“…The current spectacle of technology is having an effect on the civilian population of the appropriate classes, although cyborg development in this sector is a little more subtle than in the military. Most people have seen the first phases of the civilian cyborg, which is typically an information cyborg. They are usually equipped with lap-top computers and cellular phones. Everywhere they go, their technology goes with them. They are always prepared to work, and even in their leisure hours they can be activated for duty. Basically, these beings are intelligent, autonomous workstations that are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year…”
— Flesh Machine , by the Critical Art Ensemble

I will take no information technology with me on my vacation, other than my cell-phone. And it will remain off except in case of emergencies. Much as I love computers, sometimes I really hate computers. Any need to be on call in any information-related field is a sign/result of mismanagement of resources (optimistically) or stupidity and greed (pessimistically). And that extraordinary effort is so often accepted as “the way things work in this field” is contemptible. With proper management of time and resources, and most importantly, the subordination of individual egos to the goals of “the project”, the 80-hour week will be a thing of the past. Fear and stupidity are the only obstacles to a significant reduction in stress and burn-out in the information/technology sphere.