William Powers

Harvard Book Store and the Shorenstein Center for Press, Politics, and Public Policy are very pleased to welcome media and technology writer WILLIAM POWERS for a discussion of his new book, Hamlet′s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age.

At a time when we′re all trying to make sense of our relentlessly connected lives, this book presents a bold new approach to the digital age. Part intellectual journey, part memoir, Hamlet′s BlackBerry sets out to solve what William Powers calls the conundrum of connectedness. Our computers and mobile devices do wonderful things for us. But they also impose an enormous burden, making it harder for us to focus, do our best work, build strong relationships, and find the depth and fulfillment we crave.

Hamlet′s BlackBerry argues that we need a new way of thinking, an everyday philosophy for life with screens. To find it, Powers reaches into the past, uncovering a rich trove of ideas that have helped people manage and enjoy their connected lives for thousands of years. New technologies have always brought the mix of excitement and stress that we feel today. Drawing on some of history′s most brilliant thinkers, from Plato to Shakespeare to Thoreau, he shows that digital connectedness serves us best when it′s balanced by its opposite, disconnectedness.