there. So I returned it. Problem solved.

But it did teach me something about the value of boredom. And I'm far more conscious now of using those extra moments, the in-between time, the walking and riding and waiting time, to let my mind wander.

Around the same time I returned my iPad, I noticed that my eight-year-old daughter Isabelle was unbelievably busy from the moment she got home from school to the moment she went to bed. Bathing, reading, playing guitar, eating dinner, doing homework, she was non-stop until I rushed her off to bed. Once in bed she would try to talk to me but, worried about how little sleep she was getting, I would shush her, urging her to go to sleep.

We have a new ritual now, and it really has become my favorite part of the day. I put her to bed 15 minutes earlier than before. She crawls into bed and, instead of shushing her, I lie next to her and we just talk. She talks about things that happened that day, things she's worried about, things she's curious or thinking about. I listen and ask her questions. We laugh together. And our minds just wander.

http://blogs.hbr.org/schrage/2010/06/the-15-minutes-that-could-save.html

[Razor Ramon HG]

http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/06/why-i-returned-my-ipad.html

Correct link.

[skyxx]

Before I read the article, I thought to my self. This dude must have returned the iPad because it can't load flash websites. I was sort of disappointed when I read the whole thing. Good story article though.

[TRD Rs200]

good article never the less

[shawn79]

i aint reading all that shit

cliffs?

[fliptuner]

I love that I get to let my mind go while I'm working.

[shenmecar]

i agree that the moments before i fall asleep, i do let my mind wander and try to make sense of things that happened during the day.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[jmvdesign]

it's unfortunate what technology is doing to our society with numerous technological distractions bombarding us as one of the many downfalls. i drove to work today and saw a group of students waiting at the bus stop. every single one of them looked like drones with their head down looking at their gadget/cellphone.

[hotjoint]

it's unfortunate what technology is doing to our society with numerous technological distractions bombarding us as one of the many downfalls. i drove to work today and saw a group of students waiting at the bus stop. every single one of them looked like drones with their head down looking at their gadget/cellphone.

yup, especially computers and pc gaming. Its rare to see kids out and about playing sports or whatever. Its usually drugs/alchol & gaming these days. Shit is so sad :confused:

[Volvoman]

Before I read the article, I thought to my self. This dude must have returned the iPad because it can't load flash websites. I was sort of disappointed when I read the whole thing. Good story article though.

I was hoping he's tell us all about how his life got flipped turned outside down and all about how he became the Prince of Bel Air

[fliptuner]

^^^ Time to think that up = no Ipad.^^^

lol

[taylor192]

i aint reading all that shit

cliffs?
Buy an iPad, it is perfect for your simple mind.

[Jsunu]

i aint reading all that shit

cliffs?

Come on man, it isn't even that long.

[taylor192]

it's unfortunate what technology is doing to our society with numerous technological distractions bombarding us as one of the many downfalls. i drove to work today and saw a group of students waiting at the bus stop. every single one of them looked like drones with their head down looking at their gadget/cellphone.
This is why I have no apps bought for my BB.

When friends/coworkers show me their iPhones they showoff the various apps for gaming and general time wasting which never impress me. I am busy enough, I don't need more gadgets to fill my spare time.

When they show me the "tip calculator" app, a little part inside me dies. They cannot even add 15% to a bill without relying on an app. :(

This is why I carry a book, not an iPhone or iPad. It fits somewhere inbetween them in size and weight, I don't worry about dropping it, smashing it, or getting it (too) wet, and costs a fraction. :thumbsup:

[InvisibleSoul]

I've had an epiphany along the same line of thought before.

Technology certainly has made things more efficient and accessible, but in some ways too much so.

There's just way too many things that CAN be done now. I mean even take the example of RevScene... I checked new posts here a few times a day... and say that takes up an average of 20 minutes a day. In a year, that's 7300 minutes, or about five days worth of time spent just on this one forum. Do I gain anything from being active here? Well, sure... but could I live without it? Absolutely. I COULD use those five days in a year for a lot of other things instead.

Back in the days before smartphones, laptops, or even computers were everywhere, there just wasn't nearly as many ways to occupy our time as there is now. It seems in this day and age, there are just too many things I want to do, but not enough time to do all of them.

[Gumby]

i aint reading all that shit

cliffs?
Instant gratification. That's all you want eh?

[rsx]

Grown man gets tempted too easily with technology. Spends too much time on the ipad. Returns it. Happier because he has more 'free' time with his daughter. What an idiot.

