They Say / I Blog

Taking the challenge: Michael Grothaus on his smartphone-free week

Until 2007 (in June, to be exact), every human who’d ever lived did so without the benefit of a smartphone. How did they manage?!? Novelist and freelance journalist Michael Grothaus accepted his editor’s challenge to live without his smartphone for one week and write about the experience. Read about his experience in this July 2016 Fast Company essay.

Read it here: Michael Grothaus: "What happened when I gave up my smartphone for a week"

Your personal slot machine: Tristan Harris on smartphone addiction

How often do you check your phone? Do you feel addicted to it? According to former Google product philosopher Tristan Harris, we check our phones 150 times per day, on average, and yes, we’re addicted. He explains why and proposes a solution in this July 2016 essay in Spiegel Online.

Read it here: Harris, "Smartphone addiction: The slot machine in your pocket"

Not cold turkey: Brian Kateman on meat “reducetarianism”

Health complications, environmental problems, ethical challenges—all these and more can be results of a diet rich in meat, dairy, and eggs. What to do? Free-lance journalist Brian Kateman recommends reducing consumption, and he explains his proposal in this July 2016 Washington Post article.

Read it here: Kateman, “’We can save the earth without giving up bacon. Here’s how.”