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living without gadgets

genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
edited January 2011 in General Banter
Jan 18, 12:45 PM (ET)
By BETH J. HARPAZ

NEW YORK (AP) - Susan Maushart lived out every parent's fantasy: She unplugged her teenagers.

For six months, she took away the Internet, TV, iPods, cell phones and video games. The eerie glow of screens stopped lighting up the family room. Electronic devices no longer chirped through the night like "evil crickets." And she stopped carrying her iPhone into the bathroom.

The result of what she grandly calls "The Experiment" was more OMG than LOL - and nothing less than an immersion in RL (real life).


Complete story: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20110118/D9KQT36O0.html

Comments

  • I hate gadgets. I didn't even own a car until I moved to a rural area and had to have one. But I'm of a different generation than most people using cell phones, video games, iPods (what's an iPod?) etc., today.
  • The older I get, the less I like gadgets and the "latest thing". I only have a cell phone because I'm required to have one, likewise a laptop computer.

    I just spent a week "unplugged" over the holidays - no TV, no internet, no cell phone, no landline phone, no nothing. It was pure bliss, let me tell you.

    There is such a thing as too much information. An that pretty much describes life in the developed world these days. The nanosecond I'm financially able to do so, I plan on moving somewhere warm and being as unplugged as I can possibly be.

  • edited January 2011
    There is such a thing as too much information. An that pretty much describes life in the developed world these days. The nanosecond I'm financially able to do so, I plan on moving somewhere warm and being as unplugged as I can possibly be.
    Mts., maybe with your anesthetist degree/certif., you could get a job in Italy, southern France (good retirement bennies), or Florida. Have certificate, will travel! It sounds like a pretty portable profession.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Whenever I go to Italy to stay with my mother, she has no television, and we don't buy UK papers. it's bliss. Although I do admit to still using my 'phone.
    But 2 weeks without the internet is a welcome respite, and I find I don't miss it a single bit.
    probably because I actually share very little about myself on-line. I'm not one of those who bares her soul or conducts an on-line expose on herself. I pretty much join in with others, but me? I'm a closed book, and only give out what I feel is necessary. I don't live out my life on a screen....
    You wouldn't believe the sheer number of comments or posts/threads I haven't bothered putting on forum because frankly? It's more often than not better left unsaid....
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited January 2011
    Florida...
    No thanks. Been there, lived there for 12+ years. Never again. Nice place but for the incredibly out of touch, irritating people who live there :) Very un-Buddhist thing to say, but I gotta call 'em like I see 'em. I decided to move from Florida when I had a gun pulled on me on the highway for absolutely no reason.

  • edited January 2011
    Florida is a geezer-haven, isn't it? Are those the incredibly out of touch people you're referring to? Lots of alternative health practitioners, life-extension experts, and the like.

    Belize has always been notorious for crime, BTW. Maybe the tourist resorts have their own private security guard force, or something. Belize has always been the Hole of Central America, unless it's changed in the last decade or so (hard to imagine). Oh well--there's always my other suggestions (Italy, southern France).
    Florida...
    Nice place but for the incredibly out of touch, irritating people who live there :) Very un-Buddhist thing to say, but I gotta call 'em like I see 'em. I decided to move from Florida when I had a gun pulled on me on the highway for absolutely no reason.
  • LoL. Unlike most teenagers at the time, I refused to have a cell phone. If I really wanted to talk to you, I'd find you. Of course, I have one now (relationships and jobs pretty much forced me :grumble: lol) These days, I just wish I was still as much of a Luddite as I used to be. :hiding:

    I still don't watch television shows unless I'm at someone's place and they have it on. The tv in my room is strictly for playing (certain) games (on occasion) and watching movies. Besides, why pay for cable when wifi is free?
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Agreed!
    Wifi for now, soon you won't even have that...
    Internet Neutrality...
    This is a great post!
    I am working on cutting out my gadgets!
    I am getting there!
    Thanks for the reminder!
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    people these days are obsessed with gadgets. it's the newest way to define your social class. i have had the same cell for years now and i'm slightly upset that when i get a new one (which i need to soon), it has to be one of the fancy ones with the data packages for the internet. sadly, that's all they make these days.

