Living in 20 years ago

[zero cool]

To some, this will still just be everyday, but to most, me included, it's a much different, better way of life.

I recently got fed up with the current day, the gigantic social media platforms, constant notifications and advertisements everywhere.
So I decided to start living mostly like I did around 2004. I've been doing it for a while, and I thought I would write down how it's going, what I'm doing and how I'm doing things.

Number one was to quit doom-scrolling social media, and stop using pointless apps that really added no value to my life, other than termorary amusement. Like many others I've been using my smartphone a lot. Way too much, in fact. I found myself constantly pulling the damn thing out of my pocket with the feeling that I just had to check something. Only to realize it was completely pointless and it just made me annoyed.
To combat this I turned the sound off, and put a 10 minute/24 hour time limit on all social media apps in the phone, started leaving it at home when going out, and really the biggest difference, get a second SIM and put that in an old dumb phone I can bring with me for calling and sending the occasional text message. This really made a world of difference. I no longer feel the need to constantly check on the phone for notifications and other shit, and I don't stress about where I've put that damn slab of glass..

The smartphone has now been reduced to what's basically a modern-day PDA and pocket camera. I'm using it as, well, a PDA! For the occasional web search, checking email, multifactor authenticator, payments, shopping lists, and as a camera. If I plan the days before-hand I can easily leave it at home when I head out.

The little time I spend on social media is now done on the computer. But since it's much more inconvenient, I only use it to chat with people and interact, rather than aimlessly scrolling for nothing out of boredom, with that stange "need" to do it..

I've completely stopped using streaming music services, after getting completely fed up with their algorithms and crap. Instead I've started buying CDs again. This isn't nearly as convenient and cheap, but I've found it to be a lot more satisfying. When listening to streaming music it's so easy to just skip tracks, become picky, having a hard time deciding what to listen to, etc. With a limited amount of music I'm much more thoughtful and deliberate with what I choose to listen to. Especially when bringing music with me, either on the iPod, MiniDisc or the CD Walkman.

Same with computers and things around the home. There is no urge to have the latest and greatest flashy stuff with RGB lighting, the latest home automation stuff or anything like that. It's just less clutter and connected things that can go wrong and be annoying with how online everything is. A lightswitch shouldn't need to be on the internet to function, for example..
I've swapped the smart-speaker I only used as an alarm clock, with an early 2000s Sony alarm clock. Unsuprisingly it does the job a hell lot better.


All this isn't strictly to use old tech though, even if it's partially rooted in nostalgia, with an urge to live the better life that was. It's more a way of living how it was, with the tech I have, regardless of how old my stuff is, if that makes any sense..

I've found all this to be a lot more rewarding and pleasing in the long run. It's not neccesarily a way to live a more spartan, simpler life, but one that requires a bit more effort to achive the same things, without relying on others constantly. There's a lot less FOMO induced stress and anxiety.
For me, this seems like the right way to go. I enjoy life a lot more this way. It's heaps more peaceful.
Give it a try if you're curious! in my opinion it's absolutely worth it. Just because new things exist, doesn't mean the old cease to.

Feel free to post thoughts, opinions and ideas below.

[matto]

At least five years ago, I switched to using my Casio digital watch as alarm clock, and still think that is good solution.

I do have a smartphone, but not many apps on it, and indeed, one of those is a mastodon app. Something to consider purging.
Another app is for the so-called "teletekst", which looks and feels like the teletext pages on your TV. No TV here anymore, so no option to watch it there

We never subscribed to streaming music services, and currently our music source is an old Raspberry Pi with a collection of mp3 files on it. It plays this collection in shuffle mode 24/7, we only power the amplifier on or off.

I do enjoy my e-reader a lot, and wouldn't want to do without it. I bought it in 2015. I guess the e-reader technology was no part of life 20 years ago, at least it was no part of our life. Most books I read are >20 years old though, often much older..

