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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?

#181

Post by Vivtek »

throwanem wrote: post #117
Vivtek wrote: post #105

When Hurricane Maria hit us in 2017, we lost power for two weeks (we were extremely lucky in that - we were among the first 4% of the island to regain power due to our proximity to a hospital). During those two weeks, my entire lifestyle changed, obviously, so it's difficult to know what changed because of that, and what was just the fact that e.g. I went from sedentary tech work to nailing salvaged roof scrap on top…

FYI, that resistor was probably there to bleed charge off the cap when power was removed from the circuit, to keep it from biting. Rather than bad design, it's a standard feature; as you've discovered, big caps without it can be mean, not only to careless fingers, but to the circuit they're in, besides. Granted, it sounds like the resistor had failed short as you found it, and without access to a replacement, cutting…

If the spark literally jumps across between the leads of the resistor before the capacitor charges fully, it is bad design, and not a standard feature.

Once I insulated around it so it could do what it was supposed to do, the zapper worked perfectly, and still works perfectly.

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

#182

Post by Vivtek »

Vivtek wrote: post #181
throwanem wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, that resistor was probably there to bleed charge off the cap when power was removed from the circuit, to keep it from biting. Rather than bad design, it's a standard feature; as you've discovered, big caps without it can be mean, not only to careless fingers, but to the circuit they're in, besides. Granted, it sounds like the resistor had failed short as you found it, and without access to a replacement, cutting…

If the spark literally jumps across between the leads of the resistor before the capacitor charges fully, it is bad design, and not a standard feature. Once I insulated around it so it could do what it was supposed to do, the zapper worked perfectly, and still works perfectly.

It was pretty cool in its broken state, too, with a rhythmic spark occurring inside the handle (which houses the electronics). But I wanted to kill mosquitoes. Our house in Ponce was built for air conditioning - without power it was miserable, as the air circulation through the small windows was effectively nil. We were forced to keep all the doors open to survive.

That first day I killed over forty mosquitoes. Under the dining room table it was just bzzt-zzt-zzt-ztt. Seriously one of the more satisfying episodes of my life.

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

#183

Post by Vivtek »

dralley wrote: post #141
throwanem wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, that resistor was probably there to bleed charge off the cap when power was removed from the circuit, to keep it from biting. Rather than bad design, it's a standard feature; as you've discovered, big caps without it can be mean, not only to careless fingers, but to the circuit they're in, besides. Granted, it sounds like the resistor had failed short as you found it, and without access to a replacement, cutting…

> But now might be a good time to replace it. But be careful about that capacitor, because it might be holding a charge that can't go anywhere but your fingers.

Yes, that lesson took very firmly.

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

#184

Post by glouwbug »

Yes, I moved to a new city, into a poorer neighborhood to save on rent, and tried to set up WIFI in my new apartment. While I was at work, the modem that was delivered got stolen off my front porch. I said forget it, and went 2 years without WIFI. I had data on my phone for the regular chores and such, but I went 2 years without youtube, netflix, steam, (many) reddit gifs, or anything else that was bandwidth heavy.

I read more, programmed more (rewrote one of my favorite video games), swam more, and started weight lifting (I can now squat 225 lbs now, and deadlift 315 lbs). I participated in low bandwidth discussion forums more, like Hacker News, and learned that civil online discourse is still a thing in 2018/2019.

So, I mean, life is out there, and sometimes sic accidentally sic culling your addictions before you realize they're addictions is an important first step. As for where I am now, I have since fled this city after COVID became pronounced, and I once again have the usual amenities - like WIFI - but my brain chemistry is fundamentally different. I now would rather program my own projects after work, or go for a walk in the park, or read some fantasy novel. I no longer binge netflix or youtube.

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

#185

Post by crimsonalucard1 »

rolph wrote: post #179
crimsonalucard1 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glad you didn't get voted down. People, by nature, have one dimensional views about a world that is in actuality multi-dimensional and highly complex. Humans evolved this way in order to navigate the complexity of the world as quick decisions and judgements aid more in survival than best decisions made at the expense of haste. It takes a lot of effort and luck to exit our biases and see that even a murderer, child mo…

re garding the CIA comment, there are core values that are exactly opposite of what was stated. Candor is a fundamental quality for any CIA associate you should be upfront and open about what you want and expect. Recognition of the potential for positive contribution by any and all people, some volunteer this willingly, some must be managed into such a contribution or placed in a context that creates positive results…

Can dor is a stark contrast to skills it takes to be successful in the field of espionage and deception.

A person who is truly honest and open will fail to be a spy as he will reveal the true nature of his intentions way too easily. To succeed against foreign opposition you must be deceptive. To be deceptive means you cannot have candor. If the CIA requires candor as a fundamental quality of any associate then that means they require associates to have qualities that set them up for total failure.

Instead the unstated but obvious conclusion that can support two seemingly contrasting requirements to be a successful agent is this:

What the CIA truly values are people who are good at deceiving the organization itself into thinking they are honest and have candor.

Honestly, I don't think anything I said in this post is true.

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

#186

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

#187

Post by kbob »

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 was 18 the first time I saw a computer. Before that, I gathered info from books, newspapers, magazines, libraries. I stored info on papers in notebooks, and on film. I communicated in person, on the phone, and via mail. And in general I was not very well informed.

I prefer the current situation, where more info than we can possibly use is instantly available. But I acknowledge that it can be overwhelming.

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

#188

Post by wenc »

karatestomp wrote: post #149
Sharlin wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Books and walkmans and gameboys existed, of course, but they were slightly too big to always carry them around in your pocket. Which is why purses/handbags/messenger bags are so great. And at some point in the 90s, fanny packs (which apparently are making some sort of a comeback right now…)

Since all that stuff's smaller now, men can cart around quite a bit of crap in a blazer or sports coat, appropriate year-round (though you may want different ones for summer versus winter depending on where you live) all while dressing their outfit up a notch or two. Blazers: fashionable purses for men. Love 'em. Like a hoodie but with much better storage capacity (yes, really) and gives a better impression. They eve…

Can attest to being able to store keys, phone, comb etc. in blazer without it looking bulgy.

Books do affect the drape though, at least for the cut of blazer I prefer (cut close to the body).

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

#189

Post by biswaroop »

crimsonalucard1 wrote: post #169
biswaroop wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I backpacked through the Himalayas for 2 weeks to Everest base camp. I had internet access throughout the whole trip, so I'd say it depends on where you're backpacking.

That's true EBC is quite the metropolitan hike. I ended up traveling solo in the Indian Himalayas, through Uttarakhand, Himachal, and Ladakh. It's far less developed. I spent a few days without seeing a single human. This was also back in 2013, so it may have changed by now.

But more generally, I'm often out of the service area when I'm backpacking here in the US, so no internet for a week or more. I suppose by backpacking I strictly mean multi-day wilderness camping on remote trails, and not well-established treks between huts or campgrounds.

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