OK, I have to start by coming clean. Six o clock Friday evening arrived, the start of my ‘black’ non technology day and I duly started switching off all of my various bits of tech, when my iPhone started ringing. The number recognition technology (see it’s really useful stuff) showed the name of a business colleague, ringing at precisely 6pm. Was it a test? Should I ignore it? Instinct took over and I answered. Two hours later and I was still working on my iMac, helping deliver some information for the person in question. So my black day actually started at 8pm and became a black 22 hours, but I reckon good enough for a first attempt. In those 22 hours I’ve actually had some interesting moments. Such as a debate with my 8 year old son, Jools, over whether we should play new Monopoly, with electronic credit cards and no real cash or classic Monopoly, my set from 30 years ago with good old fashioned honest to goodness fake money! (we went for the old fashioned game in the end). I realised that I had to make an important call Friday night, and we started looking for a phone box in Stockholm. Forget it. We looked for ever – there are none or at least none we could find. I guess in a country where there are more mobile phones than people it’s to be expected. Added to all this I have been cut off from BBC Radio Four for 22 hours of my life, which really is a major deprevation. But the very worse thing is when you have a question. One of those not terribly important but niggling little questions such as which city was the original game of Monopoly based on (I knew the answer – Atlantic City NJ, but frustratingly couldn’t prove it to Anne and Jools). With the internet everything can be answered. I love it. What I also realised was how utterly habit forming technology can be. We decided to go for a walk and I put my jacket on and Jools asked me what I had in my pocket. Nothing I replied. He shook his head and dipped his hand into my pocket to pull out my iPhone which I had taken with me through force of habit as I was about to leave. I think I have a serious case. Anyway I’ve spent my 22 hours of ‘blackness’ happily enough, playing a bit of football, reading a book about the Mitford girls and attempting to fix the broken toilet in our Stockholm week-end apartment – and failing. Luckily a friend popped in and recorded some of it with a few pics. I’ll post them on Facebook. So we’ve decided to do this once a week (and for a full 24 hours) and once a month go the whole hog and do without electric lights, cars or any electrical consuming technology – which puts us back about 120 years or so. Now if I could just convince a few million other people to do the same I’ll have done my little bit for the planet I guess. I might even help put the population in a few western countries up – if you get my drift. A very satisfying thought indeed. Switch off to turn on…so to speak. Buy Windows 7 Ultimate Discount Buy Windows 7 Ultimate Order Windows 7 Ultimate Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection Buy Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection Discount Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Discount Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Sale Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus