Author Topic: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?  (Read 10222 times)

jengod

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What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« on: September 14, 2018, 08:30:58 PM »
What's something you voluntarily do analog or off-grid or unplugged as an intentional downshift or money saver or just because it's more fun?

Examples would be a clothesline vs electric drier, bicycle vs car, etc.

OtherJen

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2018, 09:52:55 PM »
What's something you voluntarily do analog or off-grid or unplugged as an intentional downshift or money saver or just because it's more fun?

Examples would be a clothesline vs electric drier, bicycle vs car, etc.

We hand wash all our dishes. We don’t have a dishwasher, which is apparently shocking according to everyone we know (my MIL is horrified). I didn’t grow up with a dishwasher so the lack of one doesn’t bother me, and installing one would 1) cost money that we would rather place elsewhere and 2) remove valuable cabinet space in a small kitchen.

I also knit our dishcloths and kitchen towels.

letired

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2018, 09:57:56 PM »
I hang dry almost all my laundry. I think it makes my clothing last much longer, especially knits and things with elastic in them.

nnls

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2018, 12:18:16 AM »
I dont own a dryer or a dishwasher, I had neither growing up so I dont feel like I need one now.

BookLoverL

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2018, 07:55:55 AM »
We wash dishes by hand here, too.

I enjoy writing, and, while sometimes I write on my laptop, for certain things, especially poetry, I prefer to write on paper.

I've been trying to get my family to use a clothes dryer all year round instead of just on the sunniest days when we can use the outdoor one, but I got a lot of pushback from them when I brought it up so I decided there were probably better things to try and change first.

I prefer taking a paper map with me to trying to use Google maps when I'm out and about.

Sailor Sam

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2018, 08:59:06 AM »
I don't know if it's strictly off-grid, but I get a kick out of using my crank powered radio.

PoutineLover

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2018, 09:32:09 AM »
I don't have a dryer or a dishwasher, and I write in a journal by hand. I use a paper agenda and I read paper books. I ride a bike and I don't have a car. It's not only to save money, but also because of the environmental impact, I don't really need it and the hassle would outweigh the benefits.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2018, 09:57:17 AM »
*Meetings (live vs phone/video/etc)
*Conversation (text only to say: can you hang?)
*Music
*Reading material
*Dishes
*Most writing (pen/paper)
*Art
*Washing floors (have robot vacuum but not robot mop)
*Washing windows (robot available for that now)
*Print maps, yes

Imma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2018, 01:06:43 PM »
Basically all of the above? We don't own a dishwasher or a dryer, or a robo mop (didn't know these existed!) or even an electric kettle.

I also make coffee in a French press and own a manual mixer. I like all these tiny rituals. I cook a lot and I hardly ever use any kind of machines.

GuitarStv

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2018, 01:26:46 PM »
I don't use a bike computer, cell phone, or bring any electronics on even very long bike rides.  This has resulted in a few adventures.

Last time I had to use the dryer I thought it was broken because it wouldn't start.  Turns out I was doing some electrical work almost a year prior and had flipped the breaker off.

I don't like reading from screens or electronic devices if I can avoid it, there's something just perfect about printed words on a page.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2018, 01:36:23 PM »
I like reading graphic novels (comic books) which I get from the library. Really good ones can be as good as watching movies except there's no cost beyond what you already pay in library taxes. Right now, I'm reading a series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos called "Alias" which was adapted into a Netflix TV series called "Jessica Jones". It's riveting stuff that explores some really complex issues about violence and identity.

singpolyma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2018, 01:42:05 PM »
Bike, of course. And sweep instead of vacuum. Cloth wipes instead of paper towel or serviettes.

We did handwash dishes for awhile, but got a kijiji dishwasher for $25 that also gives us more counter space so went with that.

GuitarStv

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2018, 01:44:20 PM »
I like reading graphic novels (comic books) which I get from the library. Really good ones can be as good as watching movies except there's no cost beyond what you already pay in library taxes. Right now, I'm reading a series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos called "Alias" which was adapted into a Netflix TV series called "Jessica Jones". It's riveting stuff that explores some really complex issues about violence and identity.

