Deep listening

I've been focused on enhancing my reading over the past couple of years (not to as much success as I would like). It's a desire to ensure what I read truly impacts me, to put effort into my reading. Or, as Adler puts it: > And that is why there is all the difference in the world between the demanding and the undemanding reader. The latter asks no questions — and gets no answers. But of late, I've rediscovered another area this is of great benefit: deep listening. One recent evening, an evening…

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How much screen time?

The last two weeks have been odd, to say the least. I mean, for me, the day-to-day rhythm feels pretty close to normal. Staying at home for days in a row is something I'm used to. But in every other sense, things have changed. Rather than been annoyed or frustrated, I've tried to approach this entire situation as an opportunity to rest. That can be hard when you have young kids at home, but I am finding not having to drive people to various events fives nights a week has been peaceful. We've de…

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RescueTime for iOS

I’ve been using RescueTime for a few years now, and I have come to appreciate it. But for whatever reason, I never had any desire to install the version for iOS. Until recently. What I like about it The app tracks your pickups and how much time you spend on your device. I like the way it summarizes the pickups — both the total and the location and timing of them. It’s a nice way to visualize how much you’re reaching for the phone. But where the real value of the iOS comes into play for me is…

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One month with a dumbed down phone

It’s been one month since I turned my phone into a device that, for the most part, does not give me any new content. No email, no social media, no RSS, and not even any work communication. A few people have asked how it’s going. In a word, lovely. Absolutely lovely. Since iOS debuted Screen Time, our family has reviewed the numbers for anyone who owns a device (4 out of 6 of us). I’ve been tracking this since October and we mostly use it for talking about screen usage and addiction, not tellin…

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The dumb phone I already own

The act of replacing one’s smart phone with a less capable version is a growing trend. As digital decluttering and internet detoxes become more popular, so too is making the more permanent change of having less capability in your pocket at all times. Some people will pull out an old Nokia from their drawer, some will pick up the latest flip phone (they still make these?), and some will try one of few new options available in this category (i.e. the Light phone [https://www.thelightphone.com]).…

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Habits of mind in an age of distraction

My wife listens to a lot of shows on CBC [http://www.cbc.ca] radio (the Canadian equivalent of NPR). Over the holidays she was sharing some details from an interview [http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/a-survival-guide-for-thinking-because-we-re-a-lot-worse-at-it-than-we-think-1.4462109] Nora Young of Spark [http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark] conducted with Alan Jacobs. It piqued my interest and led to me checking out Alan’s site [http://ayjay.org]. And that led to this article here, one of the best pi…

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