The new civil disobedience [Article]

Researcher Danah Boyd is articulate,  & explains why in modern society whistleblowing is the new civil disobedience. Scathing in her critique, she shares a perspective:

Unchecked power is how dictatorships emerge. If the rule of law is undermined and secrecy becomes the status quo, it becomes necessary for new civil disobedience tactics to emerge. And, more than the content of the leaks, this is what I think that we’re watching unfold.

Truly take a vacation: Ideas for making a “email free holiday” a success [Article]

Microsoft Researcher Danah Boyd has a bunch of tried & tested techniques to make sure you are not tethered to that email inbox while you’re trying to have a vacation.

The idea is simple: turn off your email. Set up a filter and Send all messages to /dev/null (a.k.a. the Trash). Send a bounce message telling people their message wasn’t received and that they should resend it after X date or send you the contents via snail mail. Of course, if you just turn off your email with no warning, you’re bound to piss off your friends, family, colleagues, and clients. So here are some tips to successfully taking an email sabbatical. 

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