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What are some analog alternatives to digital services or products that you use?
There has been a bit of talk here recently about people who don't use the internet, why and how they don't. It's a common assumption that it's truly impossible to live without the internet, and to some that may be the case. I don't think this should be a roadblock to those who wish to try to withdraw at their own discretion. So what are some analog services or products you use? Maybe it's something that's not broken so why fix it? Maybe in your opinion something is better the old way as compared to the new internet version? I'll start it off with these:
- I still read paper books. I know this is super common, but I've met several people who consume their literature in exclusively electronic formats. I just can't concentrate when reading eBooks or listening to audio books. I also like the feel and smell of books, reminds me of hanging out in the library as a kid.
- I really try to not use mapping applications while driving. I think the ubiquity of GPS and mapping applications makes it really easy to not focus on where you are. It takes your eyes off of the road and there are privacy implications as well. I tend to look up directions ahead of time and write some notes down or print it out (cheat). I started doing this after an incident where I called 911, but couldn't tell the operator where I was despite the fact that I drove that route every day.
- I still write letters. I think letter writing offers element of intimacy, and helps foster good relationships. There's no "lol" or "k." in letter writing (except for one letter a friend sent as a joke), it lends to careful and purposeful composition as clarification is not always a text or phone call away. You can also get creative with your letter delivery. I've picked up more than one letter from bulletin boards at national parks (yes, if you ask they'll probably do that), I once had a friend send me a wax sealed letter via registered mail to a hotel which got quite a face out of the receptionist, and I once had a several letter exchange where the letter contents were encrypted with a basic ciphertext.
I like to listen to the radio when driving -- my wife and I'm sure others have mostly switched to podcasts, but I could never really get into them. That and Spotify, et al ... sometimes on long road trips we listen to those while driving, but I still prefer the radio.
Yup. Got NPR on each way during my 45 minute commute.
Nice :) When I was driving around a lot for work, I got really into the whole schedule at my local station -- it's almost all talk, as opposed to where I grew up, which is mostly classical music after the big news magazines. It got to where I would dread making deliveries in certain hours because the shows I didn't like were on.
Yeah, unfortunately the stations where I am it’s just the newsmagazines and talk. I’d love listen to some classical music to help me relax.
When I first moved here, I really liked all the talk --- but now, I do wish for some classical every now and then.
I love listening to NPR/CPR and their hosted music stations in the car. Get to keep up enough on current events and get to listen to nice music with like no commercials, it's great! I don't have a car with Bluetooth or a USB port to easily listen to stuff from my phone, so I just don't bother, usually. Unless I know I'm driving up the mountains, in which case I might bring a Bluetooth speaker and download an episode of a podcast or something.
(This isn't really in the spirit of the question you're asking, but...)
How about this: have lunch or dinner with friends, or family, or on a date -- but without using your phone. Actually look at and talk to the people you're with, all the way through the meal.
Another thing I like to do whenever I can: Be in a moment, and NOT take a picture or video. Take it in with your senses, and relish the feelings, and just let your natural memory (your mind) store the moment for future reminiscing. Some examples: Watching a sunrise; visiting a tourist destination; playing in a park; watching a sporting event; eating your meal at a restaurant (without taking a pic of it first); giggling with a niece or nephew; first time doing or going to something. Especially when someone else I'm with is shooting with their phone, I'm pretty much guaranteed not to do it. Their doing it lets me be free to enjoy the moment without holding a rectangle to my face.
I resistd having a smartphone for a long time. So did my husband, and then we sort of broke down together at bought them at the same time. Our very next vacation together was so different. The amount of time we spent "capturing" the moment made for a very different experience. We've reflected on it since. First of all, we took hundreds of photos each, and we've never looked at them since immediately on our return. The taking of photos and video slowed us down in a way where we didn't do as much as we had hoped. But also we didn't interact with each other as much either as we were too busy trying to get the best photos. We spent way more time thinking about wither something would make a good photo than we did enjoying what it was.
Kind of related to the phone at meals thing: Something that picked up a lot of popularity when I was in school (or at least in the groups I was a part of) was when we went out to eat, all phones went into the middle of the table. First person to check their phone before the bill came had to buy for everyone. I'd really only ever do this with certain groups where everyone knows each other and has best interest at heart. We never did it and made someone pay who couldn't afford it (usually it was just me and my 2 roommates, but a number of athletic teams I was on did this too..), in fact it was really very rare that anyone touched their phone, and if someone's phone was blowing up we'd let them check to make sure it wasn't an emergency or if someone knew they would be getting an important call we'd let them keep their phone. We spent a lot more time talking to each other and bonding. Again, I don't think this works for every group of every size, I think you really have to be in a group where everyone cares about each other and isn't going to be a dick, but if you have groups like that this can be a fun little thing.
For the photos thing, I don't get the drive to take photos all throughout a vacation or whatever. Like, I guess if people are posting online frequently, they want to prove to everyone they're having a good time.
I personally take maybe a few. Like I'll take selfies with my SO, or take pictures of neat stuff (usually plants), but sometimes I do regret not having the thought to take photos in the first place. My SO and I went to Comi Con and we took maybe one blurry photo of ourselves on the train ride back. Kind of a bummer, because we totally forgot until then. I would have liked to have taken a few more. It was very cool.
Obviously there's just gotta be a balance, but it's quite disappointing that so many people feel like they have to capture every moment when they're out doing stuff.
I wish that would work for me, it feels like I need a few photos and videos to "find" the memory... If it is there at all! I think things like Google Photos have normalised the idea of taking as many photos as you want it's difficult to know another way.
I like cook books and use them way more than online recipe aggregates. There's something about leafing through a book of recipes, and going "That looks interesting!" that lends itself to the experience of exploration in a way that looking for a recipe online never matches.
In the same way, I still like physical maps when I am going somewhere new for fun. Part of the fun for me is tracing my finger along different routes and trying to get to the the destination while also exploring the way there that looks the least traveled. I might also pick other areas of interest along the way, like a lake or a weirdly named town, just because. Having a navigator, missing turns, ending up somewhere unexpected and still making it to the destination (or maybe not) broadens my awareness of the world that exists between point a and point b. There's a sense of "I don't know what's going to happen" that is missing when using gps apps.
I like going to the library. Being honest, it's been a while. But it's that same sort of exploration. Running my fingers along spines of books, waiting for that title to say "look at me." There's something about not having infinite choices that's calming.
I also prefer the radio when on road trips. Radio connects me to the place I am driving through. If I don't like what I can find, I'm usually okay driving in silence.
I prefer cars that are plainly mechanical. I don't mind rolling down my own windows or manually locking my doors. I actually prefer it because if it breaks, I find it easier to fix. I have a 1954 Ford stepside that I've owned for 30 years. I'm not particularly mechanically inclined, but I can usually fix it when something goes wrong. If I can't fix it, the old guy at the shop near me loves it so much that he'll show me how and allow me to use his shop. My newer vehicles (1994 F150 and 2005 Honda) have so much more going on, that I often can't diagnose what's wrong with them.
I like cook books better than online recipes, too, but for a completely different reason; you simply have no idea how good an online recipe is. Cookbook recipes are guaranteed to be tested, at least. Assuming you're not buying one of those garbage "1001 Microwave Meals For One" type books.
I'll disagree with you on the radio and cars, though. Electric cars are so much nicer and need so much less maintenance. And local radio is mostly dead at this point; it's all commercial.
I've worked for both Honda's and Toyota's service departments. The Prius is a freaking beast in regards to upkeep. I've seen taxi drivers come in with 400k miles that besides oil changes have only ever replaced the battery (which as expensive as that is, is much cheaper than most cars maintenance over the same miles). But I would never be able to work on one. And that is what I'm saying. There was something liberating about learning to work on cars that new cars don't give me. I can change the oil or a tire sure, but that's about it. There's something about not being able to fix something that feels - feels unsustainable.
