Technology Traps.

[Crocodile Tears]

Ok, about two weeks ago I went out to the hamptons for a friends wedding, didnt write down a single thing plus forgot the invite.

 

So while driving on the sunrise highway it occurred to me, because I rely on technology so heavily,

I am trapped.

 

And in a second of panic, when I realized this, I immediately slipped into a zen state of weird acceptance.

 

I didnt need any info bc I had it in an email that could be retrieved from my phone.

I didnt need directions bc not only does my car have GPS my phone has a navigator app.

 

Phone battery dies, car charger, car dies. Trapped.

 

This set off a chain of thoughts in my head.

 

-I cannot tell you anyones phone # other then my grand mothers and the apt. I grew up in.

Phone gone, numbers gone, backed up in the server access on line. Server down then completely Trapped. I never wrote anything down.

 

-Spell check. every time I spell something wrong in my browser its underlined and when I try 3x and still fail I just google it, and get it.

I never take the time out to remember to spell it right, Trapped. I grew up with encyclopedias in my home, but I own no dictionary in my apt.

 

-I cant remember the last time I hand wrote a real letter, so is cursory dying too? In class everyone takes notes with a laptops

 

-I lost my ipod in the same trip. Where the hell is my music? hard drive? Yeah of my old laptop, yes I even have an external which has most of it, but not an exact up to date duplicate of what my Ipod had on it this month. Trapped.

 

 

If something fails electronically I have the potential to become completely disabled. I remember watching a series documentary called Connections with philosopher james burke that had a similar look to this but in the 60's when we relied on basic analog switches, one switch malfunction took out an entire area, which caused a blackout in NYC

should I start relying more on my BSM's and physical tangible objects? I may.

 

 

tinfoil hat etc.

anyone else go through this?

Long story br0

[RazorRamon]

When I was in holding for a few days I had to wait until someone called for me because I couldn't fucking remember any number without my cell.

[acer910]

its all up here man.

steel trap.

[Mercer]

You have to memorize the number of that one person who would bail you out of jail.

Other than that, technology rules.

[KILZ FILLZ]

While driving home from Vegas with Crack Saves,

NPR had an excellent piece about an author who wrote a book in the 70s about a culture and it's reliance on technology which greatly mirrors our current culture.

I believe the book was titled FUTURE SHOCK

 

If this topic interests you,

From the interview with the author and plot of the book,

I would recommend it

 

 

Cheers

[volcom8811]

book sounds interesting. we get dumber as we believe we are getting smarter

[Pfffffffffft]

i read your thoughts and concerns via wireless laptop interweb.

[Tuco Salamanca]

book sounds interesting. we get dumber as we believe we are getting smarter

 

agreed

[Veritably Clean]

it's not so much that we get dumber, as much as it is that we have so much information at our fingertips that there is no real reason to memorize facts as we used to have to do in school. i think we are learning in a different style these days, more of a creative way, where we need to find a way to apply our information.

[T.T Boy]

i usually turn my phone off on sundays.

generally stay off line as well, i need to disconnect after being on a computer 12 hours a day usually.

 

im fine with no technology and enjoy it. when its holiday time, i have no phone, usually dont check any mails, and generally stay off line. read a book, draw on paper. yes technology makes people totally stupid, some kids cant even write in cursive, but it also makes some shit crazy simple.

 

then again, how can you be disabled without simple things like a phone and an email? loads of people never had one growing up, and went on interrails, travels etc just fine. people used to buy these things called maps, and used payphones, and even went inside banks. im not trying to be a dick, but youre not trapped, youre just a little less comfortable.

 

everything since the invention of the wheel and discovery of fire is 'technology' so weve always been advancing since day one. but there are some basic life skills everyone should know. i think part of people not being able to remember things is that were constantly bombarded with information all day and we only remember what we choose to. also, we dont really need to remember certain things, things i learned in certain high school classes have 0 importance to me now, and probably never will. technology allows me to research it a lot easier, but it hasnt made me an idiot.

 

technology is amazingly good, and amazingly bad. but its not going anywhere.

[Mercer]

I remember carrying around a hand written phone numbers list in my wallet thinking I was organized.

[TRANNYHANDJOBSONER]

[gasfacevictm]

Al Qaeda is aware of all of this.

They cut all this nonsense out and look how ballin' they are.

[facemeltAAARGH]

The things that you own, end up owning you.

 

 

Sad, but true. I need me some life skills that doesn't involve something that consumes battery life.

[gasfacevictm]

The times I'm far away from phones and laptops end up being very nice fucking times in my life with lots of random human interaction and extra beer.

[Tyler Durden]

thank god that sunrise is a straight shot to the hamptons....

 

 

i retaught myself how to write in cursive a few years ago. i write a fair amount of letters. i would rather write, on paper, in cursive than type on here.

 

i knew two phone numbers by heart: my best friends and my ex's. i spent months trying to forget my ex's number. thanks to a special method, which entailed getting as stoned as possible, and playing number-puzzle games with the number.... i was able to trick myself into forgetting.

[gasfacevictm]

How old are you people?

I worked with some retard who taught English and couldn't spell to save his life.

He blamed computers and spell check for his bad spelling, but when you learn to spell most words and the basics of spelling in the classroom, there aren't computers in your face.

You learn to use your fucking pencil first.

That shit annoyed me.

I'd be sitting in the office reading or picking my nose or texting some dumb girl I met over the weekend and this turd would pop in with 30 words he can't spell that I swear any of my Korean first graders knew how to spell.

 

FUCK.

