I’m 41 and drive a 2011 car: no touchscreen, no GPS—just filling up, checking tire pressure, and an occasional oil change. None of my household appliances are smart, and I don’t have a smartwatch. I subscribe to two podcasts and pay a few euros a month for a VPS and a handful of domains. No Spotify, no Netflix, no subscription software. At the beginning of the year, I bought one of those e-scooters you ride while standing up. I installed the app needed to configure the scooter. Then I uninstalled the app. Now a little blue Bluetooth icon is always flashing because the thing wants to connect to my smartphone. I stuck a small sticker over it so it wouldn’t bother me. With the app, you can lock the scooter via smartphone. Instead, I carry a bike lock with me. I always wonder what people who live in this hyper-connected world do when they lose their smartphone. (Please don’t answer that. The question is rhetorical, and I’m not really interested in the answer.)
The Last Quiet Thing
111–120 of 165 posts
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Turn off every notification that isn’t actionable or joyful to you. I have notifications on for Uber Eats because I want updates when I order a food delivery. Of course, the app takes this opportunity to randomly (though infrequently) send me ad notifications during the other 98% of the time. Just this past week I've seen notifications for getting my Easter shopping done, and something for "National Burrito Day" wh…
I solve that in a hilarious way: by uninstalling the app when I’m not using it. Works perfectly, other than some slight sign-in friction, for e.g. airlines, Uber/Etsy, and so on. But I’d rather suffer through logging in with a saved password than receive notification spam — I can respect that others prefer the opposite way.
Nothing ever seems to save my login session more than 10 minutes anymore, so it doesn't even seem like much extra friction.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think efficiency matters at all for washers, as they are a rounding error in terms of water usage. Most water is for agriculture, not domestic consumption.[1] The main issues for appliances are reliability and ease of repair. Newer machines have more electronics and software, making them worse in both respects. 1. https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/05/11/california-water-you-d...
As a resident of rural New Mexico, and board member of our local village water association, I'ev thought about and spoken about this issue a lot. Most of the time, I'm saying the same as you. However ... when you move from the biggest picture view (in this case either state or regional water use patterns) and instead focus on a smaller, local one (e.g. the well(s) that tap into a single aquifer for all the 250 people…
I assumed it would go without saying that a general statement about agricultural water usage would not apply to a desert community of 250 people experiencing a 23 year drought.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#114I’m 41 and drive a 2011 car: no touchscreen, no GPS—just filling up, checking tire pressure, and an occasional oil change. None of my household appliances are smart, and I don’t have a smartwatch. I subscribe to two podcasts and pay a few euros a month for a VPS and a handful of domains. No Spotify, no Netflix, no subscription software. At the beginning of the year, I bought one of those e-scooters you ride while sta…
If that's a rhetorical question then it's meant to have an effect on the reader, but I can't for the life of me understand what you were trying to say. Losing a phone is almost the same "problem" as losing your wallet, and solving it takes maybe half a day.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#115I realize the purpose of the essay, and I agree with the author's sentiment that our possessions ask more of us than is necessary, and more than ever before. But I disagree that any object is finished . That Casio that the author mentions, yes it goes 7 years without a battery change, but the day the battery dies will be the day that you have to buy a new battery, figure out how to open it, and change it. Or (as many…
> Some people choose to rent instead of buying because they don't want to deal with property upkeep (which is undoubtedly a bad deal, but one that some choose to make regardless.)
Is it? My understanding is that strictly return-wise, index funds are distinctly better than property value in most countries, especially if you factor in all the maintenance cost and risks. Some countries have pretty good tenant protection, which is another big factor in practice.
Separately: Personally, I've really enjoyed and benefitted from not having to deal with the complexities of ownership, and it is well worth it in my own time/money/hassle/annoyance calculation. My own time is the single most valuable asset I have; one could say: it is ultimately the only real asset I have. Everything else merely translates to that.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#116I’m 41 and drive a 2011 car: no touchscreen, no GPS—just filling up, checking tire pressure, and an occasional oil change. None of my household appliances are smart, and I don’t have a smartwatch. I subscribe to two podcasts and pay a few euros a month for a VPS and a handful of domains. No Spotify, no Netflix, no subscription software. At the beginning of the year, I bought one of those e-scooters you ride while sta…
If that's a rhetorical question then it's meant to have an effect on the reader, but I can't for the life of me understand what you were trying to say. Losing a phone is almost the same "problem" as losing your wallet, and solving it takes maybe half a day.
What I mean is, it never ceases to surprise me when the situation described in the article is portrayed as inescapable. A good life without all that horror is possible—without having to move into the woods or carry a folding shovel with you every time you go to the bathroom.
Edit: I just realized that your question was specifically about losing a smartphone. I’m not sure if “half a day” is a universal estimate. I can easily imagine that many people would completely lose access to their digital lives because they only realize the implications after the fact. I think I’d need at least half a day just to figure out how to unlock the scooter again after losing my smartphone. I have absolutely no desire to deal with that.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#117The essay resonated a lot, thanks for sharing! Indeed, the crucial point here is realizing that the blame shouldn't be on the user (at least, for the most part). I feel that more people should realize it and demand for a different, less invasive, design of pieces of technology, as things start changing only when a broad enough chunk of society realizes there is an issue and demands for change
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#118Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
It can also make sense to buy old/used versions of consumer products. For example: My parents have a washer & dryer from the mid 90s. They occasionally get a new belt, but besides that there's not much that can go wrong with them. If you're looking at buying used stuff, it's important to research common failures for that specific product and what can be done to fix them. As long as it's popular enough that parts stil…
Newer stuff is more efficient. For example washers and dryers have a direct drive technology with gears that help it use less power and maybe even less water.
> Newer stuff is more efficient. For example washers and dryers have a direct drive technology with gears that help it use less power and maybe even less water.
That's never going to pay off in the long run. They're not significantly more efficient and they're less repairable, so the penny you save per wash is going to be more than offset by buying a new washing machine every five years when the bearing fails just out warranty.
New washing machines have a plastic outer drum that's welded together, so you can't get them apart to replace the bearing when it fails. They are designed that way so they're essentially disposable - after 5000 washes, you must replace the whole washing machine instead of a five quid part you can get from the tractor supply place down the road.
Re: The Last Quiet Thing
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Right at the top is a conspicuous option to read as plain text, which takes you to https://www.terrygodier.com/the-last-quiet-thing/ascii
...which swaps the font for monospace (less legible for body text in my experience, my eyes start just glazing over) and swaps the images and diagrams for ascii art (or in some cases omits them entirely). There’s a comfortable middle-ground to be had between the two options.
it solves your main complaint: gratuitous animation