On Independence Day, who was free from techno tyranny?

Editor's note: This story has been updated since its appearance July 1.

When in the course of holiday events, it becomes necessary for one workforce to dissolve the technological bands which have connected them with another 24/7-365 and to assume among the powers of Microsoft, Google and RIM, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of cubicle dwellers everywhere requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation from these gadgets that oppress them, for one three-day weekend at least. …

The Fourth of July holiday weekend means more than just barbeques, pool parties and fireworks. “Independence” is the operative word, of course. There is that matter of declaring independence from a colonial empire and taking the first steps toward becoming a democratic nation. But independence can mean other things as well, so we asked readers to expand it over the weekend to a declaration of independence from the 21st century technological tools that serve us but also, sometimes, oppress us.

That BlackBerry keeps you in touch with your office, but how often does it feel as if it is your master, rather than the other way around? Is a laptop PC your only constant companion? You can’t live without e-mail, but how often do you wish you could?

Say you’ve become enamored of Facebook or Twitter, spending your free time updating your profile or telling the world what you had for lunch. Do you really need to report that the fireworks were loud?

In the spirit of Independence Day, readers told us which technology tool, be it hardware or software, they would most like to take a holiday from, even if just for the weekend. Their responses appear in the comments below.