cutting some of it loose

[trochee]

I'm unsubscribing from several RSS feeds. Goodbye to BoingBoing and the Make Zine blog, and Language Log -- too much each to keep up. When I look away for two days, each one of these has nearly 100 entries I haven't read, and I don't need the stress. I love ya, nerds of all flavors, but my attention span doesn't scale well to the entire internet.

Back to work for me, and less blog-rolling.

Comments

[champignon.livejournal.com]

I love ya, nerds of all flavors,

ha ha!

I should probably do this trimming, too. But then I think of going through my feed reader as a practice exercise in skimming quickly for what is important and relevant. It just takes discipline (that I often don't have) to not get sucked into looking at everything that seems shiny.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

see, i want the feed reader to be a relaxing and entertaining activity, not a sense that requires me to practice any particular presence-of-mind. Also, I'd like it to have a noticeable natural end, that doesn't require me to exert an act of will.

My research requires enough acts of will-to-focus.

must be something in the air

[localcharacter.livejournal.com]

I just unsubbed from NYTimes email and a bunch of other crap. Dropped LJ groups I never looked at. Now it's time to go through my Feeds folder.

[chachachana.livejournal.com]

...entries I haven't read, and I don't need the stress.

what is it that makes us feel stressed about being behind like this? i am the same way, and i think it's a common feeling. at the same time, it seems like there's something messed up about information influx affecting us this way. ?

[trochee.livejournal.com]

I think it's that humans are wired to be interested in all new information. In our "design specifications" -- nomadic savanna hunter-gatherers -- there isn't much new information around, so "all you can eat" is a reasonable request at the information buffet.

But like cravings for sweets (which would "ordinarily" target fruits whenever available for these nomadic bipedal apes), we don't have very sensible "off" switches for information cravings when the setting has been "gorge while it's present."

I just made up this analogy but I think it holds.

[chachachana.livejournal.com]

*nods*

i understand about not having an 'off' switch, but how do you think that relates to the stress that we feel? as a result of easier access to information and communication, we have added a great deal of stress to our lives. do you think it's possible that we can adapt to eliminate the stress or at least greatly reduce it?

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

great exchange here.

i'll just jump in with this.
i think that we can consciously practice to realize that these things don't mean anything in the grand scheme of things and consciously and mindfully bring ourselves back to the present and what matters. in turn , that reduces our stress.
i do think it's possible.
but it takes constant practice, reminders and being in the right relationships ( relationships that remind us ...)

:)

[chachachana.livejournal.com]

thus society as a whole isn't going to do it? our species is doomed to die of ever-increasing stress-related diseases? what do you think about this over the course over the next hundred years, say?

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

i love you J.

i was thinking about how you describe yourself last night to Erich and it made me smile. i am so proud of you for your honesty in the world and the gentleness that you are finding with yourself.