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Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#131

Post by carapace »

luddite99 wrote: post #42
zikzak wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Came here more or less to say this. I really think a pre-Internet, pre-highly connected brain is different from one where the Internet is ubiquitous. I am not saying it is better, but it is different. The idea that to look something up you have to remember it or note it down by your family's telephone on a slip of paper, go to the library, find a reference book you can't even take home with you, research it in that a…

Yeah the 80s are definitely outside of my frame of reference, growing up in the 90s alongside the growth of household computers and the internet, living with technology has been the baseline for me. It's interesting to hear the experience of those who grew up on the other side of that divide and have an insight into both of those worlds.

Maybe I'm an outlier but I'm old enough, and I think the phone/screen thing is a fad. The moment more natural peripherals become usable the screen will go the way of the landline. (I mean things like AR in your contact lenses, input through gesture and dance via "wearable" sensors, holographic sound, and so on.)

I think you're also going to get colonies of non-tech people. (The Amish are among the best farmers in the world and have large families. They are the meek who will inherit the world, eh?) There may arise small towns and enclaves that are retro-tech as a way of life.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#132

Post by the_pwner224 »

I have stopped having my phone connected to the cell network, but not for the same reasons as you. I almost always have it in airplane mode except for the periods of time when I know someone will need to call me. My motivation was to not help build the authoritarian state which is currently being constructed in the U.S. - your location is tracked and sold in live time by private companies to whoever wants it, and government agencies regularly track phones (location & communication) at a huge scale with no oversight, clearly demonstrated once again during recent events.

I still keep it connected to home WiFi and keep Bluetooth on but without beacon scanning, and I do use it - so maybe not the most helpful response for you.

So far the only issues are that I don't get the occasional text messages that friends send. This can be mitigated by using applications like Telegram, Signal, etc., but not everyone is on those. If you had an Apple Phone then iMessage would also hugely help.

I would like to cancel my phone service completely but am not sure whether it's feasible to take that step, since many things 'require' you to have a phone number. For example creating accounts at many online services. It's also often required for government forms but in that case a human might actually be able to help you. Same thing for job applications, but in that case they might just not bother with you if you bring up this weird thing with them. As a final year college student that final one is the most worrying to me.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#133

Post by kevwil »

First 25 years of my life. It was glorious.

I would start by making a list of what you think are critical uses of tech, and work on trimming that list down until all that's left is almost impossible to do analog. You'll probably need to buy stamps and a good map, and learn to memorize phone numbers. Film cameras are cheap but getting processing and printing can be an expensive hassle.

I'm still wondering if search engines have replaced encyclopedias and libraries to the point that knowledge is lost or inaccessible without the Internet. I hope not, I don't believe "online is forever", too many sites and records just fade away when a book can last hundreds of years (or burn up in minutes, true).

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#134

Post by DanTheManPR »

INTPenis wrote: post #115
whiddershins wrote: post #113

First of all, if you are over a certain age, the phrasing of this question might feel surreal. Because before a not-that-long-ago date, everyone did this all the time. That said, a few years ago I was forced to do this because I was on a beach in Mexico with no service. It took several days for the addiction to wear off, and I had been already ‘on vacation’ for about 2 weeks previous, just I was still plugged in. I h…

I had the same thought, the 90s. And what did I do in the 90s? I smoked cigarettes. All alone, at a bus stop, or waiting for a friend. It was torture just standing there as a teenager in the 90s. Had to start smoking. I'm not saying smartphones made me quit smoking but mp3 players did give me an excuse to put headphones on and at least do something while waiting for public transportation and the like. I did own a wal…

I remember being very bored a lot in the 90s. Waiting around in the laundromat, sitting in waiting rooms, riding the bus, doing house and yard work. Books and walkmans and gameboys existed, of course, but they were slightly too big to always carry them around in your pocket.

I was a very early listener of audiobooks on digital media players, which was a godsend for alleviating that kind of boredom.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#135

Post by collyw »

abyssin wrote: post #97
vekker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second this. If you can look past the "Goenka dogma", these 10-day retreats offered around the world are a great way to experience life raw and without distraction of technology or otherwise, in meditation.

I agree about the fact they're a great opportunity to experience a unique lifestyle for the duration of one's stay. I've never felt calmer in my life than during the Vipassana retreat I did two years ago. But I'd advise anyone thinking of attending a retreat to look up critical opinions on the topic. I was personally put off by the sectarian vibe that I felt when I was there, much to my surprise. The method has its m…

Yes, there is a bit of "bullshit" that goes with a Goenka course for want of a better word. The way I looked at it was the only reason I was being annoyed by it was because of my ego. Question why those aspects of the course bother you.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#136

Post by kyawzazaw »

the_pwner224 wrote: post #132

I have stopped having my phone connected to the cell network, but not for the same reasons as you. I almost always have it in airplane mode except for the periods of time when I know someone will need to call me. My motivation was to not help build the authoritarian state which is currently being constructed in the U.S. - your location is tracked and sold in live time by private companies to whoever wants it, and gov…

Now might be the perfect time to persuade people to get on Signal.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#137

Post by tjbiddle »

I've had a few experiences with this:

I've gone to a meditation retreat twice. First time was 5 days, second time was 3 days. Both times no electronics were allowed, so we would put them in a locker when checking in.

Another time was unintentional when I was younger - broke my phone and just decided to see how I'd fare without it. Went 2-3 weeks I think. Still had access to other tech though.

All experiences without tech have always been marvelous. If I could get away from it more regularly, I would. Lately the primary goal for my business is getting it to the point where I can completely F off for a few weeks and things still run smoothly. Hopefully I'm there in a month or two.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#138

Post by biswaroop »

pards wrote: post #4

I did it for about 3 months while backpacking around South America in 2007 (before smartphones). I occasionally use the internet via 'internet cafes' to send a few emails and to research destinations. I kept a hand-written journal every day.

I'm surprised backpacking isn't a more common answer. Pretty much every time I go backpacking, I'm essentially isolated from the world. My phone is just a camera/reference device at that point. Like you, I spent a few months backpacking before smartphones, and it was amazing.

I ended up losing my camera charger too, so I had to sketch everything I saw in my journal. I got pretty good at it, and realized how much more methodical, thoughtful, and slow sketching is, compared to photography. It was an enlightening experience. I bet you treasure your journal a lot. I certainly do.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever gone without a computer or phone for an extended period?

#139

Post by vzidex »

cdiamand wrote: post #125

My PC broke 6 months ago. It's forced me to stop gaming and focus on work (as that is all my laptop can handle.) I've seen an improvement in physical health and productivity, as well as a noticeable increase in "pleasure" from doing work. This shift has led me to believe that videogames, atleast for me, were a net negative. I will still hop on Steam to chat with friends, but I don't feel the addictive pull to play th…

My PC never broke, but for the first ~2 years of my undergrad (I'm about to start my final year) I didn't have time to play games at all because I completely overloaded myself with work.

It might be some combination of burnout and depression, but I haven't had much of that addictive urge either, since. When I have a free evening on a weekend I might put a few hours into a story-based single player game - finishing it in a month or two, compared to ~1 week at the peak of my gaming habits in high school.

It's interesting to hear to me that there's other people with similar experiences :)

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