Bendis is one of the best comic writers currently active.  Not sure if I'd put him or Brian K Vaughn at the top.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2018, 04:49:26 PM »
I also make coffee in a French press...

Oh yes, this too :)   A favourite ritual. But I use a Primula Coffee Brew Buddy -just a loose screen for pouring over.

And yes to simple pots, too, versus cooking machines, and a whisk.

Aegishjalmur

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2018, 05:05:02 PM »
Handwash all laundry, dry on clothesline. Handwash dishes. Handgrind coffee(sometimes) and use a French press or pour over. I travel fulltime in a 19 ft 9 in long cargo van  so space and or power are issues. I do plan to get a crank clothes wringer to help with the laundry becomes towels jeans and any other heavy/thick fabric are a pain to wring out by hand.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2018, 06:17:43 PM »
I like reading graphic novels (comic books) which I get from the library. Really good ones can be as good as watching movies except there's no cost beyond what you already pay in library taxes. Right now, I'm reading a series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos called "Alias" which was adapted into a Netflix TV series called "Jessica Jones". It's riveting stuff that explores some really complex issues about violence and identity.

Bendis is one of the best comic writers currently active.  Not sure if I'd put him or Brian K Vaughn at the top.

I'm also partial to Jonathan Hickman. He has a very intellectual style that I enjoy.

Retire-Canada

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2018, 06:36:31 PM »
- washing dishes by hand
- walking and bicycling to get stuff done
- hand written grocery and to do lists

sol

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2018, 06:48:45 PM »
I wear a mechanical watch.  It is inferior to a modern quartz watch in every way; less accurate, less durable, more difficult to produce, and with fewer features.  But it is pretty, and I like the history of old timepieces.

After centuries of technological progress in horology, it represents the pinnacle of achievement of a totally dead technology, like the finest buggy whip, or a wooden sailboat.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2018, 07:25:04 PM »
Oh, a wind-up, mechanical metronome! Love.

markbike528CBX

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2018, 09:56:13 PM »
Navigate on the road with paper maps.  It helps if the sun is out.  Confession: the timepiece usually is digital.

Imma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #20 on: September 16, 2018, 06:57:13 AM »
Handwash all laundry, dry on clothesline. Handwash dishes. Handgrind coffee(sometimes) and use a French press or pour over. I travel fulltime in a 19 ft 9 in long cargo van  so space and or power are issues. I do plan to get a crank clothes wringer to help with the laundry becomes towels jeans and any other heavy/thick fabric are a pain to wring out by hand.

I handwashed the first year I lived on my own, I wouldn't to go back to that! And I cheated a bit, because usually I washed my sheets and other big items when I visited relatives. I think getting a clothes wringer is a good idea. My grandma had a long-term wrist injury because of all the laundry she wrung out by hand in the 50s.

AccidentalMiser

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #21 on: September 16, 2018, 07:25:18 AM »
I wear a mechanical watch.  It is inferior to a modern quartz watch in every way; less accurate, less durable, more difficult to produce, and with fewer features.  But it is pretty, and I like the history of old timepieces.

After centuries of technological progress in horology, it represents the pinnacle of achievement of a totally dead technology, like the finest buggy whip, or a wooden sailboat.

I had a mechanical watch which finally died.  I loved it but can't justify replacing it with another since I have a perfectly good Timex.  Maybe for next Fathers Day.

I love to use a manual hand saw when building things if I'm not in a hurry.  I also like to spin vinyl on an old record player.

Khaetra

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #22 on: September 16, 2018, 09:47:00 AM »
I write paper grocery lists (which of course I leave at home on the table :) ).  I sometimes read paper books (most I own are digital), but I subscribe to paper magazines (Time, New Yorker, SI, etc.).  I hand-wash dishes and I sweep instead of vacuum.

teen persuasion

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #23 on: September 16, 2018, 10:41:54 AM »
Line dry all clothes, hand wash dishes (no clothes dryer or dishwasher).

