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Retro-Tech Parenting

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Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#161

Post by mohamedkoubaa »

anthk wrote: post #118
masterj wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Protecting your kids from dopamine-drip algorithms and the effects of social media and short-form video during their most formative years and gradually letting them take over as they mature sounds like… parenting.

I've been there, but going to cybercafés instead of having an internet connection at home until very late. A simlar case with a mobile phone, having to use the one from my dad until I had 18. I nearly ended up alone, as anynone would expected. Parents understood too late the value of sharing common culture points, up to the point to apologyze and feeling really desperate on the consecuences. Cracking up wifi and such…

Or: if you do this, go live in a community where this is the norm. No, it's not possible for everyone. But then again we can't all have nice things.

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#162

Post by floren »

OkayPhysicist wrote: post #125
floren wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I'll be done with marching band practice at 6:30" "Ok, I'll come get you then"

Works great until your kid's the one that can't join their friends on, say, grabbing dinner after band practice, because they have no way of telling you "hey, change of plans". If your kid can only participate in things that are planned well in advance, your kid is going to be missing out on ~80% of gatherings. Because everyone else is in the habit of making spontaneous plans, made possible by interconnectivity.

Are we talking about 8 year olds, or 15 year olds?

I think it's fine to give your 8th grader a flip phone. A third grader isn't "grabbing dinner after band practice".

For sports practice, I'd just take the sports bus home; the 30-60 minutes between the end of practice and the time the bus left was perfect for a little quiet reading or homework.

For band practice, I'd call my parents from the office phone, or plan to get a ride home from an older student who lived nearby, or just accept that I might miss out on something when mom picked me up at 6:30 and that's ok.

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#163

Post by AussieWog93 »

TimTheTinker wrote: post #18

Some of the things my wife and I have provided for our kids: - lots of bookcases with probably >1500 books (including lots of kids/picture books) - what we've collected over the years - a family laptop (2012 MacBook Pro) with no internet connection, pre-loaded with Pages, Sheets, Affinity Photo/Designer, a few small games, and some coding tools (Python, Ruby, VSCode, Scratch, etc.). - Lego Spike and Spike Prime robot…

>an old-school landline phone connected to a VoIP box, served by UniFi Talk ($10/month).

Not sure if things are different where you are, but I'm Australia we use PAYG plans through CrazyTel. You pay per minute, ends up costing us like $1.86/mo for our small business

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#164

Post by floren »

tedggh wrote: post #145

My kids are still too young but I constantly worry about how the world will look like in 8-10 years. On a recent trip to Europe we had to rush inside a bar during a storm. The place was packed and the only table available was next to a large party of loud teenagers on some sort of celebration, maybe a birthday. We had no choice but to sit next to them. After a while, probably over an hour, my wife asks me if I have n…

I was struck by something similar when I visited the county fair in rural Grant County, Washington in 2023. We were walking around, checking out the 4-H/FFA barns and the exhibit halls, and there were teenagers everywhere, and almost none of them had their phones out. They were in little groups, talking and seeing the sights. Nobody was, I dunno, harassing goats for TikTok videos. Even the kids on "barn duty" (maintaining a presence in the barn with your animals in case somebody has questions or there's a problem) were reading books and playing cards, not scrolling.

I don't know if it was the local culture (I grew up around there, I don't think there's anything so special about the local culture) or just that the kids aren't as fucked up as we think, but it was nice!

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#166

Post by bigiain »

TimTheTinker wrote: post #18

Some of the things my wife and I have provided for our kids: - lots of bookcases with probably >1500 books (including lots of kids/picture books) - what we've collected over the years - a family laptop (2012 MacBook Pro) with no internet connection, pre-loaded with Pages, Sheets, Affinity Photo/Designer, a few small games, and some coding tools (Python, Ruby, VSCode, Scratch, etc.). - Lego Spike and Spike Prime robot…

That sounds super cool. What age range are your kids, and when do you expect them to start pushing back due to peer pressure from friends playing whatever the equivalent of Roblox or Pokemon is when they get there?

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#167

Post by password4321 »

postscape wrote: post #62

With 3 kids - CD's and DVDs are a hell no for me. Dealing with skips and getting through DVD menus to get to the actual movie is insane. I have gone to VHS for movies - you can still get all the classics at your local thrift store. I think this direction https://simplyexplained.com/blog/how-i-built-an-nfc-movie-li... using physical NFC cards is also a fun way to go.

Kids trash discs, but you can give them copies (with menus removed if desired)

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#168

Post by hdb2 »

TimTheTinker wrote: post #18

Some of the things my wife and I have provided for our kids: - lots of bookcases with probably >1500 books (including lots of kids/picture books) - what we've collected over the years - a family laptop (2012 MacBook Pro) with no internet connection, pre-loaded with Pages, Sheets, Affinity Photo/Designer, a few small games, and some coding tools (Python, Ruby, VSCode, Scratch, etc.). - Lego Spike and Spike Prime robot…

That's really interesting!

Not too long ago, I got unreasonably upset at a streaming service forcing me to watch ads on a subscription plan, so I went out and got a Blu-ray player. I've been periodically visiting my used DVD store, and I've been able to STOCK UP on movies for next-to-nothing. While this isn't the most low-tech solution, it's been kinda fun for someone who spent their youth with CDs/DVDs.

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#169

Post by knotimpressed »

Swizec wrote: post #117
picofarad wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

distcc-pump And, I forget what the toolchain setup is called, but on gentoo its literally just `emerge -1av distcc` on machine with beef and just `emerge -1 distcc` on athlon... I found out how to do it consistently in 2010 and its like black magic knowing how to target a real OS at BS hardware.

I was doing this in 2003 and my computer was also the internet/network router for our house. When that thing was down, you had no access to external information that you didn’t pre-save somewhere. One time I forgot to install network drivers and had to download them through my flip phone via GPRS and then awkwardly load onto the computer via a clunky USB connection. Fun times. Also my English wasn’t this good yet. I’…

Some of my least favourite nights and most cherished childhood memories involve troubleshooting broken or missing network drivers the only functional Linux box I had working. Never had to use a flip phone, but sure came close a few times.

Nothing I’d ever willingly re-live if given the chance, but always fun to look back on and grin.

Re: Retro-Tech Parenting

#170

Post by wffurr »

trumpdong wrote: post #138
japhyr wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many areas in the US are much less walkable and bikeable than they used to be. I say that as someone who bicycle commuted for years. When I rode my bike to school as a kid I dealt with 25-35 mph traffic. The traffic was much lighter, the vehicles were much smaller, the drivers weren't perfect but they were way less distracted, and the shoulders were in better shape. We can try to raise our kids with values that ar…

Is it true that pickup truck drivers often threaten to run over bikes to assert dominance or is that just one of those myths about how crazy America is?

I got honked at and told to get out of the road today, on a quiet neighborhood street I ride on every day.
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