For two years, two months, and two days, Henry David Thoreau lived alone, in a tiny cabin he built on the edge of Walden Pond. Shortly after, in 1854, he published Walden.

This week Spark revisits Walden, and looks at its elegant relevance for today's world. Michael Harris calls Walden a "swan song for an antique enjoyment of time alone." He's the author of The End of Absence and Solitude. He discusses how we can find solitude in today's world and why we need it.

An installation at the Daniels School of Architecture at the U of T. called New Circadia: Adventures in Mental Spelunking was a giant, gently-lit and sound-muffled cave where visitors can relax and leave their devices behind.

And 10 years ago, filmmaker and internet pioneer Tiffany Shlain and her family decided to do what many have tried before them: a digital detox. And they've been avoiding digital devices for one day ever since, even as her children have grown up. We talk about unplugging and her new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week.

This episode originally aired December 8, 2019.