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Off the Grid, but Still Online

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Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#41

Post by tcdent »

codingdave wrote: post #12

There are also middle grounds you can take. I, and other people in my area, live on homesteads, doing our organic / permaculture farming thing, growing our own food, expanding our solar arrays... while also having a good internet connection and a grid-tie so we can do our coding day jobs for part of the day, pay our bills, then shut down and spend the rest of our time in a more disconnected state. I wish I could disc…

Do you have anything published? I get really excited when I see crossover into this community.

I'm in the early stages of my transition; the mentality is solidly there, still working on infrastructure and tools, and money.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#42

Post by bmj »

sliverstorm wrote: post #24
ecobiker wrote: post #17

(Disclaimer: Slightly off-topic. Also, it's not my intention to belittle their lifestyle. I hope I don't come across that way.) Some of the things they need even in this disconnected lifestyle - like the mobile home, laptops, books, solar panels, batteries and even the slippers have to be made by someone doing a 9-5 job somewhere. The idea of civilization to me is to take advantage of these specialists who are really…

There is definitely an irony to people who make a show of disconnecting, but do so on the largess of society. In this piece, the guy who gets free electricity and shelter from his friend's shed. Or what I used to run into frequently, the rebel wanderer who eschews The System and couch surfs at the houses of his office worker friends. I don't mind people who want to disconnect, but when you've got a campstove, a phone…

So in order to "disconnect" you need to leave everything behind, go into the woods, and make everything from scratch?

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#43

Post by turar »

grecy wrote: post #40
Luc wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aw, I'm so jealous of the amount of grand nature in North America. It seems out of the question for me on a EU passport to live long term in Canada. You're lucky!

I'm Australian, and have gone through ~7 years of paperwork to become an Canadian Permanent Resident. I have another ~5 years for citizenship, which I'm working towards because Canada really is that awesome :) I'm sure there are places equally as stunning in the Northern European countries.

Doesn't Australia have its own vast remote wilderness? Or is freezing cold preferable to scorching hot?

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#44

Post by sliverstorm »

bmj wrote: post #42
sliverstorm wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is definitely an irony to people who make a show of disconnecting, but do so on the largess of society. In this piece, the guy who gets free electricity and shelter from his friend's shed. Or what I used to run into frequently, the rebel wanderer who eschews The System and couch surfs at the houses of his office worker friends. I don't mind people who want to disconnect, but when you've got a campstove, a phone…

So in order to "disconnect" you need to leave everything behind, go into the woods, and make everything from scratch?

No, the ones that irk me are specifically the people who make a big show about everything that's wrong with modern life and capitalism and such, and how much better it is to live off the land free of the corrupting influences society, and yet don't see how much they still depend on "The System" they profess to hate so much.

The ones in this piece don't particularly seem to be that type, I suppose, so maybe it's not relevant.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#45

Post by pointytrees »

ecobiker wrote: post #17

(Disclaimer: Slightly off-topic. Also, it's not my intention to belittle their lifestyle. I hope I don't come across that way.) Some of the things they need even in this disconnected lifestyle - like the mobile home, laptops, books, solar panels, batteries and even the slippers have to be made by someone doing a 9-5 job somewhere. The idea of civilization to me is to take advantage of these specialists who are really…

I had already bookmarked this post because I love the idea. But your response is incredibly thought provoking.

I love the idea of moving to Alaska or Canada in the wilderness, and figuring out how to survive and stay connected.

I'm thinking on the fly, but I think I would be contributing to society. My specialty is web programming and software architecture. I'd even go so far as to call it an art form.

I encounter a problem. Sleep on it for a few days, then bam, things settle into place and I spend a couple days solid programming. Those days that I'm "sleeping on it" if I'm at work, I'm often distracted by day-to-day tasks that usually could have been handled by someone else.

I'm not sold on the concept one way or the other. I do like the idea of a middle-ground solution.

I really appreciate your counter-argument. Good to think about at least.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#46

Post by OneOneOneOne »

dougmwne wrote: post #39
OneOneOneOne wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right on. When considering lifestyle choices I ask myself how many people could live the same way. If it turns out to be a small minority before collapse, I reject it as a path for myself. To me off grid lifestyle seems a retreat from the goods of society without a commensurate benefit to self and others. As an art movement or experiment I say fine.

I’m sure some of these off-grid philosophies don’t hold water when you put it like that. However, consider that many people out there have been dealt a bad hand by society. They’ll never have the options or opportunities that most of us posting here take for granted. “Doing your part for society” may work for most of us, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some people out there are going to have more peaceful…

I cannot say whether this is the right choice for others.

An off grid, self reliant lifestyle is very attractive to me. This is my counter argument for myself.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#48

Post by rza »

This might have been a good article had it not been for the pretentious, holier-than-thou introduction. Apparently enjoying the fruits of a modern life make you a mindless drone compared to the "contemporary fine artist" who lives on a boat or someone living in a forest re-inventing the wheel for every modern necessity.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#49

Post by marricks »

codingdave wrote: post #12

There are also middle grounds you can take. I, and other people in my area, live on homesteads, doing our organic / permaculture farming thing, growing our own food, expanding our solar arrays... while also having a good internet connection and a grid-tie so we can do our coding day jobs for part of the day, pay our bills, then shut down and spend the rest of our time in a more disconnected state. I wish I could disc…

Do you have any more info on this type of existence or communities which have this?

As a vegan, programmer, and someone very interested in leaving in nature and off the grid this sound like a sort of unicorn heavenly existence that only existed in 21st century fairy tales.

Re: Off the Grid, but Still Online

#50

Post by rboyd »

codingdave wrote: post #12

There are also middle grounds you can take. I, and other people in my area, live on homesteads, doing our organic / permaculture farming thing, growing our own food, expanding our solar arrays... while also having a good internet connection and a grid-tie so we can do our coding day jobs for part of the day, pay our bills, then shut down and spend the rest of our time in a more disconnected state. I wish I could disc…

My fiance and I left Chicago (and $1700/mo) in July for this kind of middle ground. I cross-referenced national fiber optic rollout with low population/rural areas and we found a few acres with 1gbps FTTH in the Lake of the Ozarks area. Our place came with an existing 2 bedroom home with existing private well and electric, all-in we bought for under 2 years worth of Chicago rent.

Our home is/was a bit of a fixer-upper, and it's harder to get help with labor here (it exists, but it's expensive). But one thing I've noticed is that learning plumbing/construction/mechanics has been way easier than learning software. You definitely sweat more though.

Turn-key housing here exists too, it just comes at more of a premium. Also, your social life is obviously impacted. You're probably well-advised to already have a family or s/o (or just are comfortable being alone).

All told, I think this is a great option if you're feeling trapped in your career but have stockpiled some cash. It probably doesn't require near as much money as you might think to make the jump.

For us it's exactly what we needed to focus on our startups without going the traditional VC route. We'd love to see more people going this route. Let me know if I can help.

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