Party Like It's 1628 – The 17th Century Life of a Tech Entrepreneur

We all need a break from technology and the fast pace of modern life every now and then. In 2003 I got my break. I was a cast member of the Emmy-nominated reality TV show Colonial House, an experiential history television series on PBS that placed twenty-five people in a 17th-century replica English colony in the middle of nowhere and documented what happened over the course of several months.

This talk is NOT a behind-the-scenes look at the show, but rather an inspection of modern life in light of my experience living on the colony without modern technology. As a tech entrepreneur, business owner, and software developer myself, I very easily succumb the luxuries of daily life in 2016: Wi-Fi on airplanes, music and movies on demand, personal drivers at the push of a button, social networks that connect billions of people. What we've done is amazing and mind-boggling! Despite our advancements, we modern technologists tend to:

• Work too much.
• Isolate ourselves.
• Complicate solutions.
• Ignore our health.

If we take a close look at the most basic of human functions, it is possible to solve some of the modern-day problems we've created for ourselves. Daily life in 1628 required us to:

• Sleep when it's dark.
• Depend on others.
• Do less.
• Eat clean foods and move your body.

Let's take a close look at everyday lessons from the Colonial House experience that can help us successfully push the boundaries of modern technology forward.

And if you want that behind-the-scenes look, check out jefflin.net/colonialhouse.

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