Any other semi-Luddites?

[auk1124]

Yeah, I know I'm posting this over tha' Internets on a computer about 10 jillion times more powerful than the one that sent men to the moon, but I've come to realize that I am retreating from most of the technology that the rest of the world seems to be obsessed with.

I don't have a cell phone.
I've never owned an Ipod.
An electronic book reader seems absurd to me.
I've never tweeted. Or facebooked. Or myspaced.
I don't know what a Blu Ray is. Or a Bluetooth.
The notion of "upgrading" my tv to HD or 3d or any other D seems like an utter waste of $$$ to me.

I think I am just trying to keep life simple. My wife says I'm getting old.

 

[LarryAndro]

Are you having an affair with my wife? You seem to be kindred spirits!

 

[OldSaw]

As great as all this new technology is, I sometimes wonder if it won't lead to our demise.

 

[jlanger]

As great as all this new technology is, I sometimes wonder if it won't lead to our demise.

Ever read the emberverse series? freaky stuff man, freaky stuff.

 

[Escosse73]

I concur my good man ! I do have an Ipod 160gb , but only for music ( put all my cds onto it) and I too have avoided Facebook,twitter etc... , it would intrude into my B&B time ! ha ha

My mobile phone (cell ph) is only a phone ! Seems like we are moving faster through life , yet missing all the magic moments that make it worthwhile. Too much distraction . I say focus on what makes you happy (family,friends, stress-free relaxing hobbies and so on ) anything else is just background noise ! I find joy in doing things the "old school "
way , much to the annoyment/puzzlement of my peers !

Cheers ,

Scott

 

[Mr_Amazing]

Yeah, I know I'm posting this over tha' Internets on a computer about 10 jillion times more powerful than the one that sent men to the moon, but I've come to realize that I am retreating from most of the technology that the rest of the world seems to be obsessed with.

I don't have a cell phone.
I've never owned an Ipod.
An electronic book reader seems absurd to me.
I've never tweeted. Or facebooked. Or myspaced.
I don't know what a Blu Ray is. Or a Bluetooth.
The notion of "upgrading" my tv to HD or 3d or any other D seems like an utter waste of $$$ to me.

I think I am just trying to keep life simple. My wife says I'm getting old.

I agree with your wife, you're getting old. I agree that most people abuse cell phones to the nth degree, but they certainly are beneficial to have when you need one. Instead of your wife worrying because you aren't home on time after work and not at the office, she can ring you and make sure things are alright.

There's a reason so many people own Ipods. It's like having all your favorite music in one location and you don't have to change cd's. Not to mention the ability to use it as a portable hard drive. I just bought a new computer and had to move all my files to the new machine. The Ipod cut a good 4 hours worth of time out of the process, if not more.

An electronic book reader is a great thing for someone who likes to read a lot. Some books are bulky and heavy. Why carry all the weight and contribute to deforestation when there is a better alternative available?

Facebook has become a great tool that allows you to be more in touch with your friends. Most older people have fewer friends and a busy life, but to a younger individual, it's a great thing.

HD television is simply awesome. My dad is the type who would say "why spend $10/mo on hd service." He loves it and likely would have a hard time settling for standard definition now.

Certainly there are reasons not to bother with some of these things. If you don't go anywhere you don't need a cell phone. If you don't have any friends, you don't need Facebook. If you don't watch much tv or rarely read you won't benefit much from HD, Blue Ray, or an electronic book reader. If music isn't your thing and you don't need to backup computer files, you don't need an Ipod.

 

[Johnny_Z]

Book readers are great if one doesn't have a lot of space to store books. Also, why carry one book with you when you can carry your entire library? Same goes for iPods or other MP3 players.

 

[gaseousclay]

I don't have a cell phone.
I've never owned an Ipod.
An electronic book reader seems absurd to me.
I've never tweeted. Or facebooked. Or myspaced.
I don't know what a Blu Ray is. Or a Bluetooth.
The notion of "upgrading" my tv to HD or 3d or any other D seems like an utter waste of $$$ to me.

I think I am just trying to keep life simple.

out of your list I can identify with the following:

- I have a cellphone but don't see the necessity. my wife and I have a landline, so paying for a cell seems like a waste of $ to me.

- I have a cheap ipod shuffle which barely gets used. you're not missing anything.

- I also think an electronic book reader seems ridiculous. my bro-in-law just bought an ipad and it just struck me as a tremendous waste.

- i've tweeted, but not much. I don't have facebook or myspace. I value my privacy.

- I know what blu-ray & bluetooth is, but again, don't need them. my regular dvd player does the job so I see no reason to buy a bluray player anytime soon.

- I do have an lcd tv with HD and I like it. however, the great picture quality is usually offset by the lack of consistent signals, unless of course, I were to run out and buy a gigantic antenna and mount it on my roof.

overall, i'd say i'm lukewarm on new technologies. sometimes simpler is better. i'm not saying i'm 100% opposed to it, but more often than not technology doesn't actually add anything to my life

 

[AdrianR]

...overall, i'd say i'm lukewarm on new technologies. sometimes simpler is better. i'm not saying i'm 100% opposed to it, but more often than not technology doesn't actually add anything to my life

Amen to that, Brother!

As for the e-book, I do believe that one thing we are losing is the fuller sensory engagement. Old books have a feel and a smell, and can contribute to the enjoyment of the words therein.

 

[mretzloff]

Yeah, I know I'm posting this over tha' Internets on a computer about 10 jillion times more powerful than the one that sent men to the moon, but I've come to realize that I am retreating from most of the technology that the rest of the world seems to be obsessed with.

I don't have a cell phone.
I've never owned an Ipod.
An electronic book reader seems absurd to me.
I've never tweeted. Or facebooked. Or myspaced.
I don't know what a Blu Ray is. Or a Bluetooth.
The notion of "upgrading" my tv to HD or 3d or any other D seems like an utter waste of $$$ to me.

I think I am just trying to keep life simple. My wife says I'm getting old.

I am a technology-addict.

Cell phones are great for making calls when you are out. Now that landlines are almost non-existent, they come in handy when you need get into an accident, need to let someone know you will be home later, etc. Also, texting makes everything easier. I do not text much, but when I just need to let my mother know that I will be staying at work a little later or ask my brother if he wants to see a movie later on, it saves time (as opposed to making a call).

iPods save space. You do not need to carry a bulky CD-player and you can carry thousands of songs, which would not even be possible with CDs.

I will admit that I do not understand e-readers, but if you are an avid reader and must have multiple books with you, an e-reader can save a lot of space.

Twitter is great for keeping up with sports rumors and what is going on. I do not have a Twitter, though. I only use Facebook to keep up with friends who are in different states.

You should learn what BluRay and Bluetooth are. Bluetooth is great for those that must be making calls while driving.

TV in itself is a waste of money. YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix can get you 99% of what is normally on TV.

 

[mretzloff]

- I have a cellphone but don't see the necessity. my wife and I have a landline, so paying for a cell seems like a waste of $ to me.

If you have to get rid of one, dump the landline. Other than making phone calls, it really cannot do anything.

 

[gollum83]

If you have to get rid of one, dump the landline. Other than making phone calls, it really cannot do anything.

Oh my! A phone that only makes phone calls! What is the world coming too!

 

[TheFlyingFrenchman]

Being only 19 I suppose that growing up with all this stuff has in a way jaded me to it. I used it, found it lacking, and then stopped.

I only have a cheap pay as you go tracfone. I lose it every other day. I hardly make calls if I'm anywhere where its ok for me to make a phone call, there is usually a landline around.

I owned an iPod, and then the quality of them kept getting shoddier. My second one broke in half the time as the first. So I went back to my CD player. If you burn MP3 Cd's you can fit artists entire discographies on a single CD.

I've seen people on the bus use E-readers. I personally don't like the fact that it is difficult to gauge how far into the book you have read. I like looking at where my bookmark is, and seeing that I have half of the book to go. Then wondering how the book will manage to wrap up in the amount of pages left.

Nobody is missing out on Facebook. Some people use the excuse of reconnecting with old friends. But how often do you really even contact each other ? I deactivated my profile because it was becoming too much of a waste of time. People online will have hundreds of friends and will constantly post at their lack of anything to do. However in real life their actual desire to get out and enjoy life and communicate with real people is found lacking.

This is rapidly turning into a rant about technology. It is good in moderation but like everything, when abused by society turns quickly into something awful.

For instance bluetooth devices just make you look and act like a tool. People don't have the courtesy to get off the phone and stop talking loudly around others in public anymore. HD TV's and Blueray simply amplify the fact that there really isn't anything all that good to watch on Television anymore.
I suppose that my parents simply raised me in an ignorant, closed minded, old fashioned way. But it seems to me that none of these things that many people seem to be making essential parts of their lives, are found to be quite silly.

 

[OldSaw]

If you have to get rid of one, dump the landline. Other than making phone calls, it really cannot do anything.

It can still send a conventional fax without having to scan it, save it, and finally email it. That is about the only thing that a landline does better that I can think of.

 

[dpm802]

It can still send a conventional fax without having to scan it, save it, and finally email it. That is about the only thing that a landline does better that I can think of.

You can send FAXes over VoiP, that's no problem.

I'm a dedicated believer in having a FAX machine at home. Its built in to my HP OfficeJet printer. It's a big help when dealing with insurance companies, financial institutions, submitting applications and receiving forms to be filled out.

As much as I try to live in a paperless world, there are times when you simply have to deal in hard copy. That's where having a FAX machine is indispensable.

 

[gaseousclay]

If you have to get rid of one, dump the landline. Other than making phone calls, it really cannot do anything.

the one thing a landline has an advantage over my cellphone is that the reception is better when I talk to my mom overseas. the advantage of a cellphone, as mretzloff pointed out, is that they're useful in emergency situations. i'm gonna dump one of them soon enough, as having 2 phone lines is redundant

 

[dpm802]

For instance bluetooth devices just make you look and act like a tool. People don't have the courtesy to get off the phone and stop talking loudly around others in public anymore.

For years now, I despised / loathed / ridiculed / abhorred people with Bluetooth headsets.

When I finally broke down and bought one back in October, I came to find out that they had it right all along. Hands-free is really the way to go with cellular phones.

One still needs to be slightly aware of one's surroundings. There are places where Bluetooth headsets are not appropriate, either to use or to wear silently. But in those cases, using a cellphone without a headset would be just as bad, if not worse.

 

[muskokabrian]

I agree with your wife, you're getting old....

Certainly there are reasons not to bother with some of these things. If you don't go anywhere you don't need a cell phone. If you don't have any friends, you don't need Facebook. If you don't watch much tv or rarely read you won't benefit much from HD, Blue Ray, or an electronic book reader. If music isn't your thing and you don't need to backup computer files, you don't need an Ipod.

Good post. I'm all for technology. I am in my forties and find it's great for reconnecting me to friends I've long lost touch with. I love my iphone. Rather than flip through germ infested magazines when waiting at the doctors or dentist office, I can do something productive. I love listening to audiobooks on it when I'm in the car.

I ordered all my shaving stuff online. In fact, the entire resurrection of wet shaving as well as many other lost arts can be credited with technology. Web sites like Etsy.com have helped propel hand crafted goods to new heights of popularity.

Book readers are a great thing. They give us more access to books from all over the world than ever before. No longer will books be "out of print". Many long out of print books are making their way to electronic publishing. It's good for the environment and it's allowing unknown authors easier access to publication.

Technology is bringing back the village, albeit a virtual one. It's bring back niche stores and spe......ts amongst the bastion of big boxes in the brick and mortar world.

 

[mretzloff]

Oh my! A phone that only makes phone calls! What is the world coming too!

I was trying to compare it to a cell phone

the one thing a landline has an advantage over my cellphone is that the reception is better when I talk to my mom overseas. the advantage of a cellphone, as mretzloff pointed out, is that they're useful in emergency situations. i'm gonna dump one of them soon enough, as having 2 phone lines is redundant

I see. The reason my parents still have their landline is because we have relatives overseas. That is a drawback about cell phones.

 

[bradyarz]

steampunk FTW!!!!