[tool001]

Pilot project is in the works in vancouver middle school, with help of Apple, where ipads will be distributed among students, and notes, books, graphs, slides will be automatically downloaded to the ipad for each class.

pure digital generation.




http://danbrokamp.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/apple-ipad-star-trek-padd-romulan.jpg

[shawn79]

i read it, im just :troll:

[jtanner_]

Definitely a good read... really makes you think... also with what invisiblesoul said...I probably spend more time than that browsing on rs/cl and other sites combined..

[Tegra_Devil]

this is true....RS/craigslist...that is my internet life...with the occasional firefighting webpage

[underscore]

When they show me the "tip calculator" app, a little part inside me dies. They cannot even add 15% to a bill without relying on an app. :(

Anyone who gets a tip calculator application should not be allowed to breed

[Bouncing Bettys]

as a non cell phone owner, this story pleases me. There are many moments I am with a technology slave I just can't help but notice how addicted they are.

Once place I love to go and escape for a few days is my family cottage. There is no internet and no tv. The only connection to the outside world is the radio. If the money was invested we could have those things but we choose not to. I can spend a week out there and enjoy every minute. Without technology I am forced to find things to keep me entertained. I go boating, hiking, play cards, boardgames, read books, go swimming, or even find projects to do to maintain or improve the property and I have no trouble staying active. There is a real sense of community out there with all our neighbours that I simply do not experience at home. Neighbours having dinner together, helping eachother with projects, neighbourhood kids all playing together, etc. Yet when I bring a technology slave friend out to the cottage, they can tolerate no more than a 3day weekend before they feel they have to get back to civilizaton.

Its the one on one interaction I miss the most. I get annoyed when I am with a friend who can't turn his cell phone off and has to answer every call. Here I am just sitting there with nothing to do but listen to him talk to someone he could have easily talked to after hanging out with me. Or one of my female friends I am trying to get to know better by hanging out with her and her friends. If its just the two of us and we are waiting for the rest, rather than make conversation she burries herself in her cell phone, texting her friends constantly asking about their progress in getting there and then telling me as if I needed to know.

I yell at that Rogers ad where the two women are sitting at the beach and the one is telling her friend about how she can keep tabs on all her friends instantly. How about put the fucking phone down and enjoy the lovely day at the beach or let your friend enjoy her book.

[fishing666]

what a garbage article!
it doesn't talk trash about ipad and approves of boredom..wut? lemme tell u something, u can enjoy any moment at any time and any where. you don't have to be bored or have an ipad to enjoy it. godamn i hate these philosophical garbage articles.

[orange7]

I still want an ipad. :blushsmile:

[Greenstoner]

what a garbage article!
it doesn't talk trash about ipad and approves of boredom..wut? lemme tell u something, u can enjoy any moment at any time and any where. you don't have to be bored or have an ipad to enjoy it. godamn i hate these philosophical garbage articles.

+ 1 , just another philosophical article trys to change the world

[BaoXu]

never used an ipod, ipad or itunes in my life.

i'm more curious about the devices that china, korea and japan develops...

[TRDood]

if the author needs an ipad to realize that he should spend more quality time with his daughter, he should not be having any kids.

he didn't mention about his wife did he? maybe she left because he is too much of a pussy in letting other things dictate his life.

[spades]

start smoking weeed

[taylor192]

I get annoyed when I am with a friend who can't turn his cell phone off and has to answer every call. Here I am just sitting there with nothing to do but listen to him talk to someone he could have easily talked to after hanging out with me.
Agreed. It is annoying to talk to someone while they are playing with their cell phone.

I yell at that Rogers ad where the two women are sitting at the beach and the one is telling her friend about how she can keep tabs on all her friends instantly. How about put the fucking phone down and enjoy the lovely day at the beach or let your friend enjoy her book.
LOL! :thumbsup:

[buddy]

watching TV consumes all my time, I can't resist and just simply switch it off due to my lack of self-discipline, I am returning the 52" Sony Bravia tomorrow.

[PiuYi]

i haven't had awkward moments in so long because anytime it arises, people just look down at their phones...

[124Y]

Hmm... interesting.

[Noir]

what a garbage article!
it doesn't talk trash about ipad and approves of boredom..wut? lemme tell u something, u can enjoy any moment at any time and any where. you don't have to be bored or have an ipad to enjoy it. godamn i hate these philosophical garbage articles.

+1.

I love technology and the conveniences that come with it. But it's a plainly stupid article.

It's better to have convenience and have option of when to apply it, rather than never having the option of not having convenience at all.

[butter_sashimi]

Yet why are ppl still thanking the post?

[twitchyzero]

so he's complaining about being efficiency and productivity? okay cool.
take the time you shower and brush your teeth to gather your thoughts...

god bless technlogy.. as a student i hate waiting 20 minutes waiting for a bus..thanks to cell phone & mp3 player to pass the time.