Have a Kitchenaid mixer, but prefer to hand mix cookies and dough, and hand knead dough.  I prefer to make mozzarella cheese for pizza, too, it's just so much better than the preshredded stuff in a bag.  And it's not part-skim, or, horrors, low-fat!  Sorry, fat is not evil, but fake sweeteners and low-fat foods are.

I recently did a stint of sewing (hadn't used my machine in years) - made my dress for DD3's wedding, and had to hem up DD1's bridesmaid dress.  I didn't use my treacle treadle machine (mostly because it's buried under piles of tax papers), but I did use the old Singer I inherited from my great aunt (which was originally her older sister's).  It's one of the old, black cast iron ones, with lots of mechanical attachments for zigzagging or strongholds buttonholes, etc.

Ha, last Sunday we butchered the first of our chickens (too many roosters), so Tuesday we enjoyed a roast chicken dinner.  That was a learning experience, but much easier than we expected.

ETA: To fix stupid auto corrects.  Obviously the old fashioned words are falling out of use.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2018, 10:47:45 AM by teen persuasion »

wenchsenior

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #24 on: September 16, 2018, 01:14:24 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

OtherJen

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #25 on: September 16, 2018, 01:33:21 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

wenchsenior

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #26 on: September 16, 2018, 01:39:45 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

Ah, ok.  I wasn't aware that was a thing.

Imma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #27 on: September 16, 2018, 02:12:39 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

Ah, ok.  I wasn't aware that was a thing.

You are clearly not from the milennial generation :)

My boyfriend rolls his eyes every time I write down a list on the back of an envelope.

I also still send birthday and christmas cards (around a dozen, not to every single person I've ever met). I prefer sending and receiving mail over a text message.

OtherJen

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #28 on: September 16, 2018, 02:48:53 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

Ah, ok.  I wasn't aware that was a thing.

You are clearly not from the milennial generation :)

I’m not either, but I didn’t grow up with even a home PC so I find having a little computer that fits in my pocket or purse to be amazingly cool. We have inexpensive Android phones and I love all the freebie apps that do useful things.

wenchsenior

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #29 on: September 16, 2018, 05:37:34 PM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

Ah, ok.  I wasn't aware that was a thing.

You are clearly not from the milennial generation :)

I’m not either, but I didn’t grow up with even a home PC so I find having a little computer that fits in my pocket or purse to be amazingly cool. We have inexpensive Android phones and I love all the freebie apps that do useful things.

ETA: I'm a Gen Xer, and computers didn't become a regular 'thing' until I was an undergrad in college, though I had worked on one of the earliest Apple PCs in my junior and senior year of high school, so I was exposed fairly early for my age cohort. 

I have a suspicion that by the time I actually NEED a smartphone (tbh, I'm not even clear on what-all they do except give you internet access (sometimes) on top of your ability to call people, and a voice that gives driving directions), they will be obsolete.  But you never know...
« Last Edit: September 16, 2018, 05:40:08 PM by wenchsenior »

SnackDog

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #30 on: September 16, 2018, 05:55:28 PM »
I recently finished a couple months of walking to work and back.  My clothes were a soaking mess in the afternoon.  Now that rainy season is here I have caved in and am driving which feels much more natural.

Imma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #31 on: September 17, 2018, 02:44:47 AM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?

I use a free grocery list app on my phone.

Ah, ok.  I wasn't aware that was a thing.

You are clearly not from the milennial generation :)

I’m not either, but I didn’t grow up with even a home PC so I find having a little computer that fits in my pocket or purse to be amazingly cool. We have inexpensive Android phones and I love all the freebie apps that do useful things.

ETA: I'm a Gen Xer, and computers didn't become a regular 'thing' until I was an undergrad in college, though I had worked on one of the earliest Apple PCs in my junior and senior year of high school, so I was exposed fairly early for my age cohort. 

I have a suspicion that by the time I actually NEED a smartphone (tbh, I'm not even clear on what-all they do except give you internet access (sometimes) on top of your ability to call people, and a voice that gives driving directions), they will be obsolete.  But you never know...

I held off buying a smartphone for the longest time - and I didn't actually have data until about a year ago. At some point it just became really difficult because nobody calls anyone anymore and whatsapp has become the norm for communication. Instead of sending me a seperate text message, they'd just send a whatsapp message to my boyfriend, who got tired of that after a while.

