We still have some key words left in "what is broadband good for" -- both the "good" and the "for" are ahead of us.  But it's time for a break.

I've been taking breaks offline on weekends recently, and I recommend it.   I find it's really hard to make any sustained progress in writing or reading if I'm wondering who's sending me the next email.  (Not that my email traffic is that great - there's a lot of listmail and a lot of news.)  In fact, I can't write these days unless I intentionally isolate myself from online access. 

What's up with that?  I keep writing about how great it is, how productivity-enhancing and empowering and all-around helpful the internet is, but I can't write anything longer than a few paragraphs when I'm online.  I bet many people who check by this blog have the same problem. 

There are some architectural fixes for this.  There's a physical switch on the machine that prevents it from picking up wifi signals.  There's a chair in my office, a big, comfortable chair, that isn't anywhere near either a wireless signal or an ethernet connection.  There are libraries and benches that don't have access.  I need these architectural limitations.  It's a challenge to settle my mind down and concentrate.

And increasingly I need a day or two off each week to take a breath and reflect, both offline and online.  I'm a mix of the very old-fashioned and the very-electronically driven.  I spend hours working on playing an instrument whose sounds can be synthesized perfectly by Ray Kurzweil's machines.  So tomorrow and Sunday I'll take a break, and I'll be back here on Monday.