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Aric Cheston's avatar

Craig Mod is a writer/sort-of-philosopher that I like. He’s spent quite a bit of effort wrestling with his relationship with his phone and with the Internet overall. He talks about that struggle on this podcast episode: https://hurryslowly.co/003-craig-mod/. He’s also written a bit about it, just search for “Craig Mod I want my attention back”. And yes, I realize the insidious circularity of turning to the internet to cure one’s addiction to the internet.

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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

that podcast was very thought-provoking Aric, thanks for sharing. I'm wondering whether I should do a 10 day meditation retreat now... although the thought of actually doing it is a bit intimidating.

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Aric Cheston's avatar

I’m glad you liked it. I like the idea of a project to reclaim your attention. 10-days of mediation seems...a lot. Maybe start with a weekend?

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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

Ha, yes, that's the tricky thing. The internet is so embedded in our lives now, reliant on it for everything, even for trying to wean ourselves off it a bit. Thanks so much for sharing Craig Mod's work, I hadn't come across him. I've downloaded the podcast episode to listen on my journey home this evening. Thanks Aric!

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Helen S.'s avatar

This absolutely speaks to me this post. I get a lot of pleasure and usefulness from the things I can do on my phone, listening to music, podcasts, checking email, taking photos, news etc That's all great. But I also have this burning desire to strip away much of the noise and get to some sort of simpler life. Maybe that's just a fantasy though. The video of those artists talking about the Arctic was wonderful. I've watched it three times. Great chat with John-Paul too.

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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

Ditto on all of this!

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John-Paul Flintoff's avatar

Thank you! It was a real pleasure to do that interview with you - highly recommended 🎈

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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

Thanks John-Paul... the reel I uploaded on instagram is one of my most viewed of all time (don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean it went viral!)

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Helen S.'s avatar

really enjoyed hearing about your work John-Paul!

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John-Paul Flintoff's avatar

Thank you Helen.

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Feb 1, 2023
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John-Paul Flintoff's avatar

Thank you. That means a lot. I hope you enjoy it!

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Feb 1, 2023
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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

I know exactly what you mean about the issue of differentiating between the analogue and the digital on screen... I might think about that idea for a future post!

I've thought about aeroplane mode. By deliberately switching off like that it also has the power to flip a switch in your mind I think - you're not expecting anything to be on your phone so you don't look for it.

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Feb 1, 2023
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Dr Victoria Powell's avatar

Yes, the noisiness of nothing but nature. That's a nice way of putting it! I love the way that Kirkegaard and Almond describe the atmosphere of the Arctic too. The way Kirkegaard describes the underwater ice as like being an animal.

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