I am really looking forward to returning home to Pennsylvania in a few days. I told my mom that I wanted to shut off my computer, put it in a box, and not look at it for a week. I feel like the computer has become an extension of my physical self, just as my watch or glasses have become an integral part of me.
But, can I really unplug? Things happen at such a rapid pace in our digital world, that if I'm offline for a few days, I will surely miss a wealthy of information and activity.
How can I best communicate my absence? There is always the use of away messages and answering machines, but what if there was a way for me to send out a single message to the world that I will be unavailable for a period of time. I have 5 email accounts, facebook, myspace, and AIM accounts, a blog and a cell phone.
Whenever I have neglected one of more of these accounts for a few days, I start to hear complaints from family and friends. People expected to be able to get in touch with me at all times, and worry if there is no response.
If there were a service that could generate a message that could be circulated across all my methods of communication saying when I was going to unplug and when I expected to return, I wouldn't have to worry about my absence being unclear. I could relax knowing that I was not simply going MIA, but had an orderly way of declaring my vacation from the digital world.
