‘Turn off your computer’: Why and when did Eric Schmidt say so?

Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt in his address to some 6,000 graduates during the commencement ceremony of the University of Pennsylvania made a rather unexpected statement. He proclaimed: “Turn off your computer.”

“You are actually going to have to turn off your phone, and discover all that is human around us," Eric Schmidt stated while delivering his speech. He added: "Nothing really beats holding the hand of your grandchild as he (or she) walks first steps."

During the ceremony he received an honorary doctor of science degree. Amy Gutmann, the University’s President, underlined his ‘manifold contributions to putting the world at humanity's fingertips’. He quipped: "You’ve devoted your entire career to heralding a new age of learning empowered by new-age technology."

On his part, Schmidt acknowledged Penn’s significant role in developing one of the first electronic computers ever constructed, in 1946. "Literally everything you see - every computer, every mobile phone, every other device - descends from the principles invented right here," he remarked.

Just a day before his visit to Penn, the Google CEO-Chairman received an honorary degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He delivered a similar off-beat speech there. He joked at the differences between his generation and the one referred to as the ‘Google & Facebook generation. The dynamic techie acknowledged the tough economic times now surrounding the Class of 2009. Interestingly, he argued that recession could provide a perfect opportunity for innovation.