Mindfulness and Technology; Robert Plotkin

Robert Plotkin is an engineer, mindfulness practitioner, and the founder of Technology for Mindfulness. His professional journey in computer science and engineering spans more than three decades, beginning with his early experience programming an Atari 800 personal computer. He later earned a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went on to serve for nearly twenty years as a patent attorney, specializing in intellectual property protection for computer-related innovations.

Robert’s engagement with Zen Buddhism is deeply influenced by over thirty years of dedicated study in Japanese martial arts. He is a graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the Center for Mindfulness and maintains a regular mindfulness meditation practice.

His enduring interest in the intersection of computer technology and the human mind is exemplified in his book The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing is Revolutionizing Law and Business (Stanford University Press, 2009), which explores the automation of creativity within the realm of invention.

Contact Info

• Company: Technology For Mindfulness

• Website: www.TechnologyForMindfulness.com

• Podcast: http://technologyformindfulness.com/podcast

Most Influential Person

• Jack Kornfield

• Joseph Goldstein, one of the first American vipassana teachers, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg

• Also Nicholas G. Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Effect on Emotions

• Mindfulness has transformed how I relate to my emotions, particularly through the stillness it cultivates.

• While martial arts emphasize movement and action, sitting meditation has helped me face emotions more directly.

• Through meditation, I’ve learned not only to notice my feelings but to accept them as they are, rather than trying to change or resist difficult emotions.

Thoughts on Breathing

• Breathing has always been central to my mindfulness practice, rooted in both martial arts and meditation.

• In martial arts, breath is trained for power and stability, with a pragmatic goal of control and deepening.

• In sitting meditation, I approach the breath differently—sometimes relaxing it when shallow, other times simply observing it without change.

• Breath remains the foundation of life and practice, though I’ve learned that at times focusing on it can distract from fully experiencing difficult emotions.

Suggested Resources

• Book: The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing Is Revolutionizing Law and Business by Robert Plotkin

• Book: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas G. Carr

• App: N/A