Also, I use bus/trains a lot and they stopped printing timetable booklets a few years ago. My boyfriend also got tired of me calling him at home asking if he could look up the timetable for me on the website everytime I missed a connection. So he's the one who really pushed me to get a smartphone. I've found that since I've had a smartphone, I hardly use my computer anymore except for work. I kind of like it, because the computer is in a bedroom upstairs. Now I read the news in the morning while I'm downstairs waiting for the kettle to boil.

GuitarStv

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #32 on: September 17, 2018, 07:11:31 AM »
I recently finished a couple months of walking to work and back.  My clothes were a soaking mess in the afternoon.  Now that rainy season is here I have caved in and am driving which feels much more natural.

YMMV and all that, but a good rain jacket is sometimes viewed as cheaper and more practical to own than a car.

catccc

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #33 on: September 17, 2018, 07:52:46 AM »
I took the "beep-beep!"  key fob off of my keychain a couple years ago and I use the actual key to open my car door.  Actually, that's DH's car, which I usually drive, because it gets better mileage and I have the longer commute.  My truck doesn't even have power locks.  Or power windows.  I really like cranking those things up and down!  It's a familiar movement from my youth and I get nostalgic every time.

I am currently reading a book called "movement matters" and the author mentions key fobs and tea bags as modern conveniences that don't really save time, just save movement, and it's bad for us.

herbgeek

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #34 on: September 17, 2018, 07:57:53 AM »
I grow a lot of my own food in the summer.  Likely not cheaper when all is factored in, but the freshness and flavor cannot be beat.  Plus, I know exactly what is in my soil, and that if anything was sprayed on, its safe for me to eat.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #35 on: September 17, 2018, 09:18:21 AM »
^ Yes! My tiny garden takes money and time -not much, but it saves me neither- but is so satisfying in countless ways! I finally bought a trowel and snippers recently, one fancy step up from the cooking spoon and scissors I had been using out there :)    I still fill and carry the watering can, though, versus using the hose/spray nozzle.

Like catccc’s manual car windows, this approach to gardening brings me right back to the way I did it as a kid, and every movement just fills me up.

Schaefer Light

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #36 on: September 17, 2018, 11:23:15 AM »
I was honestly unaware there were other ways to grocery shop than using a list...if you don't take a list, how do you do it?
I remember everything in my head ;).  In all seriousness, I prefer having a paper list to looking at a list on my phone.  A piece of paper is lighter than a phone, I don't worry about dropping it or getting it wet, and I can stick it in my pocket and take it back out without having to unlock it.  Plus, I just feel stupid walking around staring at a phone.

sol

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #37 on: September 17, 2018, 11:25:18 AM »
Plus, I just feel stupid walking around staring at a phone.

Um, this is 2018.  "Walking around staring at a phone" is the definition of 2018.

Retire-Canada

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #38 on: September 17, 2018, 11:29:11 AM »
Um, this is 2018.  "Walking around staring at a phone" is the definition of 2018.

This is true, but I do feel stupid walking around looking at my phone all the time....even if lots of other people do it.

GuitarStv

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #39 on: September 17, 2018, 11:36:59 AM »
Um, this is 2018.  "Walking around staring at a phone" is the definition of 2018.

This is true, but I do feel stupid walking around looking at my phone all the time....even if lots of other people do it.

Telling the emperor he's naked only works if he's not reading tweets about how awesome he looks and updating his facebook status to 'Blingin new clothes y'all!!!!!11111".  :P

frugaliknowit

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #40 on: September 17, 2018, 11:54:07 AM »
Only paper airline boarding passes (tried the phone thing and didn't like it), bike whenever reasonably possible, French press coffee (mostly for its compactness), paper shopping lists (scratch paper from recycle recepticle), hang dry quality polo shirts and anything with elastic or spandex.

AMandM

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #41 on: September 17, 2018, 01:53:34 PM »
I keep track of our spending on paper.  Write down expenditures in a ledger book, one column per category.

