Ask HN: Is anyone here deliberately low‑tech? If so, why and how?
I know this is Hacker News, which is exactly why I'm asking
21 comments
Is anyone here deliberately low‑tech? If so, why and how?
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
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
> If the internet or electricity ceased to exist forever life would go on.
Life would go on, but most people would probably starve. We can't grow at today's efficiency without electricity.
Life would go on, but most people would probably starve. We can't grow at today's efficiency without electricity.
Many would starve but I and many around me would be fine. It would not be easy but it is doable.
I agree that there is far too much dependency on electricity and many of the people that knew how to do without it are long gone. There are books on how to do regenerative farming and homesteading but fewer people read books now. That process needs to be started a few years before the electricity is gone.
I agree that there is far too much dependency on electricity and many of the people that knew how to do without it are long gone. There are books on how to do regenerative farming and homesteading but fewer people read books now. That process needs to be started a few years before the electricity is gone.
No electricity means no pesticides, no fertilizer and no machinery. Farming productivity levels would go back to around 1800 or so, and we could barely feed a billion people at that time.
> oh geez oh no how can we possibly survive without poisoning everything we touch?
We very well could survive, but maybe only after 6-7 billions of us starve. 1-2 billions of people is considered to be natural carrying capacity of Earth.
Perhaps we could do it gradually enough where nobody has to starve, we get rid of the "REPRODUCE REPRODUCE REPRODUCE" propaganda, and we just naturally end up back near a natural population instead of overpopulating until we die of a metaphorical heat death.
Farming productivity levels would go back to around 1800 or so, and we could barely feed a billion people at that time.
Agreed. That's why each community would have to do homesteading and regenerative farming on much smaller and more distributed scales like we used to. All centralized mono-crap farming would be gone and cities would have to break up and move into rural communities. People would need to have more kids to do work around the homestead. People here would know this concept as "horizontal scaling".
Agreed. That's why each community would have to do homesteading and regenerative farming on much smaller and more distributed scales like we used to. All centralized mono-crap farming would be gone and cities would have to break up and move into rural communities. People would need to have more kids to do work around the homestead. People here would know this concept as "horizontal scaling".
I expect a modern car engine to last at least 20 years if well cared for. Are you saying there is a device installed that prevents it from lasting 40?
In relation to engine life there are several things that shorten life, most notably the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) introduces small particles into the engine that cause abrasion of the rings, pistons and cylinders among other parts. To compensate some people change their oil on very short intervals but that increases oil consumption. If I keep typing about emissions systems I will activate half of this site and people will scramble to find tailored statistics. I just operate on how often I have to replace things and this old fart has been able to keep old vehicles going for a very long time.
To block me in uBlock people can use this rule:
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Why pre-2004, specifically?
The most low-tech we are is nothing connects to a WiFi unless it has too and nothing gets upgraded. We replace things when the stop working and can't be repaired.
I got a new car a couple years ago. I purposefully bought the end of the model year before a major refresh, because the new model was going to add a giant touch screen with more touch-control. I didn’t want that.
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.
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.
I'm not specifically low-tech, but it's kind of what I'm ending up with.
I've always hated that people in sufficiently large groups seem to stop thinking for themselves. As soon as one starts doing something, people join in, just because.
I've sort of dealt with this fact by becoming suspicious of whatever the popular thing is at the moment. It makes me think twice about if I actually want something, or if I want it because it's new, flashy or popular.
I don't know if this qualifies as low-tech because I do have a desktop pc and an android phone. But I don't use streaming services, I don't listen to podcasts, i don't have any bluetooth-stuff, I only read physical books, I write using pen and paper, don't have a car, don't have any smarthome stuff, don't use social media, when I'm out of the house I don't have access to all my music, video's and holiday pictures, etc.
Honestly I don't feel like I miss out on anything.
