BY Rainey Skates (@raineyskates)
- Photo Credit: Rafael Jimenez | R2 Studios
Local neighborhood “pusher” and UC contributor, Rainey “Skates” Cruz, had the chance to sit down with renowned technology expert and brand-new Washington Heights resident, Daniel Sieberg. Rainey caught up with the busy ABC News Now “Tech This Out!” host to talk about his latest endeavor, a new book called The Digital Diet. Check out what Mr. Sieberg had to say about it, the role of technology in our lives and the perks of living Uptown.
Q. Hey Daniel. For those of us that don’t know, can you explain to our readers what exactly The Digital Diet is?
A. The Digital Diet is partly a self-help book and partly a personal narrative about my own experience. It started with me discovering that I was too caught up in technology. My family noticed it, my friends noticed it, my wife noticed it and they stopped just short of a “digital” intervention. It just became a problem for me. In the work place, at home, when I was on the go, it was just too much! And I thought that maybe everybody, at some level, felt something like this. My hope is that this book is something that raises awareness and gets people talking and thinking about their own situation.
Q. So it isn’t necessarily just a regiment like most “diet” books? There’s more to it right?
A. Well, within the book there is a 28-day plan that people can follow if they want to. It starts with a detox, which is a technology-free experiment for about a day or two. That alone can be very revealing for most people. Then the rest of the plan is about integrating it back into your life slowly. And there are tips and exercises, but it doesn’t have to be followed like a regiment.
Q. Interesting. It kind of seems like a very Zen approach to understanding the use of technology.
A. There are actually a lot of Zen aspects to it. It’s about making peace with technology. I think that so many people get frustrated and perceive their devices and services as the enemy. As a result they get turned off to the idea of it all, which I think is kind of sad because technology can be a wonderful thing, and when used the right way, can enhance people’s lives. As somebody that’s been covering technology for such a long time, it makes me sad when I see so many people getting overwhelmed. It makes me think that if they had some sort of plan maybe they wouldn’t feel so bad.
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