I also answer the door in person, not with a video feed app.

Samuel

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #42 on: September 17, 2018, 02:26:14 PM »
35mm SLR camera + BW film.

Using a contraption of gears and springs and glass to paint with light and silver halide crystals is pure science but feels a lot like magic.


Although I do make some concessions to modernity... I'll develop the film at home but then scan the negatives rather than print in darkrooms. I also use the vintage lenses on my whizbang digital camera. But still, it's really rewarding when you occasionally capture a great image and know that none of the decisions that went into it were delegated to a microprocessor.




adamsputnik

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #43 on: September 17, 2018, 02:40:56 PM »
I build furniture entirely unplugged. That may be my only real concession, aside from the rare times I put the kettle on for some tea.

jengod

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #44 on: September 17, 2018, 11:59:23 PM »
I also answer the door in person, not with a video feed app.

When we remodeled our house four years ago, we took out the doorbell apparatus and didn't replace it. I now consider doorbells to be uninvited noise pollution. Some realtor trying to solicit business can just walk up to my door and make a loud noise that wakes up a napping baby or a napping me? What?! Door knocks are the limit for us.

sol

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #45 on: September 18, 2018, 12:23:53 AM »
When we remodeled our house four years ago, we took out the doorbell apparatus and didn't replace it. I now consider doorbells to be uninvited noise pollution.

That's an interesting development.  Do you think it's a sign of just how electronically interconnected we have become that we no longer feel any compulsion to even respond to an in-person visitation at your home?  There was a time not so long ago when you might literally never see another human being over the course of a week if your farmhouse didn't have a doorbell. 

What about the neighbor who needs to borrow a cup of sugar?  Your pastor dropping by to ask about your aging parents?  The kids next door who want to ride bikes with your kids?  The matronly lady up the block who heard you were sick and brought you some cookies?  Have we really become so callous to the pleasantries of face to face interactions that we deliberately choose to remove opportunities to have them? 

When I was a kid I use to have to go around ringing doorbells in my neighborhood once a month to collect the monthly checks from everyone on my paper route.  Imagine that severity of the cultural shift between then and now, that my kids understand no part of that sentence.  Maybe they can live without doorbells, but I sure couldn't.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #46 on: September 18, 2018, 12:35:16 AM »
Have we really become so callous to the pleasantries of face to face interactions that we deliberately choose to remove opportunities to have them? 

No. We've become so overwhelmed with the constant inundation of sounds, people, demands, requests, "spontaneity", manufactured crises, and engines that we choose to maintain our homes as sanctuaries, so that we can rest deeply...then step back out into the world refreshed and ready to engage deeply with friends and strangers alike.

I spend a hilarious amount of time with neighbours and other members of my community...and scooped up a neighbour's two young children for two hours yesterday so mom could have a break and the kids could have connection... and had three community members in my home for a long tea and deep conversation two days before that... and partied with three dozen others in another friend's home the same morning.

Endless small, spontaneous draws on my energy impede my ability to do those. People honouring my request to not disturb is what makes all of it possible for me.

Imma

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #47 on: September 18, 2018, 08:12:35 AM »
When we remodeled our house four years ago, we took out the doorbell apparatus and didn't replace it. I now consider doorbells to be uninvited noise pollution.

That's an interesting development.  Do you think it's a sign of just how electronically interconnected we have become that we no longer feel any compulsion to even respond to an in-person visitation at your home?  There was a time not so long ago when you might literally never see another human being over the course of a week if your farmhouse didn't have a doorbell. 

What about the neighbor who needs to borrow a cup of sugar?  Your pastor dropping by to ask about your aging parents?  The kids next door who want to ride bikes with your kids?  The matronly lady up the block who heard you were sick and brought you some cookies?  Have we really become so callous to the pleasantries of face to face interactions that we deliberately choose to remove opportunities to have them? 

When I was a kid I use to have to go around ringing doorbells in my neighborhood once a month to collect the monthly checks from everyone on my paper route.  Imagine that severity of the cultural shift between then and now, that my kids understand no part of that sentence.  Maybe they can live without doorbells, but I sure couldn't.

