I remember when I was growing up (insert wise crack here), our family always took a summer vacation.   Our parents would pack us up in the car, hit the road, and we would drive for what seemed like days.  We would get lost, they  would pull out maps which would evolve into a disagreement, and inevitably we would stop at the gas station for directions.  When we arrived, no matter how we got there, the kids would have that renewed excitement and burst of energy, while our parents would tend to unwind and disconnect from the world.  The only way someone could get in touch with them was to call the hotel phone number, which they would leave behind with a few friends or family members, in case of emergency only.  Sound about right?

I am now a few days back from a week off which included a few days away.  On the way out the door, my wife asked me if I had printed my hotel confirmation, directions, and all relevant information and I said no.  She said don’t we need them and I answered nope.  After all, it really wasn’t necessary - I manage my life from my iPhone.    As I mentioned in my previous post, I always have it either attached to my ear, fingers, or hip.   

Everyone told me I should disconnect; after all, I work in social networking which does not have a start and end time each day.  Therefore, I left the laptop behind because rumor has it they don't like to be left in cars all day in the 100 degree sun.   When I had a free moment, I did it - I read my work and personal emails, spent time on commonground, and used the other technology tools that are simply part of my work and personal life.  I consume news stories on commonground all day long, subscribe to blogs, and discussions.  Why?  It interests me and is what I do, even though it is still part of my job.   I wanted to know what was going on with the Gulf Oil Spill as we were planning coverage, and the discussions were picking up.  I checked emails three or four times per day out of habit.   Luckily, I only made and took a handful of work related calls and did everything possible to not jump into the fray.

What is my point? 

Again, I found myself trying to compare the past and present, specifically how things used to be when my parents went on vacation, versus today.  While I did, my kids sat in the back of the car watching movie after movie occasionally asking “how long til we get there?” between shows.   We used our GPS navigation, cordless wireless head phones, separate sound systems for the front seat and back, and our air conditioned car seats.   People who needed to reach me could, I could search the web anytime I needed to (think about how many times you do each week), and I made a couple of purchases from my phone saving me time and getting me things I wanted. We could share what was happening with people who were interested when it was happening versus after we got home.

I kept coming back to when I was younger, if you wanted to turn on the AC, you rolled the window down and hoped not to sit in traffic.  If there was traffic, you made a fan out of a piece of paper.  

What is better?   Depends on how you look at it.