What: A two-day, invitation-only conference

When: Tuesday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Where: On the University of Washington, Seattle campus

For more information, contact Prof. David Levy, The Information School, University of Washington (tel. 206-616-2545, email: dmlevy@u.washington.edu)

Event sponsored by The MacArthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation

Too much information and too little time to digest it. Attention pulled in a thousand directions, and by the very technologies – cell phones and handhelds, email and the Web, cable TV and satellite radio – that promise to inform and connect us. An accelerating pace of life leaving no time to relax or reflect. These are some of today’s common complaints in our information-rich, technology-infused society. Increasingly, people express a longing for a more harmonious life, a life better balanced between work, family, and community; between fast-paced productivity and leisurely reflection; between compulsive consumption and just plain living.

Why is life speeding up and what can we do about it? How can we find a more balanced life in the midst of these changes? These questions were discussed at a two-day, invitation-only conference to be held on the University of Washington, Seattle campus.

The conference consisted of a series of keynote addresses, panels, and group discussions (see the conference program).