    but i have to say, although i don't want it ALL the time, i do love the internet. when i was a kid, i used to read the encyclopedia all the time, but now, i can learn so much via the internet. i will never say i hate the internet because i think that it is changing the world for the better through our simple awareness of each other.
  • WonderingSeekerWonderingSeeker Explorer
    edited January 2011
    Oh dear. Is it bad that I read the thread title with some horror? :hiding:
    Even the thought of being forcibly removed from my gadgets brings me out in a cold sweat - I love my gadgets & I am currently sat in my work office with the work PC, iPhone, laptop & iPad all on ...... :aol:
    I spend my of my day online in one form or another & if I forget to take my mobile phone with me I feel like something is missing.
  • My 75 year old father has always had the cheapest and least "bells and whistles" attached machine he could acquire. When that one broke he bought another. My 19 year old son (dad won't listen to me) encouraged him to upgrade his machine and his service . Dad came over last night and spoke of his new set up with a light in his eyes. He can download at lightning speed, watch video, frequent discussion groups and research obscure topics in history or science. I believe this computer will be his salvation as he is a loner, and a very smart and curious guy.
    So he lived the last ten years of the computer revolution from behind : old slow machines, and seems to have had an awakening.
    When you are old and slow of limb but still young in heart and a seeker, this machine has no equal.
    Anyone for a chat on the role of the Ottomans in the Middle East... you may find him there.
    I think a push should be made for computer stations in all homes for the aged (no , dad is not in one).
  • Would not want to do without my Kindle. All those wonderful books available at the touch of a button. No pain in my hands when holding it and being able to read anything I want without other people nosing at the titles and telling me I am weird.....LOL
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    Would not want to do without my Kindle. All those wonderful books available at the touch of a button. No pain in my hands when holding it and being able to read anything I want without other people nosing at the titles and telling me I am weird.....LOL
    yes! the kindle is amazing, isn't it? i also enjoy the privacy feature.
  • Gadgets can, indeed, be very beneficial for some people. Too addicting for others. But they can bring great joy to those with limitations of various sorts.
  • if I forget to take my mobile phone with me I feel like something is missing.
    Try just six hours with all of it turned off. Then try a whole day. 24 full hours. Then go somewhere on holiday for a whole week. It's an amazing feeling to realize that you don't miss any of it :)
  • I can't help wondering if these phones, blackberrys, and such are resulting in mass Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The constant checking, constant texting.
  • Eggggggggzactly!
  • These days, I just wish I was still as much of a Luddite as I used to be. :hiding:
    I still don't watch television shows unless I'm at someone's place and they have it on.
    Hooray for Luddites! :clap:

    The one thing I miss about not having a TV is PBS documentaries.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited January 2011
    It's now been almost 10 years since I had TV in the house, and I don't miss it. When I do see TV, I feel like I'm being physically assaulted. I do miss the occasional PBS program (I'm currently addicted to "Downton Abbey" by streaming it online), but otherwise not at all.

    People look at me as if I had three heads when I tell them I don't watch TV (or shop at Walmart)...

    :)
  • I have the same experience when people start talking about TV or about various celebs. The only thing I keep the TV for is to watch tennis on Sky.
  • I've been pleasantly surprised to find that several people on this site don't have TVs.
  • Well, to be fair, this forum is on the internet ;)
  • BarraBarra soto zennie wandering in a cloud in beautiful, bucolic Victoria BC, on the wacky left coast of Canada Veteran
    As for me, its my sewing machine! I love the gadget that threads the needle for me, but don't really need the computerized features.
    I watch a lot of TV. My excuse is that I live alone and have no one to talk to, but actually I enjoy the home renovation shows with people who think they can renovate their kitchen for $500. I just sit back and watch the train wreck about to happen! I've switched to a different cable provider, which also provides my telephone service. It gives me call display a nano second before the phone rings, and displays on my TV who is about to call me!
  • Well, to be fair, this forum is on the internet ;)
    True, but it's not on my mobile phone or my toilet (yet - give it time). And I control the flow of content on the web, which you don't do on TV.
  • ... and my list of gadgets includes an electronic meditation timer! :D
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited January 2011
    Barra, I live alone and have no one to talk to, but I much prefer reading to sitting mindlessly in front of the TV. (I'm not sure what living alone has to do with choosing TV...) I learn a lot by reading. So much more satisfying and educational! And quiet. If you want to talk to someone, you can go out and visit friends. I'm all for reviving the lost custom of "going visiting". Friends and neighbors used to drop in on each other regularly, to chat over tea. They still do in some parts of the world. Imagine--interacting with live humans!