To answer your 'How' question.. It helps me to imagine myself back in the 90s before I ever used the internet. Is a new tech/service/device something that I would have wanted or needed back then? Did I ever think "damn, I would love to be able to listen to my favorite radio show while walking the dog"? No? Well then the thing was never an issue for me, so I shouldn't try to fill that non-existent hole by listening to podcasts.
I've always hated that people in sufficiently large groups seem to stop thinking for themselves. As soon as one starts doing something, people join in, just because.
I've sort of dealt with this fact by becoming suspicious of whatever the popular thing is at the moment. It makes me think twice about if I actually want something, or if I want it because it's new, flashy or popular.
I don't know if this qualifies as low-tech because I do have a desktop pc and an android phone. But I don't use streaming services, I don't listen to podcasts, i don't have any bluetooth-stuff, I only read physical books, I write using pen and paper, don't have a car, don't have any smarthome stuff, don't use social media, when I'm out of the house I don't have access to all my music, video's and holiday pictures, etc.
Honestly I don't feel like I miss out on anything.
To answer your 'How' question.. It helps me to imagine myself back in the 90s before I ever used the internet. Is a new tech/service/device something that I would have wanted or needed back then? Did I ever think "damn, I would love to be able to listen to my favorite radio show while walking the dog"? No? Well then the thing was never an issue for me, so I shouldn't try to fill that non-existent hole by listening to podcasts.
Sort of, in a way. I think of myself as a neo-luddite.
* I am pretty wary and unexcited about new products, gadgets, things from startups that are unlikely to survive very long. The Lindy effect is real, and powerful. I like "boring technology", and things that will be stable and around in 2 years, 5 years, etc.
* I think dedicated, single-purpose apps, products, services, and cloud / saas things are are pretty stupid. I like text files, shell scripts, spreadsheets, and markdown. If it has to be more complicated than that, then maybe json, xml, etc., but something generic and "flat file".
* I don't like configuring or customizing things. I prefer the default, out of the box configuration, because that's what I'll get if I reinstall, get another one, have multiple devices, etc. If something has a dumb configuration by default, but can be configured/customized to be wonderful using non-default settings, then as far as I'm concerned it's broken, the out of the box configuration is the only one that counts.
* Things like "smart" houses / devices that need wifi, an app, phone home, and depend on continuous internet connectivity are moronic.
* The more the internet slides into a hellscape of ads, algorithms, and AI slop, the more I like offline things. The corkboard at the supermarket is a great way to discover products and services. Phone calls answered by humans are pretty good. Walking up to a tradesperson parked at a jobsite and talking to them to see if they can do your job is pretty great.
* I'd rather use checks than venmo or zelle.
* I am pretty wary and unexcited about new products, gadgets, things from startups that are unlikely to survive very long. The Lindy effect is real, and powerful. I like "boring technology", and things that will be stable and around in 2 years, 5 years, etc.
* I think dedicated, single-purpose apps, products, services, and cloud / saas things are are pretty stupid. I like text files, shell scripts, spreadsheets, and markdown. If it has to be more complicated than that, then maybe json, xml, etc., but something generic and "flat file".
* I don't like configuring or customizing things. I prefer the default, out of the box configuration, because that's what I'll get if I reinstall, get another one, have multiple devices, etc. If something has a dumb configuration by default, but can be configured/customized to be wonderful using non-default settings, then as far as I'm concerned it's broken, the out of the box configuration is the only one that counts.
* Things like "smart" houses / devices that need wifi, an app, phone home, and depend on continuous internet connectivity are moronic.
* The more the internet slides into a hellscape of ads, algorithms, and AI slop, the more I like offline things. The corkboard at the supermarket is a great way to discover products and services. Phone calls answered by humans are pretty good. Walking up to a tradesperson parked at a jobsite and talking to them to see if they can do your job is pretty great.
* I'd rather use checks than venmo or zelle.
> Is anyone here deliberately low‑tech?
I don't really treat it like an identity, but more and more, yes.
> If so, why and how?
- Everything spews telemetry which ends up with data brokers and by proxy, various nation-states.
