Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:03 pm Post subject: Dumping the Internet at home
Many suggest that we should begin to power down. Currently, I spend about $61 per month on landline phone, DSL & ISP. That's $$ I could be spending on "preps" (or on "cargo cult" beer). I've been using the Internet from home since the early '90s. Darwinsdog's notorious Internet presence isn't what it used to be. In fact, the exciting "wild west" flavor of the early Internet has been subverted by bland moderated fora, advertising & porn. I'm actually pretty sick of it, and sick of all the time I waste online. It's as bad or worse than having television, which I've done without since 1975. I did without the Internet for 40 years & I've decided I can do without it again. Maybe I'll get something accomplished or at least some reading done, if I shitcan the Internet. At least I'll save $61 mo.^ -1. I'll still have Internet access at work, so may even still post on here when I'm not busy pretending to work. But when next month's phone & ISP bill is due here at home, I intend to cancel services.
How do the rest of you rationalize or justify the $$ & time you spend on the Internet? Don't all you "Peak Oil" true believers feel somewhat like hypocrites for sitting on your asses in front of a computer screen, consuming fossil fueled electricity, indulging your 'net jones? Do you actually wait for the rolling blackouts before logging off? What will it take before you unplug? What are you waiting for? And for the big gorillas & poobahs of this site, why are you still maintaining it rather than devoting 100% of your time & energy to getting your reallife acts together? Is it a power trip for you, being able to ban people & delete posts? Or don't you really believe your own "PO" spew?
Joined: Jun 23, 2007 Posts: 112 Location: Australia
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:14 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
The internet is the last place i can find the truth, so i intend to stay surfing for as long as possible. Also I have used ebay to purchase items that you could not easily but anywhere as well as other commerce sites for different items.
As for being a hiporcrite, I don't care. I work nights and prep day's. The internet is my escape, I play chess on there as well.
I can see your point but we can not possible do every single thing every single second of every single day, doing preps. _________________ This story will be told for generations!
Joined: Mar 12, 2007 Posts: 1009 Location: As close as I can get to the beginning of the pipe.
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
Knowledge is power and the internet's hive mind is one of the highest embodied forms of energy short of DNA. I'm not giving up the advantage until I have to (the maximum power principle holds here). _________________ "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." --Sinclair Lewis
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
I'm with you, Darwin'sdog. I do feel like a hypocrite sometimes. Ultimatley, this is a rather new add on in our home. I never used a computer untill 2005, and we got one in 06, but only bc my hsbands job "requires" him to have it. Not sure i believe that. I think we've saved a lot of money on trips we've had to take by booking things early online, and I have learned all kinds of things I wouldn't have otherwise. But, if we didn't have it, I would just get a lot more chores done. And write more letters again, and less emails. But, for now, we'll keep it.
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
Maybe I spend too much time on the net. But everyone needs pauses.
If you're working and can read the internet there OK. But internet in public spaces it's just not the same. For example, in the library I wouldn't be able to log in somewhere. The internet use in these places is very limited.
Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 769 Location: northern California
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
I think about doing what darwinsdog is doing, unplugging from the internet. Being off-grid, I have a satellite connection @$60/mo. I could cancel this, buy a laptop (have an old desk-top now) & use the wi-fi connection at the cafe in town. But town is 15 miles away and I really enjoy the internet, places like po.com. It wouldn't take very many extra trips to town each month to use up that $60 internet connection fee in gasoline (about $7 per round-trip for my truck now). Presently town trips are 1-2 times per week for various excuses/reasons. Maybe that would be enough for my internet fix. Doubtful. Another option is to cancel cell phone service (no land lines here)--that costs about $42/mo. But since these are my only utility bills, it's more likely I'll just keep them until something causes me to desist... _________________ "When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon."
Thomas Paine
Joined: Jun 13, 2007 Posts: 3910 Location: Minniesotuh
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
darwinsdog wrote:
And for the big gorillas & poobahs of this site, why are you still maintaining it rather than devoting 100% of your time & energy to getting your reallife acts together? Is it a power trip for you, being able to ban people & delete posts? Or don't you really believe your own "PO" spew?
DD, you might consider another point of view. There are still many here who hope to help others to understand and prepare, in anyway possible-including communication by internet-for the impending future. Many here are very prepared, and just tying up loose ends, so they have time to help others.
I don't understand why you should resent this site trying to help others. _________________ "RRrrruuuunnnn!!!" ~Apocalypto
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:36 pm Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
I don't honestly think that anyone short of four SD below the mean IQ fails to understand that the Ocean Planet is a discrete mote in space & that everything on or in it is finite, including fossil fuels. And as for preparations, no one foresees exactly how things are going to unfold, hence: any & all preps one can't sling on one's back & RRrrruuuunnnn!!! with, are likely a complete waste of resources. The operant phrases in your post, Ferretlover, are "hope to.." & "trying to help.." Good luck with all that.
Joined: Jul 15, 2008 Posts: 35 Location: Daegu, South Korea
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:25 am Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
I don't feel guilty for having Internet at home. If it wasn't for the Internet, I still wouldn't even know about Peak Oil.
Also, I use my computer to keep in touch with my family and friends who are 13 time zones away from me. Thank God for Skype. I am surrounded by millions of people who don't speak English. After a year, that can make a person a little bit nuts.
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:44 am Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
like_the_dinosaurs wrote:
The internet is the last place i can find the truth, so i intend to stay surfing for as long as possible.
That sentence can be read two ways.
For me I work from home, and the work pays for the internet connection so I will not be ditching it as long as I have a job! However, I have powered down as much as possible (laptop instead of desktop, power-switch to make sure all equipment can be turned off). If I loose the job then I probably will have to cut the link, as being in a small rural town it is a lot more expensive than internet connections in the city. _________________ We should teach our children the 4-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice.
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:26 am Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
Quote:
Don't all you "Peak Oil" true believers feel somewhat like hypocrites for sitting on your asses in front of a computer screen, consuming fossil fueled electricity, indulging your 'net jones?
The problem with this kind of argument is that it is difficult to specify where the boundary of hypocrisy lies. If surfing the net is out on grounds of hypocrisy, then so is living in a house that required fossil fuel inputs for its creation, cooking with fossil fuels, and earning your salary working in an environment that uses fossil fuel inputs. The idea that we all have to live as hunter gatherers, lest the accusation of hypocrisy render our comments meaningless, is one that I find quite ridiculous. _________________ "Who knows what the Second Law of Thermodynamics will be like in a hundred years?" - Economist speaking during planning for World Population Conference in early 1970s
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:22 am Post subject: Re: Dumping the Internet at home
Quote:
Don't all you "Peak Oil" true believers feel somewhat like hypocrites for sitting on your asses in front of a computer screen, consuming fossil fueled electricity, indulging your 'net jones
Not when my ass is pedaling the laptop and router, as it is now.
Anyone else power this indulgence themselves? _________________ 100% of the electricity needed for this post was generated by ME.
<p>
<A HREF="http://www.los-gatos.ca.us/davidbu/pedgen/green_virtual_gym.html">Posted from a Pedal Powered Computer</A>
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