Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986 • Hacker News Board

Re: Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986

#41

Post by D9u » Tue, Sep 10, 2013, 5:56 AM UTC

We got cable in my rural community in the late 1970's so I don't see why they've shunned cable while claiming that they won't use technology from 1986 and later...

Looking back, I wish that we'd had the internet when I was growing up, as well as personal computers, for I would like to think that my life would have turned out differently had I been exposed to programming while still in secondary school rather than during my mid twenties.

I kick myself for not joining the Air Force, because my test scores were high, but in my youthful indiscretion I chose the Army because it seemed more "manly." (hindsight is 20/20)

Re: Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986

#42

Post by L_Rahman » Tue, Sep 10, 2013, 6:16 AM UTC

Aloha wrote: post #33

GuiA wrote: post #13

Nothing new to see here, we've seen those experiments countless times before. If one of them falls sick, they'll be glad for 2013 medical practices and technology.

Medical technology has not really moved forward too much for basic care from 1986 (HIV and new Chemotherapy drugs are the two things I can think of brought to market since then)

While it's arguable that there haven't many major advancements in surgical techniques since 1986 aside from a few notable exceptions, medical diagnostic tools have seen significant improvement and now allow us to diagnose many life threatening diseases long before the become incurable.

Our ability to catch diseases is almost as, if not more, important than our ability to cure them and this ability has increased manifold in the past thirty years.

Re: Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986

#43

Post by RestlessMind » Tue, Sep 10, 2013, 6:21 AM UTC

eksith wrote: post #20

I'm reminded of those 60's futuristic reels of what the 80's would be like. Slight tangent: "The 1950's was the last time in our history people had any taste in clothing" - Patton Oswalt. In an ideal world, we'll all dress in 50's - early 60's fashion. Computers won't look, sound or even interact with us like computers I.E. they should be invisible and only have their presence known when we have a guest at the door o…

Some of those ideas can actually be valid startup-ideas.

Re: Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986

#44

Post by contingencies » Tue, Sep 10, 2013, 6:36 AM UTC

chasing wrote: post #31

Person 1: "I have a great idea! Instead of thinking critically about how we use technology and its impact on our lives -- good and bad -- let's just make some arbitrary restriction that'll actually probably retard our kids in this modern technological world more than it'll help them. Because, as we know, the best way to get children to do anything safely -- from driving to drugs to sex, or all three at once -- is to…

Because, as we know, the best way to get children to do anything safely -- from driving to drugs to sex, or all three at once -- is to...

... make them do it exactly how we did it. Because that's clearly superior to all this goodarned whipper-snapper fandanglin'.

Re: Meet the Family That Shuns Technologies Introduced After 1986

#45

Post by bhaak » Tue, Sep 10, 2013, 7:58 AM UTC

jhonovich wrote: post #27

jpatokal wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and they can even distinguish between the years 1886 and 1986.

Is it really that fascinating to cover a single family living in 1986 when a half million people in the US still live essentially in 1886?

Yes, it is more fascinating. Besides what MichaelGG said that the Amish do use modern technology when they think it's useful, there are way more documentaries about the Amish than about people living like 30 years ago.

It's worth realizing how much our world changed in those decades.