- Everything is software-based. If you work in or with software developers, you'll have an idea how bad it is. I can't trust that code, even when its not vibecoded.
How?
- By reducing usage of and dependence on tech products where feasible.
- By selecting low-tech product alternatives. My appliance don't need wi-fi. If I can't get an appliance without wi-fi, it's never going to be connected to wi-fi.
I don't really treat it like an identity, but more and more, yes.
> If so, why and how?
- Everything spews telemetry which ends up with data brokers and by proxy, various nation-states.
- Everything is software-based. If you work in or with software developers, you'll have an idea how bad it is. I can't trust that code, even when its not vibecoded.
How?
- By reducing usage of and dependence on tech products where feasible.
- By selecting low-tech product alternatives. My appliance don't need wi-fi. If I can't get an appliance without wi-fi, it's never going to be connected to wi-fi.
I'm not low tech but try to be selective-tech.
I try to use tech that provides what I see as a net positive for me while trying to limit the downsides. I do stuff like use a Pi-hole and VPN while using internet. I have security cameras, but use them on-site rather than Ring, etc. I dont use lots of small connected devices either, mostly opting for wired connections. I schedule the wifi to turn off late at night too. Try to limit content for the family to things that are educational or at least not mind numbing. I don't chase the newest tech and can be happy with older hardware, used hardware, etc. I have lots of real world hobbies to focus on too.
I try to use tech that provides what I see as a net positive for me while trying to limit the downsides. I do stuff like use a Pi-hole and VPN while using internet. I have security cameras, but use them on-site rather than Ring, etc. I dont use lots of small connected devices either, mostly opting for wired connections. I schedule the wifi to turn off late at night too. Try to limit content for the family to things that are educational or at least not mind numbing. I don't chase the newest tech and can be happy with older hardware, used hardware, etc. I have lots of real world hobbies to focus on too.
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I use many older technology, and sometimes use both older and newer ones.
I have both analog and digital clocks; I do not currently have a sundial but I intended to make two (one in the front and one in the back).
I use incandescent lights when I need light inside (although I do not use as many lights as some people do)), but prefer to have open windows so that the sun light can come in, and will sometimes use candles when necessary.
Many programs I use on the computer are older ones (although sometimes I write the programs by myself).
I usually use pencil and paper for writing, and prefer physical books for reading.
I do not have a cell phone.
I also do not have a car (I usually walk, or go together with someone else in their car if they are going to the same place).
For payment, I prefer to pay in cash (or sometimes barter) when I can.
I also still use analog radio (both AM and FM).
And, I think that many things do not need to have computers or electricity, and even those that do, usually should not need to have excessively functions and should not need internet connection and other stuff like that.
Unfortuantely, many people outside have light on even at night, and there is also sometimes noise of cars outside, that I don't like so much.
I have both analog and digital clocks; I do not currently have a sundial but I intended to make two (one in the front and one in the back).
I use incandescent lights when I need light inside (although I do not use as many lights as some people do)), but prefer to have open windows so that the sun light can come in, and will sometimes use candles when necessary.
Many programs I use on the computer are older ones (although sometimes I write the programs by myself).
I usually use pencil and paper for writing, and prefer physical books for reading.
I do not have a cell phone.
I also do not have a car (I usually walk, or go together with someone else in their car if they are going to the same place).
For payment, I prefer to pay in cash (or sometimes barter) when I can.
I also still use analog radio (both AM and FM).
And, I think that many things do not need to have computers or electricity, and even those that do, usually should not need to have excessively functions and should not need internet connection and other stuff like that.
Unfortuantely, many people outside have light on even at night, and there is also sometimes noise of cars outside, that I don't like so much.
No, absolutely not. I want to at least try as close to the latest as I can get. Won’t be here forever, may as well see what’s out there.
Low-tech is needed only when the high-tech is crippled/toxic/uncontrolled/broken/overengineered/expensive.