Advice for someone going offline as a New Years resolution?

[Shoe Horn]

I just want to try it and see what it's like.

Haven't been disconnected from the hive mind in...oh...10 years?
Sheesh, has it really been that long?

Anyways, I've got a mini-version of Wikipedia that's I've been stockpiling for a few years.
I'd like to get a Google Maps type thing that works offline.
I have a Tom Tom though. Guess that'll do.

Got tons of great reading suggestions!

What else do I use thee for, dear Mr Internet Machine?

[taterguy]

1. How are you gonna cover work & porn?

Those would be the deal-breakers for me.

I also enjoy checking the weather and occasional updates from old friends.

[Shoe Horn]

2. Don't work online. Porn will have to suffer.

In fact, that last one may be another reason to disconnect, for some.

Haven't kept in touch with old friends.

Got the Weather Channel.

[Shoe Horn]

3. "Going Offline Just As Hard As Giving Up Drinking & Smoking" (study)

"Recently, consumer research firm Intersperience surveyed over 1,000 people on their attitudes towards their use of the Internet, smart phones and other gadgets, and asked them to go 24 hours without any access to the web. The result? A number of participants said going offline was similar to quitting drinking or smoking."

Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/article/going-offline-just-as-hard-as/#ixzz1hjuuWYTm


I love a good challenge.
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[HopeHoops]

4. "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."

"You had better listen to him. He's pre-med."

[Shoe Horn]

5. Mr. Computer Guy!

What say you? Should I go for it?
Have you ever noticed any diminishing of memory or whatever from computer use?

Have you ever tried being away from it for awhile?

My Desktop broke awhile back, and I had a hell of a time.
Really caught me off guard.

[HopeHoops]

6. I'd say it makes me feel naked, but I don't mind being naked.

I've been a computer geek for over half of my life. And yes, I've been away from it for periods of time. It's a bitch. TV "news" sucks large farm animal private parts.

[Kali]

7. ...

shit, I could give up FOOD easier, booze and smoking are nothing compared to my internets addiction

[rug]

8. That's nothing. I still get updates from that cattle auction site you posted.

[Kali]

9. bwahahahha!

series? I don't. did you try to bid on something?

[rug]

10. This is the one I got today.

From my friends at dvauction.com

Central Livestock Association Zumbrota, MN 08:00 AM CT Details
Loup City Commission Co. Loup City, NE 09:30 AM CT Details
North Platte Livestock Auction North Platte, NE 09:30 AM CT Details
Farmers Livestock Auction Boonville, MO 10:30 AM CT Details
Rezac Livestock Commission Co. St. Marys, KS 10:30 AM CT Details
Nebraska Livestock Sales - Alma Alma, NE 11:00 AM CT Details

If I remember correctly, you were posting from somebody's house with hi-speed internet and, naturally, took that rare opportunity to watch a cattle auction.

Being from NYC, I was intrigued by something and the damn thing required me to register to see it.

Of course I did.

We're not the only ones. Check the first response.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1228431

[Kali]

12. strange

I registered too but have never had an e-mail (except to recover my password). I was at a hotel that day.

um your link...

[Shoe Horn]

11. Well, aside from being a good reminder *why* I want to get offline, this has been a dud.

Ho hum. I wonder if my brain will grow back?

"Scientists have found that compulsive internet use can produce morphological changes in the structure of the brain.[24] A study which analyzed Chinese college students who used a computer around 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, found reductions in the sizes of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area and parts of the cerebellum as high as 10-20%.[24] "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder#Support



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[lunatica]

23. It's a good thing we only use 10% of our brain then

The teabaggeratti are on to something there.

[Shoe Horn]

24. Yeah, good one.

Thanks for adding to the discussion.

[Curmudgeoness]

13. Couldn't you give up chocolate,

or drinking, or go on a diet, or exercise more???? You just have to be non-traditional, don't you?

Good luck to you. And it was nice knowing you.

[Shoe Horn]

14. lol. I'll probably end up doing all those things with the free time.

And, it's only for a month or so, don't fret.
You're in good company...