My daily driver is a Thinkpad X201, which is from about 2011, so also less than 20 years old. My window manager of choice is Ratpoison, which, according to Wikipedia, is from the year 2000, so that complies to the >20 years old rule

My Nikon D3300 is from about 2014, but I don't use that very often anymore.

[zero cool]

Ah nice, I can imagine that works well, yeah. I'm using my old phone as alarm clock when I'm staying in hotels, but it's not that great. So the old Sony Dream Machine alarm clock is just perfect for my situation.

It's all about making the right compromises and finding different solutions to the problems you make for yourself, really. And finding a combination that works well for you.

That Raspi shuffling MP3s is a pretty nifty idea. I'm doing a similar thing with the old IBM mini server playing internet radio and outputting the audio to a Bluetooth audio transmitter paired with a couple of speakers, in case I want something to play while cooking, etc.

I'm sure there were some e-readers back then too! Just with a terrible backlit LCD and hopeless battery time, probably running Windows, haha

[Catch-22]

I love reading this post because I identify so much with what you are writing.

I have also made deliberate moves to scale down on tech.

Work demands that I use an iPhone during working hours because I have to be available on some company apps. But I only have this phone on during working hours; otherwise, I use a Nokia 800 Tough with a second SIM. I only use this for calls and texts. There are a couple of KaiOS apps preinstalled on the phone, but I don't use them because they are so hard to use. The only thing I miss is the Signal app. I have it installed on my computers, but it can take some hours before I get to read the messages.

Sadly, I gave away my CD collection some years ago because I didn't think I would be using them again. I regret that. Instead, I have built myself a small vinyl collection over the last 5-6 years. I far more enjoy listening to music this way because it is more deliberate than just accessing millions of songs in a streaming app. Unfortunately, vinyl is quite expensive, so I really have to think about what music to buy.

I don't have social media and never have either.

Computer-wise, I have, like many of you, much old stuff. I love old computers because they are so easy to tinker with. At work, I have to use a state-of-the-art Lenovo running Windows 11, but at home, I only use Linux and the occasional Mac. Over the last year, I have started using a desktop computer as my daily driver. I do this because, with a laptop, I keep using a computer more than I should. With a desktop, I have to go to one deliberate place in my home, and only there can I do computer stuff. So these days, I am using a Dell OptiPlex 3050 from 2017 running MX Linux. I, of course, also have a stack of old ThinkPads (like you should have). The two I use the most when not using the desktop computer are an X220 running Debian and a T60 running FreeBSD. But I like to tinker and play with other hardware as well, and sometimes I put other obscure OSes on some of my other ThinkPads or old Macs (I love older Macs ).
For backups using Syncthing, I have an old QNAP209 that I managed to replace the original OS with Debian.
I run Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi 4.
And I have a bookmark syncer on an old, old UnSlung NSLU2. I think it is from 2006 and still running strong.

On my bedside table, I have replaced my phone with an old classic Braun alarm clock. Love it!! While not on my bedside table, I have my phone on a chest of drawers in my bedroom a couple of meters from my bed because of a family emergency.

Here are a couple of pictures of my Nokia 800 Tough and my alarm clock (not my pictures, but I found some online just to show how they look).

[tekk]

I don't quite track to 20 years ago, but switching to a normal clock radio years ago (I don't even remember at this point. 4? 5?) was great (though just not using an alarm clock is better.)

I've experimented with flip/dumb phones before, but I'm required to have a smart phone for work, plus TOTP garbage means I need to have one around anyway even if it doesn't have a sim in it So usually I just don't take my phone with me when I leave the house, just bring a notebook or similar.

Overall it seems I more gravitate towards the early 2010's? A lot of my gaming is done on my PS3 or a PS Vita/3DS, the latter of which came out in 2012. My primary laptop's now been upgraded to a T430. I do a fair amount of reading on a Kobo and E-Ink readers really started to gain a foothold in the late 2000's.

[zero cool]

While I'm much too lazy to reply properly to everything above, I've read through it, and it's real fuck to read about how you guys get around the horrible-ness that is the modern day. Everyone has their own take on it by the looks. Inspiring stuff!