Radio stations have always sucked in the American heartland and they suck more now than they did before (radio in general does). We agree. But I don't mind silence when driving. For longer hauls through the country, I'll pull the CB radio from the truck and put it in the car (I don't know why I think it should live in the truck, it just always has). There's some very interesting shit going on in the middle of nowhere over CB. And unlike podcasts, they are more people of the road, or people of the small towns you're driving through, than most podcasts.
Fun fact: stations below a certain frequency (I think it's 92.1 FM, not sure) are required to be non-commercial by the FCC. I usually stay in that part of the dial, it's a much better experience.
Of course, down on that end you can also find the Jesus radio, and I'm sure it's pretty heavy on it in "the heartland." But there might be a few gems of stations down there where you are.
That's similar to what's happening in the UK now, the local commercial stations being replaced with national ones, leaving us with "community" stations (most have tiny budgets, and not everywhere has one) and the BBC (nice but can be a bit one size fits all).
It's a shame, the local stations had their own identity and feel, it seems the national ones barely know where they're broadcasting to.
Oh yes, that's happening here too -- apparently Sinclair Group is the big company gobbling everyone up. I agree, it's awful. Not only is it homogenizing, there's also some propogandizing that happens with those big conglomerates too.
Yeah. There's less manipulation here because it's regulated a bit better, but the talk shows are known to get a little opinionated.
But the "local" stations are a lot less local now than they used to be. Almost all the independents bought by big groups, and the regulations have changed too. All national except just 3 hours a weekday, that can be shared across some fairly big areas. We get "local news and travel" but what if one area is quiet and another busy? They have to both have the exact same airtime, at the exact same time, it isn't adaptable.
I get that I might sound like a bit of an anorak saying all that but I just don't believe it isn't financially viable which is how it's normally justified.
Local is informative and relatable. National is targeted and well produced. Both can be a nice listen, stopping at a halfway house compromises both. FM here is full, but not of much useful!
Sounds pretty similar, in feel at least, to my experience in the US too. I wish public media were better-funded at a national level. Hell, I wish a lot of things were better-funded at a national level. I think what you say, "It isn't financially viable," is true -- under the private system. That's what the government should be for I think.
This is maybe tangentially related, but I do geospatial work in architecture/resource management work. A surprising number of my clients still use traditional, non-computational workflows. It feels surprisingly like Christmas when I get a huge tube in the mail with a few vinyl sheets with hand drawn mark-ups and corrections. I love drafting by hand and the number of physical project go down year over year.
Also seconding acdw, radio is a really fun way to glimpse local culture.
I read this article once, long ago, about satellite radio and how it was great, but left out the experience of driving through towns and broadcast areas, having to find a new station, etc. Since then I've been much more conscious and appreciative of over-the-air broadcasting.
While I use map software, I still keep paper maps for the metro area and both states in my driver-side door.
I still take notes with pen and paper, especially at work. Can’t take my phone into the main building due to security issues, plus it’s much more accessible.
Never gotten into e-readers. Have tons of paper books.
Still write and send paper cards, mostly to family (especially the “little old ladies” in my life).
Live music is underrated [by some]. Also: singing with a live band has a certain "something" that you don't get from singing to a karaoke mp3. Further: Playing analog ("unplugged") instruments is worth trying if you've only ever played electric or digital ones. The difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic one probably isn't as much, but playing on an electric keyboard is nothing close to playing on a grand piano. Not just appearances, but the nuance of sound, and the physical feel. It's like the difference between a nerf bat and a real wooden baseball bat.
I feel live music is vastly different depending on who the artist is and what kind of music they play. Most pop artists are better on the album because the producer's the one who actually makes the album sound nice, so the best those ones will sound is the same as the album does.
That was one of the things I really liked about Do As Infinity; their albums were actually kind of annoying, but their live performances were really incredible - the album was mostly synthesizer, and the live versions relied much more on real instruments backed by very talented and passionate musicians.
