Information & Contemplation

Summary: David M. Levy is a professor of technology in the Information School (or iSchool) at the University of Washington. Since 2006 he has offered a course called “Information and Contemplation”, a course on mindfulness in the Digital Age. In this interview with host Vincent Horn, David talks about his early rejection of zen meditation practice and how he came back to it later through a study of calligraphy. They talk about a National Science Foundation funded study David created to observe the effects of meditation on multitasking, and the university course he subsequently developed at the iSchool, “Information and Contemplation.” He talks about insights his students have through the course and the surprising way email can be used as a focus for mindfulness. Finally, Vincent and David discuss the idea of taking a “digital Sabbath” and the usefulness of periodically unplugging from the online world. Episode Links: What Computers Still Can’t Do: A Critique of Artificial Reason ( http://amzn.to/15yQx4K ) “You’re Distracted. This Professor Can Help.” ( http://chronicle.com/article/Youre-Distracted-This/138079/ ) Xerox PARC ( http://www.parc.com ) Darlene Cohen ( http://www.darlenecohen.net ) “Information and Contemplation” ( http://dmlevy.ischool.uw.edu/information-and-contemplation/ )