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How Long Could You Live Without Your Gadgets?
DruCipher writes "CNet.co.uk is running a very funny article about Andrew Lim, the resident mobile phone reviewer, trying to live without all his favorite gadgets. The article sees Andrew try to survive without a mobile phone, a computer, an MP3 player and a TV. At the end of his technology detox he feels more relaxed without all his gadgets but cracks after a few days, 'Like all proper detoxes, though, my zen-like calm didn't last for long. Once I'd finished my gadget starvation, I was straight back to the tech binging. A remote control gun you say? Yes please!'"
Somehow this article reminds me of this story.
I have a great long term memory for facts, figures and technical specifications, but I can't remember phone numbers, names, or appointments to save my life. You'd think an appointment book would work, but I don't remember to actually look at the damn thing, so I need it to beep at me to remind m of what shit is going on in my life. If I was living alone, I'd literally collapse without my Treo. I got a Handspring Visor soon after my first job out of college to remember all this stuff.
My G4 Mac hasn't been good enough to play any new games that have come out for over a year, I don't have cable, and my treo has email capability and reasonable web searching capability.
As a bonus, I have all my important music on my Treo SD card.
Everything revolves around my Treo. Soon, it will revolve around my iPhone.
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
I wonder what the statistics are for people who don't actually have any "gadgets" when dealing with things they can't be away from.
I'm guessing that everyone has about 3 or more things they wouldn't be able to go without doing, regardless of their genre. I'm sure some people couldn't go without cleaning religiously or without sewing or buying clothes.
I'd also like to see the correlation of the abscence of gadgets vs. OCD.
"Please, shut up. Just when I think you can't say anything more stupid, you speak again." -Archie Bunker.
I only use one gadget, an old black-and-white-screen iPod, and only had a desktop computer until a couple of days ago. I only really use the MP3 player in the car. However, that doesn't preclude me from gadgetism. I'm a software gadget freak. If I don't have my iTunes hotkey control, my app launcher (Quicksilver), my Gmail checker, and my virtual desktops (VirtueDesktops), I'm much less happy, as I learned after getting this shiny new Macbook Pro. It also goes for audio plugins. If I don't have 8 extra synthesizers that I never use, I feel limited.
or at least that was they said in Fight Club.
;-) I have fun with computers for playing music, for documenting / advancing personal projects, communicating with friends and relatives, etc. I hear you say (or is this myself?) that we all need balance. I already play outside on a mostly daily basis... but what happens when gadgets are the hub of your life? What's the point of starting new hobbies (woodworking?) if my most dear personal projects require gadgets and computers? Have I become a pseudo-slave of gadgets.
:-)
This is a dear subject to me; we have no TV, no car, no microwave, no dishwasher, only one cell phone (my wife needs it for her job), etc. The minimal amount of "gadgets". Since things we own require attention. Requiring attention is not necessarily a bad thing, but you don't chose the time when your hard disk will fail and you'll need to take care of another hardware-related issue.
The main thing left is computers. We have three. I really want to spend less time in front of computers (especially since my day job requires me to be in front of one most of my work time), but the problem (challenge?) is that a lot of my hobbies / dreams / projects are tied to computers. (change computers in the last sentence for your favorite gadget so that I'm not too off-topic
Having no TV (for the last 8 years and we don't miss it at all) makes sure I'm not hypnotized by it, however, computers and Internet (/. anyone?) succeeds in swallowing me way too often...
Ah.... challenges of a life surrounded by gadgetry...
Animoog.org
But now, my mind no longer remembers phone numbers, even ones that I call on a regular basis. I can always just look up numbers, so there is no reason to remember them.
It used to be no problem to memorize stuff. In fact, I was extremely good at it. But now that my computer remembers everything for me, I find that my own memory has gotten very poor. It would probably take quite a while to adapt to not having it.
The only times I've really gone without technology recently were on vacations. It is definitely relaxing, but part of that could be the vacation and place itself, not just freedom from technology. There isn't really much that stressful going on, or a need to memorize much of anything.
A couple summers back, I moved into an apartment with no internet and no tv. I had no job, and my laptop's screen was broken.
It was the best summer of my life: I learned how to cook, read, play piano, build stuff, and take leisurely walks and bike rides.
(Incidentally, one of the books I read was Carl Honoré's book "In Praise of Slow", which is very appropriate to this topic!)
- RG>
Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
I was forced to live without my gadgets for a while back in 2003 when hurricane Juan knocked out the power for 2 weeks... and it really.. really sucked.