[stoopit]

It will eventualy pop back into your head randomly forceing you to say ''who the fucks number is that''........''oh ya that dumb bitch''.

 

 

 

I welcome technology, just another tool to make my life easier. Or we could use it as a crutch to make us lazier.

Take responsibility as a human for your own weight and not pawn it off on some machine.

[!@#$%]

since i've been to jail before i know how important it is to know a few key phone numbers and have some money laying around.

i guess i remember when all the conveniences didn't exist.

 

recently i went on an extensive road trip and we went a few places so desolate we had no signal and didn't appear on any gps map. i'm prepared for this stuff though.

[IHATEU]

You have to memorize the number of that one person who would bail you out of jail.

 

aside from that i know my moms, 1 ex, my wife and 1 friend who i dont even speak to anymore, thats IT... so awful...

i dont even know my own land line...

[Crocodile Tears]

It will eventualy pop back into your head randomly forceing you to say ''who the fucks number is that''........''oh ya that dumb bitch''.

 

 

 

I welcome technology, just another tool to make my life easier. Or we could use it as a crutch to make us lazier.

Take responsibility as a human for your own weight and not pawn it off on some machine.

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

While technology is completely consuming you, you do not even realize it till you're 100% helpless in a situation without it.

Ironically enough you got there with the help of technology, but could not get back without it.

 

 

 

and T.T

"Disabled" to the point of not being able to do what i set out to do in the first place. i dont think technology is going anywhere i think its just making our lives harder to maintain without it.

like climbing steps, but after you go to the next step the one before it disappears after we get a little higher up.

[El Mamerro]

it's not so much that we get dumber, as much as it is that we have so much information at our fingertips that there is no real reason to memorize facts as we used to have to do in school. i think we are learning in a different style these days, more of a creative way, where we need to find a way to apply our information.

 

This.

 

You know that part of the brain were you used to store all the phone numbers you had to memorize? That is now your phone.

 

Now you can use the extra brain space for something more worthwhile.

[TheoHuxtable..]

I was thinking about this type of shit a few days ago and thought about going on a technology "fast". Like going a week without the internet, TV, and using Post-It notes and memo pads instead of typing/texting memos to myself. Although I'd probably have to keep my cellphone on me only for very important or emergency calls, but other than that I wouldn't use it. And then try to live life like some kind of hippie for about a week. I think it'll be healthy. I'll read novels, etc.

 

Anyone ever done something similar to this? Purge yourself of technology for a period of time. How did it feel?

[Crocodile Tears]

well i have stored few phone #'s in my memory, when i was a kid i would say 10 to 15 max, not too much brain power there. but we at least wrote them down. now its programmed and stored and in an invisible book then, forgotten.

 

i was more concerned with the gps and availability of any and all info at a split second makes it useless to remember anything bc its always there and always backed up

 

edit to mam.

[SwampFightOner]

As far as phone numbers go I know my older sister's, my parent's, and one of my ex's. I could probably remember another 3 or 4 if I really sat and thought about it (just because I've seen them on my phone screen so many times), but even my best friend, little sister, older brother? No clue.

 

IDK what I'd do without a GPS, cause I couldn't read a map if my life depended on it.

 

What's funny is I actually hate technology, because it all confuses me. I yell for my roommate if my DVD player doesn't work haha

[kious]

ya. it was on a freight train. it was fucking awesome. i suggest everyone try it, at least for a few days. most of you will withdraw in a few hours but try it anyway.

[POINTFIVE]

REVERSE ENGINEERED WIRELESS TOUCH-SCREEN 'DROID' GPS DEVICE ALIEN TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR POCKET AND A FUCKIN 87 INCH 1080P WHAT EVER THE FUCK BEAMIN SUBLIMINAL ILLUMINATI IMAGERY AND ADVERTISING AND CONSUMERISM AND REPTILIAN ALIEN NEWSCASTERS INTO YOUR OPTICS @_@

 

:tinfoil:

[gasfacevictm]

I was thinking about this type of shit a few days ago and thought about going on a technology "fast". Like going a week without the internet, TV, and using Post-It notes and memo pads instead of typing/texting memos to myself. Although I'd probably have to keep my cellphone on me only for very important or emergency calls, but other than that I wouldn't use it. And then try to live life like some kind of hippie for about a week. I think it'll be healthy. I'll read novels, etc.

 

Anyone ever done something similar to this? Purge yourself of technology for a period of time. How did it feel?

 

Yes.

Whenever I go on vacation I leave the laptop at home and the cell phone isn't connected for overseas shit, so it stays too. I use PC cafe shit to check email every couple of days and I don't touch a phone unless I meet people where I'm at and wanna' get in touch with them during my stay for whatever. I carry one of those moleskine memo books in my bag and use it to write down notes, etc...digital camera in my pocket is about as hi-tech as my weeks get during that shit and it feels wonderful.

 

Shut that shit off now and then.

It's nice.

[abcs]

i hate my phone. All it serves to do is piss people off that want to get ahold of me

because i consider the thing a pager with extra capabilities. You call me i will see sooner

or later and decide if i want to call you back. My biggest trap is probably my external

or my thumb drive. Yea probs my thumb. Its attached to my keys and holds a lot of

things that i use. Resumes, software, a homemade dos command copy pasta dictionary.

Phone numbers

My laptop serves some purpose. aaaah i supposed im trapped just as bad as a lot of you.

I wouldnt trade down my ipod for a diskman

[nsmbfan]

I remember carrying around a hand written phone numbers list in my wallet thinking I was organized.

 

yeah me too, when i had my pager LOL