The New Busy

The latest marketing attempt by Microsoft is "The New Busy." Aside from being another hapless attempt at wit, its a failed attempt to revitalize hotmail. Dear Microsoft, don't you think it is a little late to revamp hotmail? Not only is is out of favor with the tech savvy youth, but graphically its stuck in a cubicle from the 80's. It is boring, mauve, and not worth the energy to raise it from the dead. The New Busy is an old trick; one we have seen too often from the corporate drones at Microsoft.
Aside from my clear displeasure with Hotmail, The New Busy represents a campaign I detest on principle. It suggests that there is a better way of being busy; that the Old Busy can somehow be improved. The fundamental problem is busy. In arguing for a better busy, Microsoft is praising the cluttered, hectic lifestyles that we live. They praise our harried pace that is fueled by caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. They praise our sleep-deprived state that results in dilute results at work, strained relationships at home, and the neglect of our families. They idolize the hours wasted in our cars, isolated from community, breathing carcinogens while drowning out our cries for help with the incessant babble of the radio.
We are too busy. In these difficult times our stress is increased and our resources stretched. It is now that we should be simplifying our lives; returning to basic principles. We need to strip away the excess and focus on the important things. It is not about social networks which devalue friendships to a few accessible keystrokes. Instead it is about tangibles; playing catch with your kid or stealing your wife away for a "date night." It is about family dinners, block parties, and camping trips. It is about using this moment to reclaim our lives, our energy, and our future as a people.
And it is a time to deject The New Busy for a life of happiness.