[Noir]

so he's complaining about being efficiency and productivity? okay cool.
take the time you shower and brush your teeth to gather your thoughts...

god bless technlogy.. as a student i hate waiting 20 minutes waiting for a bus..thanks to cell phone & mp3 player to pass the time.

The guy is a Grade A idiot.

Technology endorsing convenience is not the problem. It's his self control that is. It's like WoW. If he's spending 2 more hours watching a TV show, the problem is not that he's engrossed with his Ipad, it's that he's engrossed in the TV show.

Having an Ipad in bed is no different than people who have a TV in their bedroom.

[Delerious]

steve jobs is the hitler of the 21st century ;)

[Manic!]

never used an ipod, ipad or itunes in my life.

i'm more curious about the devices that china, korea and japan develops...

Apple is a multinational company I guarantee people from Korea, Japan, and China had something to do with the Ipad.

[vafanculo]

I can say the same about my cock yet you don't see me cutting it off. There's a time and place for either of them to be out, and when you're playing with your daughter it clearly isn't the right time.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[taylor192]

god bless technlogy.. as a student i hate waiting 20 minutes waiting for a bus..thanks to cell phone & mp3 player to pass the time.As a student you'd be better off reading your textbooks and studying - thus why you missed the point of the article.

[Noir]

As a student you'd be better off reading your textbooks and studying - thus why you missed the point of the article.

Studying while commuting? That's being overzealous don't you think?


Besides, the writer of the article just traded one past-time for another. He likes boredom, or time with his kids, other people like to watch TV, surf the net, or play games.

All I got from his article is that the Ipad wasn't for him because it did not cater to his values. Maybe he couldn't find an app for boredom.

[taylor192]

The guy is a Grade A idiot.

Technology endorsing convenience is not the problem. It's his self control that is. It's like WoW. If he's spending 2 more hours watching a TV show, the problem is not that he's engrossed with his Ipad, it's that he's engrossed in the TV show.

Having an Ipad in bed is no different than people who have a TV in their bedroom.
Many people have no self control - or better yet - many people have no drive to do better in life.

Our generation is the couch potato generation. We'd rather watch TV, play videos games, and surf the web than get outside and enjoy life. We don't need yet another excuse to become a slave to technology and not think for ourselves.

Having an iPad is very different than a TV in the bedroom. You have a TV everywhere now. Sure TV is the problem, not the iPad, yet the iPad facilitates the problem.

There are lots of books that subscribe to changing your environment to change yourself. If watching TV is the problem, yet telling yourself not to watch it isn't going to help. Removing the ability to watch it will, which is exactly what the author did.

[Noir]

Many people have no self control - or better yet - many people have no drive to do better in life.

Our generation is the couch potato generation. We'd rather watch TV, play videos games, and surf the web than get outside and enjoy life. We don't need yet another excuse to become a slave to technology and not think for ourselves.

Having an iPad is very different than a TV in the bedroom. You have a TV everywhere now. Sure TV is the problem, not the iPad, yet the iPad facilitates the problem.

There are lots of books that subscribe to changing your environment to change yourself. If watching TV is the problem, yet telling yourself not to watch it isn't going to help. Removing the ability to watch it will, which is exactly what the author did.

Not any more so than the TV.

Looks to me like the writer is trying to stir acclaim by riding the anti-apple bandwagon.

[taylor192]

Studying while commuting? That's being overzealous don't you think?
If you're happy being average. I am overzealous, graduated in the top of my class for a reason. This is why I identify with articles like this - I wasted very little time on TV, games, ... in university cause I had to make the best use of my free time when I wasn't playing sports or partying with my fraternity brothers. Princess Di died my first year of university and I didn't know for 3 months! :D

[taylor192]

Not any more so than the TV.

Looks to me like the writer is trying to stir acclaim by riding the anti-apple bandwagon.
Or you're such an Apple fanboy you missed the point.

It is absolutely more than the TV. I cannot take my TV with me everywhere as he describes in the article. :p If I could... well I don't think the people on the bus would appreciate my 42" plasma playing COD MW2. :D

[AccordCouped]

its called self control idiot

[m4k4v4li]

i hate artsy fgts

[Noir]

Or you're such an Apple fanboy you missed the point.
It is absolutely more than the TV. I cannot take my TV with me everywhere as he describes in the article. :p If I could... well I don't think the people on the bus would appreciate my 42" plasma playing COD MW2. :D

In all seriousness, far from it.

Whether it be a TV, or a book which you suggest everyone reads instead, are all just various forms of media, just like the Ipad. Books like the Ipad, is something people can take everywhere; in the bus, in the bed, in the toilet.

What's the difference between an Ipad that keeps you up 2hrs later with the TV shows you can't stop watching, and book that keeps you up 2hrs later because you can't stop reading?