[Withywindle]

15. No advice, but really, what's the point?

It kind of sounds like someone in the 1920s making a NYR to get off this newfangled, addictive telephone thing--because it's making you visit friends at their houses less.

I could see making a NYR to dick around on certain favorite time-sink websites much less (twice a week as opposed to three times a day, for example). But to go offline altogether, even for a short time? Why?

[Shoe Horn]

17. The point? To be healthy and happy.

Isn't that always the point?


"Scientists have found that compulsive internet use can produce morphological changes in the structure of the brain.[24] A study which analyzed Chinese college students who used a computer around 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, found reductions in the sizes of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area and parts of the cerebellum as high as 10-20%.[24]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder#Support



"In 2009 Dr Peter Katzmarzyk and colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center published an influential longitudinal paper examining the links between time spent sitting and mortality in a sample of more than 17,000 Canadians (available here). Not surprisingly, they report that time spent sitting was associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality (there was no association between sitting and deaths due to cancer). But what is fascinating is that the relationship between sitting time and mortality was independent of physical activity levels. In fact, individuals who sat the most were roughly 50% more likely to die during the follow-up period than individuals who sat the least, even after controlling for age, smoking, and physical activity levels. "

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/01/06/can-sitting-too-much-kill-you/

(^^That's a great blog post btw. It'll probably answer any other 'questions' you have.^^)

[Withywindle]

18. So the health issue isn't about the internet per se, it's about sitting for long periods of time.

Can't help you with that, I've always been a huge fan of sitting quietly. Even as a child, I did that all the time--only with books. Always did that. When I started kindergarten, I wondered why all those weird noisy little people coudn't just sit the fuck down with the Childcraft Encyclopedias--definitely the most interesting thing in the room to me!

Maybe what you really need is to ADD something (exercise) rather than SUBTRACT something (internet). I find my psyche always responds better to a 'yes" (let's start this) than to a 'no' (let's stop this).

[Shoe Horn]

20. Obviously, you read neither my post nor the links contained therein.

So, what's the point of continuing this conversation?
I can't force you to see what I see, and don't really care enough to continue trying.
Sorry.

Do what thou will.

Peace.

[Major Nikon]

16. I have some advice on New Years resolutions

Never do one that's really hard like stop smoking, drinking, drugs, casual sex, gambling, the internet, TV, or porn.

Keep your resolution easy and you'll never be disappointed. Mine is to not jack off on the bus. If I make it all year without jacking off on the bus, I can chalk that one up in the win column. Next year I can try something more difficult like not peeing my name in the snow.

[Shoe Horn]

22. What's the point of life if you never challenge yourself?

Oh, wait, you were trolling? Or just joking? Or serious?

Gotta love the internet.
It'd be a disfunctional family's dream come true.
Endless passive aggression, and you never know who or what is really being said.
Behind your back or to your 'face'...

Or, when you tell an innocent joke, everyone thinks you're being mean.

The confusion goes both ways. Yippie skippie.
Oh well, you guy'll be dealing with it shortly, not me. lol.

Take it easy, queasy!
Don't let that shrunken, rotten walnut get ya down.
You can always get another brain, right?

Or another life...
Hmmm...

EDIT:
Oh, okay, that was kinda petty and mean.
Sorry. My walnut is more shrunken and rotten than any of yours I'll wager.
endless hours of monkey mind internet browsing has got me down.
And made meh somewhat (?) stupid.

Anyways, DU, it's been kinda fun, actually, but I got other stuff to do.
I'm sure you won't miss a beat. Show Horn who? lol.

Peace!

[MilesColtrane]

19. Oh my.

I have a bad feeling that this will be like when Picard disconnected the Borg from the Collective.

You'll randomly bump repeatedly into a wall and try to plug your arm into the toaster.

[Shoe Horn]

21. For me, it probably will be. Sadly, I spend an unholy amount of time online.

10+ hours a day is about average, I'd say.
Again, I'm not trying to convince anyone else.

Well, that's a bit disingenuous.

I am not trying to judge anyone.
That's better.

It does seem to me to be a negative habit in my life, and many others, but like anything else...
Results may vary. Have fun no matter what ya do. It's a double edged sword.

