Linda Stone
Widely recognized as a visionary thinker and thought leader, Linda Stone is a writer, speaker and consultant focused on trends and their strategic and consumer implications. Her work and articles on her work have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Economist, The Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review and hundreds of blogs. She speaks frequently at corporate and industry gatherings. Prior to 2002, Stone spent 16 years as a senior executive in high tech at both Apple and Microsoft. For a full bio, see www.lindastone.net.
It’s at the Scene of the Crime, but it’s not the Criminal
People are saying technology is making us stupid. Technology is shattering our attention. Technology is ruining our children. Technology is making us busier than ever. Taking that train of thought a step further: technology can fix the problem. I believe we can make smarter email and smarter phones – and we should. It just won’t fix the problem. We can…
RIP: Returned Every Email
I fell in love with email in 1983. I was a computer-savvy educator and children’s librarian teaching teachers about the new technologies available to them. Email came into my life, offering immediate gratification: no stamp, no trip to the post office, no phone tag, no long messages. Questions were answered quickly. Personal exchanges often felt as intimate as a written…
Phone in the Toilet?
My friend Sara sent me an email: "Linda, Sorry that I'm not able to call you back. My phone fell into the toilet." We live in a world where phones can fall into toilets because our phones are following us everywhere. Untethered. Free. Free to fall into the toilet. Last week, a high school sophomore told me that she brings…
Is it Time to Retire the Never-Ending List?
One afternoon, earlier this year, as I was scanning a long list that I was adding to endlessly, I realized, I'll never get it all done. That's probably just fine. But this endless list and this feeling of being completely scheduled's not working right now. I met some friends for dinner and put the question out: Do you have a…
Diagnosis: Email Apnea?
I've just opened my email and there's nothing out of the ordinary there. It's the usual daily flood of schedule, project, travel, information, and junk mail. Then I notice. I'm holding my breath. As the email spills onto my screen, as my mind races with thoughts of what I'll answer first, what can wait, who I should call, what should…