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Control your connectivity - or be controlled by it.

Diane K. Danielson


Flirting With Disaster?
While engaging in office romance seems like risky business, some couples apparently think the bigger risk is not doing it.
BlackBerry in the Bedroom
By Diane K. Danielson

Meet the completely wired couple of the future.
Find out how Kushell and Kaufman keep technology from lowering their libido.

Jennifer Kushell and husband Scott Kaufman are cofounders of the Los Angeles-based Young & Successful Media Corp., which helps companies market to the 18- to 34-year-old market. They lead a hectic lifestyle and rely on technology to stay connected. The following is a snapshot of what might be standard for couples of the future, told to us in Jennifer's own words.

  1. BlackBerry devices. We've bought hours of time away from work by carrying our BlackBerry devices and spending five minutes responding to e-mail while standing in line or watching movie previews. I know some people are concerned about being "too wired," but if you live a life where the demands and work load are constant, the extra mobility does make a big difference in getting you out and about to enjoy other things in life.


  2. E-mail. In general, being able to shoot each other little personal to-dos or reminders saves us from wasting time talking about uninteresting, unpleasant and potentially argument-causing tasks, like, "Can you pick up some kitty litter on your way home?" Or, "Don't forget to pay the credit card bill today." By dealing with the dirty details of life via e-mail, we tend to be more efficient in getting them done, but at the same time it enables us to focus on catching up personally when we are physically together.


  3. Wireless Internet access at home. This helps us move our late night work into the bedroom (not always a bad thing) so we can curl up in bed together (rather than sit at opposite ends of the living room) with a movie, much like couples do when reading the Sunday morning paper. It's not ideal, but it does make taking work home so much more enjoyable. We're lucky that we work together in this respect, too, because I can't imagine trying to do this with a husband who constantly wanted to know why I was working this hard.

  4. Nextel's walkie-talkie feature (and unlimited call plan). This lets us chat more throughout the day. We use it all the time just to see what the other is up to, offer to bring the other lunch, pick up a movie on the way home, see how a meeting went. Even though we might not see each other for 10 hours at a time or even days if we're traveling, we can still have those great little exchanges that make us feel like we're not out of sight or out of mind.

  5. Digital photos and video. Since we do a lot of traveling and speaking around the world, when we can't travel together, we can still share the experiences by watching digital movies that we've shot and sharing photos either during the time away via e-mail or after we've returned. Every day is an adventure in our lives, so pictures and video are not only fun to watch but vividly illustrate the fabulous (and not so fabulous) tales that we have to share with each other when we do regroup.
More on how to use technology to your benefit in the August/September issue of PINK Magazine.