Just be aware that there may be some issues with attention span and overall health.

Personally, I want to be able to concentrate on one subject for more than 5 minutes, straight.
Which, for me is becoming a problem. That 'book pic thread' got me thinking how degraded my attention span has become. Also, the drama and ill will that can be found online, that I just don't have to wade through. That I never used to wade through. and now it seems normal. Yetch.

DU really is a special place though.

There's some good people here.

I mean, it's not enough to keep me online, lol, but there's less drama here than in 99% of the forums 'out there'. Plus, most of us here really care about other people. Otherwise, we wouldn't be Democrats. I really believe that. We care for the downtrodden.

My poor ol' brainsack is 'downtrodden', woefully, woefully downtrodden...
and I need to care for myself a while. So, why not try it and see?

Further Reading:
The Shallows ~ Nicholas Carr
The Overflowing Brain ~ Torkel Klingberg

Etc etc, there's tons of information out there if anyone's interested.
Make up your own mind. Some already have.


Wishing you the best this New Year!
Ben

[MilesColtrane]

28. Good luck on your experiment/resolution, should you go through with it.

It is easy to get caught up in the crack-like instant gratification of post/read reply/post/etc. etc. all day.

There is a whole, rich world waiting out there IRL.

I don't think anybody finds themselves on their deathbed thinking to themselves, "I should have spent more time on the internet".

[Shoe Horn]

30. Totally agree with you here.

It's so informative, that it's almost too informative. Too much too much.
I need an hour or two just to let my mind 'settle'...then I start to feel relaxed.


Anyways, just checking in.

Ciao!

[lunatica]

25. My problem is I'm always feeling I'm missing some important news

It's not the internet that I would miss. It's the being able to be informed as much as possible. Watching the news used to be the only way to stay updated on current events, then that changed and now it's a way to be manipulated and propagandized and get bombarded with the latest media frenzied clawing for ratings. The internet is the only thing we have where we can seek what we want to know and not be forced to be a receptive captive audience to what others deem we should know.

The internet brought us real time revolutions in Egypt and libya and the OWS movement in ways no other media could ever have done. We were able to watch the citizens of Wisconsin take over their Capitol Building while it was happening, and we will get the results as they happen when Scott Walker is recalled. The majority of US Citizens will cheer at the same time that day no matter what time of day it is where they're living.

I don't know how old you are but I'm old enough to remember when there was no such thing as a television. I remember getting out first one. To me the internet has changed society in ways we're still not comprehending entirely. And the changes are fundamental, and continue to grow as sites like wikileaks come online.

So if you do break down and come to get a fix just know that a little bit of internet perusal may be a must for mental health.

[Shoe Horn]

26. That makes me happy.

A real (I'm guessing), straightforward response.

Thanks.

P.S.
I agree, totally.
It's not information, it's information about what?

What good is all the information about the Arab Spring if you're developing cardio-vascular disease and aren't stopping it? Or significant parts of your brain are shrinking, and you just don't care?

All things in perspective. The Arab Spring is important. but, to me, my immediate surroundings, starting with my own body, my diet, my posture etc, and my mental reality, should be the first on my agenda to understand and be aware of.

And they're not.
Staring into a screen allows me to forget my body and surroundings.

So, I need to step away and regain control over my use.
I need to prove I can go 1 month. Or even 1 week. With no computer use.

In the end, I want to be able to just write a list, like I used to do, and just get important information online from the library. I can't be trusted to lap at the spigot of global data and not be stupid with it and spend 10+ hours a day online. I've tried the balance, it just isn't working for me and life is passing me by.

So, better to do away with it all together.
I'll take knowledge of self and stilling the monkey mind over endless information about the other side of the Earth. To each their own. We need different kinds of people to be doing different things.

That was a long 'PS' huh? lol.

Thanks for responding honestly.
And calmly. I appreciate that.

I'm off.
My offline experience begins............................now.

[lunatica]

27. I already miss you...

[Shoe Horn]

29. LOL.

Well, it's so far so good.

I just saw Amy Goodman on MSNBC and damn near lost my mind.
She seems sooo out of place on that shallow, fruitless channel.

To me at least.