My doorbell broke a few years ago and I've been too lazy to fix or replace it. Everyone knocks now - all the neighbours, all our friends, the mail delivery drivers. In summer we just leave front doors wide open in our street.

The kind of interactions you describe, I recognize them from my childhood, but that just doesn't happen anymore. I lived in a village and everyone knew each other and was related somehow. All mums stayed at home and everyone just walked in through the kitchen door (and I'm talking about the early 90s, not the 70s or something). But society has changed. We hardly ever get uninvited guests. We don't go to church. Shops are open almost around the clock so no one comes around for eggs or a cup of sugar. People are busy, they move around a lot, by the time you've finally picked a date to visit your new neighbours, they're moving out already.

I think it's boring to live in a community with so little social contact, but I also don't see how we could change society back to how it was. I'm guilty too: I don't have kids, I work outside of the home. I've tried to get in touch with neighbours but most of them don't seem interested at all.

wenchsenior

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #48 on: September 18, 2018, 08:57:23 AM »
When we remodeled our house four years ago, we took out the doorbell apparatus and didn't replace it. I now consider doorbells to be uninvited noise pollution.

That's an interesting development.  Do you think it's a sign of just how electronically interconnected we have become that we no longer feel any compulsion to even respond to an in-person visitation at your home?  There was a time not so long ago when you might literally never see another human being over the course of a week if your farmhouse didn't have a doorbell. 

What about the neighbor who needs to borrow a cup of sugar?  Your pastor dropping by to ask about your aging parents?  The kids next door who want to ride bikes with your kids?  The matronly lady up the block who heard you were sick and brought you some cookies?  Have we really become so callous to the pleasantries of face to face interactions that we deliberately choose to remove opportunities to have them? 

When I was a kid I use to have to go around ringing doorbells in my neighborhood once a month to collect the monthly checks from everyone on my paper route.  Imagine that severity of the cultural shift between then and now, that my kids understand no part of that sentence.  Maybe they can live without doorbells, but I sure couldn't.

These examples are intriguing.  I think I might be older than Sol, but I can count on 2 hands the number of times these sorts of interactions have occurred in my lifetime (that includes Ye Olden Days when people supposedly did these things).  This includes living in a small town, 2 very large cities, and 2 small/medium sized cities.

I've never experienced any of Sol's specific examples, unless you count the tendency of very close friends to drop by to visit for an hour as part of regular routes of errands...which did happen with one of my mom's/my friends when I was a kid.  Or the fact that I regularly have to knock on neighbors' doors to drop off mis-delivered mail (our postal worker has ISSUES).

The only 'knocking on doors/ringing doorbells' that I've ever regularly experienced is people selling things (ugh); trick or treaters; or very occasionally people needing to use my phone b/c their car broke down, etc (back in the pre cell phone days)...I also have knocked on doors once or twice for this type of reason...need to use someone's phone in an emergency.

I'm wondering if 1) Sol's type of example was ever as common as pop culture makes it out; or 2) if it was, when did it start to die out?  I do think my Grandparents experienced this type of thing more often, but my impression was that was the last generation that did, in America anyway.

This might also be a question of proportion of introverts to extroverts in any given neighborhood...as an introvert, I would always assume knocking on a neighbor's door would be unwelcome, except in an emergency.  Maybe I just have always lived in neighborhoods with high relative numbers of introverts?
« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 09:01:59 AM by wenchsenior »

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Re: What's something you voluntarily do analog/off-grid/unplugged?
« Reply #49 on: September 18, 2018, 08:58:59 AM »
Nothing novel that hasn't been said already but, for the sake of contributing:

I don't understand digital books and do not like them.  Any opportunity to get away from a screen is a welcome one.   I don't like audiobooks either. The appeal of reading for me is that it's peaceful, quiet, and I can do it at whatever pace I want.  The only situation I could imagine listening to an audiobook is while driving, but I don't drive or have a car, so...

I'd say hand-washing dishes but it's not exactly voluntary, I just haven't lived in a place equipped with one in a long time.  I wouldn't mind the convenience if it happened to already be installed, but I probably wouldn't opt to buy one.