I have always accepted that I'm obsessed with technology (a programmer by trade, it kind of comes with the business).. but it didn't occur to me that I'm literally addicted. Reflecting, I realized that I rely on some form of technology for almost all sources of entertainment. The first few days were not all that bad, in fact, they were kind of interesting. The storm had not done any damage to our house, we had plenty of food, it was just like an extended blackout. But then boredom set in, and within a week I was going out of my mind.
It didn't help that the electric company played games with our minds. They came by about a week and a half in and fixed the power on ONE HALF (not the half we live on) of our street. Turns out we are actually fed by a different set of lines. I'm out there talking with my neighbors, and we're like... "there coming back right... RIGHT??!!??!!".
But do I think theres a problem with any of this? No, not really. I'll admit, if someone dropped me off on some deserted island, I probably wouldn't last long. But I don`t really think dependence on technology is a problem... as long as one insures he always has an adequate supply *pats generator*.
Seriously. I never get the point of these kinds of articles. "Could you go without air conditioning?" Yes, I'd be hot. "Can you live without pens." Oh no, time for a pencil. The point they're trying to make always seems to be somewhat muddied by a rather obvious glorification of tool A as something other than a way to produce effect B. As if there was ever any obsession with the tool other than as a means of getting to that end. I don't care one bit about my heart, for example. What I do care about, is getting the blood moved, handled, and distributed correctly around my body. I don't care about the pen or pencil, I care about getting information laid out on an easily distributable and reproducible medium. Could I shut the internet off, isolating me from the news and opinions of the rest of the planet, aside from a handful of friends and family who probably agree with me on most things and share the same biases and preconceptions which arise from being a part of any particular social and geographical location? Sure, but a better question would be to ask why that might or might not be a good thing.
I've enjoyed reading everyones' comments.
I was homeless for a while. I learned a lot about what was important during those few weeks. I also had piles of bills to pay. I found a job, got a cheap apartment, paid off my bills, got married, went back to school, lived happily ever after, etc. When you've gone through building your life from *nothing*, you simply don't care what comes your way because you already know you can get through *anything* let alone the stupid gadgets.
As a result I tend to focus on things that improve myself, things that can never be taken away no matter what circumstances come my way. I don't play computer games because I see no self improvement there. I *feel* guilty because I'm not getting the most I can out of life. I see computer games as checking out and not facing reality. I've never seen someone become a better person because they played computer games or coveted gadgets. But I've seen things like computer games ruin marriages.
I don't invest in gadgets because they don't tend to produce a better person. Indulging in simple pleasures improves the soul. I'm a developer so I work on computers all day. I administer Linux servers at home and I write code for pleasure. I like these things because they improve my mind and help others.
If I wasn't married, I would throw my cell phone in the nearest gutter. If I didn't need to answer to a family I would stop cable TV because I hardly ever watch it. I would be a teacher in Mathematics and Physics or something if I didn't need to support a house. But I've made compromises because my family and my wife have brought so *much* joy to me. And that's a fair trade.
I think the discussion would have been more meaningful if it was more along the lines of "What compromises have you made in life because of putting resources towards worthless gadgets?" Or how about "Do gadgets take away from enjoying life and getting the most you can out of everyday?"
I love technology for what it can enhance, but I try not to let it *ever* be the focus of my life. It's a tool to accomplish other things like engaging in thoughtful musings on Slashdot. I've learned a lot about other people's thoughts and opinions by reading Slashdot and other such sites. It *enhances* my life because it allows me to hold up my thoughts to the scrutiny of others and allows me to learn more about myself when objective criticism comes my way.
Gadgets should never be a focus. People, family and friends should be the focus. Only gadgets that help those objectives like my cell phone for talking to my wife are worth the hassle.
Fresh horses and more whiskey for my men.
-matthew
That distinction is actually a little less clear than you think. The biggest issues affecting the quality of life on this island are poor (i.e. no) health care and very low educational standards. We've been working with members of two villages to try to improve conditions, and in the course of this work identified communications as one of the key criteria in enabling improvements in basic services. Those very devices that seem so superfluous in North America and Europe can actually save lives here.
Let me put it this way: That camera phone that's nothing but a toy for some can be used to save lives by allowing doctors to make remote diagnoses. An iPod can be used to store and easily transport multimedia files in areas where laptops just can't survive.
I'm not contending that this thread hasn't been about people's silly and time-wasting toys; rather I'm trying to put those toys into a broader context so that we can better understand just what technology means to humanity, and to try to save an otherwise useless thread from utter triviality. I'm sorry if you find that a distraction
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.