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Out of Office
A positive aspect of working for a Finnish company is the respect for personal and vacation time - in July and August many of my colleagues take up to a month out of the office and head to their summer cottages. My personal equivalent to this as of last year and continuing this, is taking off most of December and some of January and exploring new parts of the world. With a hectic year's travel and research behind me there are a lot of ideas to formulate, a lot to write.
So as of next week I'll be heading to first to China and then to India with time at altitude in both Tibet and the Himalayas. I'm still not quite sure what I come back to (if you guess right you can win a Shibuya blinged iPod Nano), such is the game of corporate musical chairs. Oh, the scramble to find a seat before the music stops. One thing is for certain, next year the best is yet to come.
In a way my month off has already started - prompted by visiting family, time off in the Japanese Alps and coastal ryokan. There's nothing like the clarity that comes from watching the sun rise over the Pacific (in Izu above) or waking up above the clouds to put life, the universe and (more humbly) my research into perspective. That these mornings yield a disproportionate share of big ideas is merely a bonus.
Next to me on my desk there's a freshly brewed coffee that needs drinking (a rather tasty organic blend from Ugandan since you ask) which is probably the weakest way of leading into saying that In the next few days I'll share some research on, um, Shared Phone Use a study that co-incidentally also covers Uganda. For now I'll leave you with the following two questions: Of everything that you own what would you not share with others? And why not? Answers in the comments please.
Writing from Izu | November 30, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
"Of everything that you own what would you not share with others? And why not?"
I am comfortable sharing most things I own, with the exception of 2 items:
1) My cellphone (Nokia N73): I rely on it to stay organized and in touch whenever I'm away from home and can't afford to be without it!
2) My laptop (for rationale, see #1).
Posted by: karen at November 30, 2006 12:47 PM
btw, I enjoy your blog. Thanks for the insights you share.
Posted by: karen at November 30, 2006 12:48 PM
"Of everything that you own what would you not share with others? And why not?"
1) my diary/sketch/whatever-to-write book. I would not share with others all the time. However, strangers may easily get some words when I am writing it in subway station. : (
Posted by: sara at November 30, 2006 4:03 PM
the porn, what else?!
Posted by: john manoogian III at November 30, 2006 4:51 PM
My perfume (the same one since I was 15).
My underwear (not only because they are exclusive, but also because some of them are old).
My toothbrush.
My towel (the one I'm using in that moment).
My lipsticks.
My glass.
My computer.
No problem about sharing my cellphone, though.
Posted by: Maria at November 30, 2006 5:16 PM
Not sure there's anything I wouldn't share with _someone_. Just as there is probably nothing I would share with _anyone_. For some value of sharing.
For the "do whatever you want with it, I won't look" value, I'd say my phone, my computer and my note books are off limits, because they (may) contain very personal things. Want to make a call? Sure, go ahead. Want to dig through my text messages? Not so sure.
Posted by: Filip Salomonsson at November 30, 2006 7:14 PM
The question managed to catch me off guard and spent a bit of time to think about it and came to an answer that I think there is nothing which I wouldn't share if the particular situation and social context are right.
I also started to think briefly about parts of my body (eyes, mouth, legs, etc.) but what the heck: if someone else really needed them, I guess they would be sharable to some extent... :)
Posted by: v at November 30, 2006 10:30 PM
I like the idea of body parts. People do share/rely on the ears and eyes of others [see: http://www.janchipchase.com/blog/archives/2005/12/perceived_threa.html] and in time we'll learn to share/rely on the sensors of others. But whom do you trust?
John - why not share porn?
Posted by: Jan at November 30, 2006 10:38 PM
Perceived trust is a wonderful thing, especially in the case of time and clocks. :)
I figured out one more: containers which have my stuff in them. I don't want or can't share only my bag when I have my stuff inside the bag. Or my bookshelf when my books are in the bookshelf. They might be characterized as "populated infrastructural objects" or something.. :)
PS. For a technology bodypart conversation starter, check: http://schulzeandwebb.com/blog/2006/10/24/robot-arms/
Posted by: v at December 1, 2006 12:57 AM
Having recently separated from a girlfriend of 6 years, lived with last 3, the most difficult thing to take with me has been decision-making. The primary problem we split over may be described as 'wanting different things.' So the thing I cannot share is somewhere along the line of 'what I want to do' towards 'what I am doing.' Perhaps it's experience that I cannot share, though in communicating I 'would share' a million times over. So, then, to what extant is bettering communication also an increase in subjective homogeneity? And it is different perspectives we use to arrive at such a question...
Posted by: Erik at December 1, 2006 6:30 AM
The one thing I'll share with no-one is my soul (if such a thing exists). The rest depends on circumstance - it's all just *stuff*, after all!
Looking forward to your reports from your travels; yours is a new blog to me (via Kevin Kelly), but I can tell it's going to be a keeper. Enjoy your holiday, but please remember to share with the rest of us when you get a chance!
Peace...
Posted by: Armchair Anarchist at December 1, 2006 9:20 AM
The thing I am most wary of sharing is my digital identities--or more technically, the keys which authorize access to my digital identities. Email passwords, game accounts, PIN numbers, etc.
It seems to be something about the identity itself: even when I know I can just change the password right afterward, and I know there is little-to-no chance of misuse/snooping/harm coming from it, I'm still uncomfortable. It's something like willingly creating a doppelganger of yourself.
And the toothbrush, of course.
Posted by: Andrew at December 2, 2006 10:48 PM
What wouldn't I share with others? Hm, let's see:
1. My laptop, simply because i use it to stay organized and, basically, it's access to a very central part of my life. So I don't like others to mess around with it. Wanna check your email? Sure. Use it all day, rather not.
2. Login data for key email accounts.
3. My mobile phone. Same as in No. 1: For calls in between, sure, but I don't like people thumbing through my text messages or call lists.
ps. i love your blog, it's great! thanks!
4. Underwear and toothbrush.
Posted by: Peter at December 4, 2006 5:59 PM