When I study those who inspire me I find a commonality that I feel is lacking in today’s world. While I have the drive to pursue my dreams at nearly any cost, I have been made lazy by the technology that I respect and love. Technology now, and forever, will have an important place in our lives but it has too easily controlled our lives. I am setting out to counter-balance the time that I have allowed technology to control me, and one again, find a symbiotic relationship.

Clearly, because I work in a TV station, I cannot entirely abandon technology as much as I may desire. For the time being, my job – which I enjoy – must remain a part of my life. To achieve my goals I will limit my use of technology to the least amount necessary to do my job as exceptionally well as I always have, if not better. To achieve this I have rules.

At work I will use my e-mail and browse the web as much as necessary to do my work well. Outside of work, the Internet is off limits. Any information that I need can be gathered as those before me have done. Like many others, I have lost sense of personal connection and relied on social interactions with an LCD display and text, rather than a human. I will use the library to gather information. I will speak with people (in person) to network, communicating by phone when necessary.

TV is off limits (to the extent necessary to do my job). Video games are off limits. The computer will be used to write, study foreign language (Rosetta Stone), and complete use of CS5 and FCP. I may use a camera – digital or film – as frequently as I choose. I may use a movie camera – digital or film – as frequently as I choose.

I have fallen into a net (pun intended) that is too easy to ignore, despite the effects it is having. By disconnecting from modern technology, and much of society, I will find my way back to a point where I am able to sufficiently analyze my fundamentals and take on the future as the person that I know I am.

I hope my journey – as long as it may be – fulfills my best intentions: a benefit for me, and the world around me.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

For me the most fascinating part of this issue is the fact that there is not control over the internet, and this is the first push for some control. I am really curious to see the evolution of the web over the next decade. The way our children use the internet will likely be entirely different. It is impossible to see how it would lose it’s incredible impact, but it is likely to become more limited, or it could actually become more advanced. There are plenty of reasons it could head down either road, but it is impossible to predict the direction. We can only hope for the best.

Please comment if you have an idea of what the internet will look like in 10 years.

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To all of those protesting large banks, corporations, and rich greed, it is time that we do something that will make an impact and is within reach for every American. If you have not already, soon you will become part of the problem. You will spend your money on frivolous gifts that most recipients will forget about in just over a months time. You will go to Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohls, JCP, and hundreds of other retail giants…perhaps you will even take out a loan from Wells Fargo, Bank of American, or Chase. But where is that money going?

Most products are sold close to cost (the price which the retailer buys the product from the supplier at) during the holiday season. Where do the products you are buying come from? That is where the money is going. We are sending what little money we have out of the country. In turn, China, Indonesia, and other countries will give us a cut of their profits because they know that they need our careless spending. The US retail giants will continue to be supported so that they can pay most of their employees close to minimum wage, and international suppliers will continue to treat their employees with the least amount of dignity required. The only way to change the problems that has torn America apart is for us all to each acknowledge that we have been duped and lead ourselves down this path.

So how do we take back America? We start to carry our own weight, we stop placing blame, and instead carry each other along. Their will always be someone who makes more money than you, but we can choose how to spend that money so that we can feel dignified about our choices. It is not very often that we complain about how much athletes and television stars are making because when we pay $13 for a movie ticket we are happy with the entertainment that we gained in return. The CEO of a corporation is no different though. We choose to spend our money with certain banks, and at certain stores because we are happy with the products, and we are able to pay less so that we can buy more. There is the true greed. We must learn to control our greed and desire for MORE and learn to respect ourselves for our purchasing decisions. Is it not worth our hard earned money to spend $20 for two t-shirts when that money is not benefiting anyone in the US except for a CEO and his/her investors when you could pay $20 for one similar t-shirt that is purchased to support a fellow American.

The average American consumer will spend at least $700 on others during the holiday season. If we choose to spend that money on American products, sure we will not be able to buy as much, but we can feel satisfied that we have helped a fellow American, and in turn, the US economy.

Join this event as a pledge that you will have an American Christmas. Every day a new link will be posted to help point you in the right direction for American products. Over $105 Billion will be spent between now and Christmas; don’t send that money over seas.

Click here to view the event on Facebook.