The problem is still not the Ipad. It's the idiot of a writer that out of all things to complain about, it's his lack of boredom. This is nothing but another self-serving article that does nothing to enlight, but instead try to look good.

[bengy]

never used an ipod, ipad or itunes in my life.

i'm more curious about the devices that china, korea and japan develops...

Develop? You mean try to copy....

[rsx]

Two people agree with the Douche in the article: Taylor and Manic.

The whole point of the article is his epiphany realizing how much time he spent with his ipad; then he makes a fuss saying that technology, blah blah has taken away that 'free time' away from people. Wrong. It's taken away 'free time' from morons like him because they're idiots and can't prioritize their lives.

Hell, do you know how much time people waste on porn and video games?

Tards.

[butter_sashimi]

If you're happy being average. I am overzealous, graduated in the top of my class for a reason. This is why I identify with articles like this - I wasted very little time on TV, games, ... in university cause I had to make the best use of my free time when I wasn't playing sports or partying with my fraternity brothers. Princess Di died my first year of university and I didn't know for 3 months! :D

You just sound perfect now- top grades, sporty and having a life in a fraternity >.> Gratz on being a hermit for 3 months. You didn't have to enslave yourself on electronics but probably good to occasionally get out of the study hall. I mean, Princess Diana's death was headline news and the talk of the town at the time.

[1exotic]

Ipad is so useless.

Iphone > all

Iphone has Ipod, Camera, Phone, Internet, Games, unlimited applications.... what more can you ask for. All in one ftw.

If you're happy being average. I am overzealous, graduated in the top of my class for a reason. This is why I identify with articles like this - I wasted very little time on TV, games, ... in university cause I had to make the best use of my free time when I wasn't playing sports or partying with my fraternity brothers. Princess Di died my first year of university and I didn't know for 3 months! :D

http://fashionablygeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Disregard-Females-Acquire-Currency-T-Shirt.jpg

[twitchyzero]

Princess Di died my first year of university and I didn't know for 3 months! :D

wut

[taylor192]

Whether it be a TV, or a book which you suggest everyone reads instead, are all just various forms of media, just like the Ipad. Books like the Ipad, is something people can take everywhere; in the bus, in the bed, in the toilet.

What's the difference between an Ipad that keeps you up 2hrs later with the TV shows you can't stop watching, and book that keeps you up 2hrs later because you can't stop reading?
Huge difference.

When studying for university people recommend getting away from a computer cause there's too many distractions. There's IM, the web, games, ... all right at your fingertips to distract you. Sure you should have more self control to not allow these distractions to tempt you - yet lets see how many of the posts in this thread are during working hours, when we should all be focusing on our jobs rather than being distracted - get my point? Distractions are nice time wasters, yet too many can take away from being able to focus on more important things.

Thus how is the book different? No built in distractions, it is just a book.

[taylor192]

You just sound perfect now- top grades, sporty and having a life in a fraternity >.> Gratz on being a hermit for 3 months. You didn't have to enslave yourself on electronics but probably good to occasionally get out of the study hall. I mean, Princess Diana's death was headline news and the talk of the town at the time.
Hermit? sports and fraternity keggers hardly count as being a hermit, wow.

I'm not perfect, yet I am trying to make a point. Talk to some of the most successful people you know and see how much time they waste randomly surfing or watching TV/movies.

[taylor192]

Two people agree with the Douche in the article: Taylor and Manic.

The whole point of the article is his epiphany realizing how much time he spent with his ipad; then he makes a fuss saying that technology, blah blah has taken away that 'free time' away from people. Wrong. It's taken away 'free time' from morons like him because they're idiots and can't prioritize their lives.

Hell, do you know how much time people waste on porn and video games?

Tards.
Thanks for pointing out how many people cannot prioritize their life cause of easy distractions. Yet the author is a moron for figuring out he was being an idiot and wasting time rather than prioritizing his life? I think you need to revisit your argument.

[ericthehalfbee]

I get annoyed when I am with a friend who can't turn his cell phone off and has to answer every call.
That's an interesting comment since one of the biggest complaints against the iPhone when it came out (vs the BlackBerry) was that it lacked push e-mail.

Yet having Push is one more way your phone controls you. Since you are immediately made aware of a waiting message, the desire to read it right away is huge. I know people where the second they get a notification they have to read that stupid e-mail/text their buddy sent them.

This is why I have push and other notifications turned off. If I want to check messages, I'll do it on my own time, not when my phone tells me to. If there's an emergency and someone needs to get hold of me right away they can simply phone me. I don't consider texts and e-mail to my phone "urgent".


Of course, all the Wall Street bankers can chime in and say how absolutely necessary push notifications are to them in their line of work. :rolleyes: