On March 27, a group called Practical Action wants you to ignore the cell phone, turn off the computer, shut down the gaming consoles and avoid any other technology for the rest of the day.
The so-called "No Tech Day" is meant to raise awareness for Practical Action, which uses technology to fight poverty in third-world countries. The group has taken on 141 projects since 2007 according to Ars Technica, including milk product processing in Bengladesh, low-cost sanitation in Zimbabwe and micro-hydro power in Kenya.
Practical Action's list of "banned" tech products includes music players, camcorders, TVs, GPS devices and basically anything else with a speaker or screen. Those who like the concept but don't actually want to give up technology themselves can read about participating tech addicts and donate to Practical Action on their behalf.
However, these addicts may have an ulterior motive: The one who gets the most votes on the No Tech Day site for being the biggest addict wins a free iPad, courtesy of one of the event sponsors.
"I hope No Technology Day will help you reflect on the role of technology in your life and what it might be like to be without that technology not just for today but also for tomorrow," writes David Grimshaw, head of new technologies at Practical Action.
It's kind of a fun idea. As much as I enjoy technology, those rare days where I'm unplugged at the beach or on a camping trip are a great way to recharge. Having said that, I just received God of War III for the Playstation 3 in the mail, so I might need to take a rain check this time.