    Interesting phone call display svce you have on your TV.
  • The gadgets are what you make of them, and i find the article just to be some fantasy of some person idealizing the idea of living without "evil" gadgets and in the process terrorizing her children with her idea (and talking as if the great book Walden's got something to do with it;)). Note how really all the changes are positive in the article...

    As for myself, if i didn't have my computers i know pretty good what would change (as this is usually what happens if the power goes out here):

    - instead of reading textbooks, which tend to be heavy to carry around and thus not always be on hand, i'd be reading mindless fiction again (quite a favorite pastime of mine in the days before the internet)

    - when i'd have to study, instead of just charging up my netbook and go anywhere to study (my room, kitchen, attic, garden, university library, university wall, city park) id probably always be at home over what in its original form (i'm pretty much all digital now, except for a small notebook and some pens) would probably weigh 3kg for each subject; so i'd go to great lengths not to go anywhere, since moving all at once would be such a pain, could get damaged, and if i did go somewhere i couldn't study the subject i felt like reading about at the moment.

    - connecting with people wouldn't change much, except i'd waste time finding the place where we were supposed to meet (no internet map that finds the location instantly, no GPS), and if i were at a place a friend would likely to be we'd miss each other since we couldn't just send a message/call and ask.

    - i don't own a TV, but i suppose the "no gadgets rule" would mean i couldn't watch the occasional documentary or movie - i don't really see some huge benefit in that

    - when someone called me he'd have to go through all my family first since when phones are shared i'm usually the last one to answer

    - if i had an idea or question that would be relevant to a small group of people (like for example, about buddhism) it would stay unsaid and unanswered

    - i'd spend great amounts of time cooking and preparing food (which is one of my very favorite distractions when i have things to do) - unless the stove's a gadget? Than i'd spend days firing up the grill.

    That person in the article finds playing a saxophone and board games better than playing GTA and talking to friends by SMS. The former are not inherently better than the latter - both are waste time in pretty much the same way, its just that persons nostalgia that makes the former seem so much better.

    So, well, i have days without gadgets (mostly when hiking, going diving and such), and it can be great. Well no, actually i'm lying: id have no cellphone on me to call for help if something went wrong (ok though it is true that i don't have a cell phone on me while underwater ;) - but it still applies, one could call for help much more quickly by just finding one's own cellphone than go around looking for a landline in an unknown location).
  • edited January 2011
    Some of us are old-fashioned, and prefer reading books and actual newspapers (there's something satisfying about holding those in one's hands and turning the pages, sitting back in a comfortable chair and curling up with a book or paper), and we don't need internet maps or GPS to guide us to our friends.

    Cell phones don't help much when you're hiking in mountainous terrain; the mountains get in the way of the transmission. They're useful for driving emergencies, I'll admit. My cell phone is for emergencies only.

    Stoves aren't gadgets. Microwaves are, but some may debate that. I consider washers and dryers "gadgets"; they make a lot of noise, and dryers consume a lot of electricity, most of which in the US comes from coal-fired plants. I go to the laundromat to wash clothes, then bring them home wet to line-dry them.
  • I tried a Kindle but hated it. I enjoy the feel of holding a book in my hands and turning the pages with my fingers. There's something sterile and impersonal about an electronic thingie. Not to mention that "they" are able to keep track of what you read (putting on my tinfoil hat now).
  • LOL! Not to mention the batteries all the electronic thingies require! Everything takes a battery these days, even thermometers and bathroom scales! You have to really hunt to get the non-battery versions. :(
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    if I forget to take my mobile phone with me I feel like something is missing.
    Try just six hours with all of it turned off. Then try a whole day. 24 full hours. Then go somewhere on holiday for a whole week. It's an amazing feeling to realize that you don't miss any of it :)
    Great suggestion!
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Well, to be fair, this forum is on the internet ;)
    True, but it's not on my mobile phone or my toilet (yet - give it time). And I control the flow of content on the web, which you don't do on TV.
    What do you do with your time?
    I am interested, if you don't mind...
  • BarraBarra soto zennie wandering in a cloud in beautiful, bucolic Victoria BC, on the wacky left coast of Canada Veteran
    #
    Dakini January 20
    Barra, I live alone and have no one to talk to, but I much prefer reading to sitting mindlessly in front of the TV. (I'm not sure what living alone has to do with choosing TV...) I learn a lot by reading. So much more satisfying and educational! And quiet. If you want to talk to someone, you can go out and visit friends. I'm all for reviving the lost custom of "going visiting". Friends and neighbors used to drop in on each other regularly, to chat over tea. They still do in some parts of the world. Imagine--interacting with live humans!

    Interesting phone call display svce you have on your TV.
    ;;;;;;;

    Youza! that smarts!

    I know that I don't have to do this, but thought I'd let you know that I watch tv when I'm not: chasing down issues as chair of my strata council, volunteering in the community, reading (4 books concurrently), doing needlework, sewing complex constructions etc etc etc.......

    (there, now I feel better... ):o
  • What do you do with your time?
    I am interested, if you don't mind...
    I'm a full time grad student right now. But prior to this summer when I started school I would read, watch the occasional movie (DVD or streamed), or work on some of the freelance illustration work I did then.

    It *is* possible to occupy your time without TV. Millions of us do it :)


  • Youza! that smarts!
    :o


    Sorry, Barra; I didn't mean you were watching TV mindlessly, merely expressing my own sentiments toward my own TV watching. I hate the way one tunes in to a specific show, but then, somehow, the TV stays on, sometimes for hours, and one ends up watching programs one has no real interest in, just staring at the thing. That's why I gave mine away.
  • Just thought of a gadget that I literally cannot live without - my implanted defibrillator! It also means that even if I wanted to I could never disappear as the serial number is registered with the manufacturer! So I will also never be an unidentified body.......Very weird when it beeps which it does when the battery is going!
  • I think an AICD is a bit different from an iPhone. Unless you have a Bluetooth enabled AICD that also gets email and can surf the web :)
  • Some of us are old-fashioned, and prefer reading books and actual newspapers (there's something satisfying about holding those in one's hands and turning the pages, sitting back in a comfortable chair and curling up with a book or paper)...

    I used to agree on that (mostly when i still read many fiction books), although i admit i don't really care anymore whether the book is on paper or some electronic device. But what i know for sure is that there is just nothing satisfying about holding a 1000 page book in your hands or lap for extended amounts of time, or being in the same position because of it for a long time, and there is also nothing fun about accidently damaging such a book when carrying it around (most electronic devices today can take a lot of abuse compared to a big book) - since those books can cost $100 each...

    ...Cell phones don't help much when you're hiking in mountainous terrain; the mountains get in the way of the transmission...

    This is not true where i live - i never had a problem with using my cell phone on any of the mountains around here (there are big antennas on some of the mountains, might have something to do with this).


    Besides i found another good thing about gadgets that i didn't mention. My schoolmates tend to get all whiny if some lecturer dims the light because of his presentation for to long, since they can't take notes. Well i don't look at the keyboard as a write, and the characters on the screen are backlit, so i don't care even if someone decided to lecture in the pitch dark =D And this can be quite a problem for some students nowadays, since most of the lecturers use some kind of presentation material to cast on the screen (which does not go well with a well lit room).

  • It would be great if my ICD could surf the web! Apparently the new models can be interrogated over the phone, and they're also working on wireless and kinetic energy to increase battery life. If I didn't have my ICD I was told I have a 25% probability of dropping down dead in any single year and could look forward to the rest of my life on the sofa.....

    I'm interested in a form of rejection of the kindle as if somehow reading on a kindle is 'inferior' to reading paper books. It does feel different, but it is great in many ways.
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran

    I'm interested in a form of rejection of the kindle as if somehow reading on a kindle is 'inferior' to reading paper books. It does feel different, but it is great in many ways.
    i'm a very avid reader and i was actually very anti-kindle for a long time. i love the feel of a book and thought it could never replace that. but my girlfriend wanted one, so it was actually her birthday present and as a result, i've used it quite a bit as well... and it's funny because i've realized things that bothered me about books i wasn't even really aware of. such as, always having others be aware of what i'm reading in public situations. i also tend to flip between reading a lot of buddhist literature and non-fiction and i'm not always in the mood for one or the other, so it's very nice to just have to bring a kindle with you...instead of 3 or 4 books. it's cheaper to buy books and i never have to go to the bookstore only to find that what i wanted was out of stock (this is a BIG one). there are certain books i'd still rather own, especially ones i am inclined to make notation in, but in general... the kindle is a very smart buy. i'm pretty sure that we're already close to getting our money back with the money we've saved on ebooks.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    Florida is a geezer-haven, isn't it? Are those the incredibly out of touch people you're referring to? Lots of alternative health practitioners, life-extension experts, and the like.
    There are many very nice Buddhist centers in Florida, I happen to be a member of several of them. Stop dissing Florida!

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