Cheyenne reader reviews book on resisting new technology

Eric Athas has written a book urging Americans to buy fewer new products. The work, titled Saying No to New: Why New Things are Stealing Your Time, Money, and Happiness, and How to Take Back Your Life, argues that constant purchases drain personal resources. Athas, an editor at The New York Times, spoke with WBUR’s Here & Now host Claudia Grisales about his ideas. He previously worked for NPR and the Washington Post.

The book features an excerpt focused on Amber Case, founder of the Calm Tech Institute. Case, a consultancy owner, designs products intended to enhance life without causing stress. She describes modern smart devices as ten to twenty new roommates that constantly bother residents. Case said these technologies hide a large amount of time waste behind easy interfaces.

Case grew up in a house her father converted into a smart home in the 1990s. Her father, a broadcast engineer, installed voice-activated lights and automated sprinklers. Case recalled that a truck passing by could trigger the sensors, turning on lights at three in the morning. She categorized these devices as annoying and disruptive rather than useful.

In her consultancy, Case critiques businesses for creating products that look futuristic but ignore human nature. She cites the complexity of modern televisions as a primary example. She said users should not have to be smart to use a smart TV. Case believes designers should look at older products for clues, such as the piano and the bicycle, which work because they sync with human senses.

Case expressed frustration with car design teams at one auto company that did not own cars. She compared the situation to having people who have never played soccer design a new soccer ball. However, she noted that backup cameras and rearview mirror indicator lights are calm innovations that work with human nature rather than against it.

Case argues that humans are designed to interact with the physical world. She believes products that leverage natural instincts, such as texture and scent, are calmer. She limits her own screen use because phones simulate the physical environment without being the real thing. She described the mind as being in unease when the phone becomes a place rather than a tool.

Athas’s book is available through Balance, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing Group. The excerpt used in the interview is copyrighted by Eric Athas. The original article was published on WBUR.org on October 27, 2026.