I ditched the smart watch and went back to mechanical and quartz watches that just tell the time.
I still don’t really get most of the smart home stuff. My dad is really into it, and it all seems so annoying. He can’t even unlock his front door without using his phone, or he’ll have to recalibrate the lock.
I think there is a lot of value in tactile controls and feedback, and so much of that has been stripped out of our lives. I try to hang onto it and get it back where I can. The same goes for purely mechanical devices that work today and will work in 100 years. Those are the best.
I’m also so tired of charging stuff. As well as tired of buying products that turn into e-waste when the battery loses its ability to hold a change. It seems like user-replaceable batteries should be a hard requirement on everything.
Bender•1h ago
Yes. I only own and operate vehicles that are pre-2004. They have computers, but are very simple, easy to replace, mostly easy to work on. Pre-1990 are much easier to work on. My tractor was made in 1947. Also dirt simple to work on. On all of these things I can disable the devices designed to cut engine life in half or to intentionally use excessive oil and fuel. My fallback vehicle is a side-by-side a.k.a. UTV. It's not street legal but I can get the kit for it to make it so. Many here go to the store in their side-by-sides.
Everything around the home is low tech and life can go on if they fail. They do not have any remote connectivity, so obviously no telemetry and no way for governments or corporations to override control or change behavior or try to up-sell some service crap to me. The most complex tech for the home is the controller for the well pump which is easy to replace.
Why? Mostly safe from Carrington like events [1] or high altitude nuclear explosions delivered by stratospheric balloons. No dependency on contracts or service plans with vendors, a.k.a. no vendor lock-in. I own these things. Either I can fix them or I can find someone locally that can.
I do own computers but I do not depend on them or cell phones in any way whatsoever. I have never browsed the web from a cell phone or installed an "app" to access a company. They are for convenience and fun only. It's not quite like new-order Amish [2] but I agree with some of their logic. If the internet or electricity ceased to exist forever life would go on. If anything I would likely touch more grass or snow for half the year, which I should be doing more of anyway.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_event
[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_Amish
idontwantthis•55m ago
badpun•31m ago
Life would go on, but most people would probably starve. We can't grow at today's efficiency without electricity.