Unplug on Thanksgiving and interact in person, Offlining urges

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Offlining Inc. wants you to unplug from the computer and reconnect to flesh-and-blood family and friends. Not all the time, just some of the time. Like, during major holidays.

The company was created after co-founders Mark DiMassimo and Eric Yaverbaum, two plugged-in New York businessmen, ‘looked up’ one day and became reacquainted with the things they had been missing while going online -- kids, wives, birds and nature in general, according to the company website.

This year, Offlining campaigned for those observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur to stow their cellphones and computers for the day. Its ironic ads depicted celebrities such as Tiger Woods and read: ‘You don’t have to be Jewish to make amends for your texts on Yom Kippur.’

This Thanksgiving, Offlining is once again pushing a no-gadget holiday with ads picturing Pilgrims and Native Americans at the original Thanksgiving feast, chowing down with one hand and surfing the Web with the other. Harried Americans can also pledge online here -- to have 10 no-device dinners between now and turkey day (okay, it’s a little late now, but the thought still counts), with Thanksgiving blocked out as a full no-gadget holiday.

So far, 11,054 have pledged.

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-- Shan Li