Somewhat related but I read the AC/DC book "The Young's" recently and this was the first time I've read a meaningful explanation to why I love their sound and feeling so much. It's always puzzled me because on the surface a lot of the songs seem very similar and simple but there was always something more underneath I couldn't put my finger on. The author pointed out that they often (especially in the earlier days) recorded the albums live in the studio and that made them sound very real and present. Like being there live but not at a concert if that makes sense. Another bonus was that it made the actual concert experience close to the albums and that connection and recognition made it special.
I've taken up paper books and writing letters at an exponential rate from nothing during the pandemic.
Always read paper books as a child and in my early teens, thought I would get back into it. Arguably, I've never stopped reading and enjoy reading in-depth articles about a plethora of topics, but they are always on a digital screen (e.g. phone, monitor). Writing letters does indeed make it more personable and offers a level of intimacy that is hard to match with current events and technology at hand.
I love writing letters! Once the pandemic hit, I took to it. I have an IBM Selectric II and I bought a bunch of typeballs so I can mix it up a bit. I mostly use Courier, but the odd Script or Italics is classy.
I started writing letters on tabloid sheets, too, which is fun. I got sick of the carriage returns :)
Some of those are absolutely horrible (Oriental belongs in the hall of shame), but some of them are rather snazzy. I really like Advocate and Business Script.
I can also imagine falling in love with that Olde English type at the time, though.
I've never seen an Oriental typeball for sale. I can't imagine it was very popular. I'd LOVE to get a Headline typeball, but a lot of these are hard to find -- and when you do, they want $30+ for them, Not a lot, but more than its worth to me. I also want a Courier Italic, but I'm more than happy with Light Italic.
Print newspapers are still pretty good if you find one that is not completely polarized.
Comic books in print are usually superior to digital IMHO.
I agree 100% with comic books -- I read a few on the computer, and the scrolling and panning experience was not for me.
Newspapers I think very much depends on your market -- which I suppose you were saying. My local paper is okay, but I stopped subscribing because they stopped delivering while still taking my money -- and they still owe me.
Ham Radio instead of online chat and communities.
Even though it's getting more and more digital... and I don't think it's a bad thing.
I would love to get into Ham radio. It sounds so cool.
What's stopping you? ;)
You can start by listening, there are multiple WebSDRs available, which let you listen to different frequencies over the internet: http://kiwisdr.com/public/
I can definitely recommend this hobby, especially with the latest popularity of cheap made in China radios it is more accessible than ever. Some countries even have online exams nowadays.
I had no idea! This is awesome, thanks you :)
I've gotten into brewing coffee in the past ~12-18 months. For a pretty long time I was looking for a decent solution to log my brews, so that I could track stuff like grind setting, time, water temperature, technique, etc for different beans, and see how I could improve next time. I tried to find a good digital solution for a while. A few different Android apps, spreadsheets, I even considered making my own at one point.
Now I just scribble in a damn notebook, and I couldn't be happier.
I love analog photography! Getting to develop the film yourself is fun, and nothing compares to the experience of actually making prints in a darkroom. Seeing your image come up on the photo paper is magical.
There is also something special about having only a few shots as opposed to having thousands like on digital. It really forces you to slow down and think. You only get one chance to get it right and you won't see if you got it right until you develop it so the stakes are much higher than with digital.
Do you have any tips on setting up a darkroom at home?
Sure! just about any room can work as a dark room. The only two necessities are darkness and electricity (if the room is small you will want some ventilation too). Many people use their bathrooms, I use my garage. Running water is nice, but you can always use jugs of water and a bucket for waste water (that's what I do).
The first thing you need is an enlarger. The best place to find them is a garage sales or on facebook marketplace/craigslist. You can buy one from ebay but it won't be cheap that way. Many times you can find someone locally who is practically giving one away. Doing it this way takes patience but if you are on a budget it's worth it.
As for the red safe lights I used strip LEDs like these. The rest of the stuff (trays, timer, easel, enlarger lens) can be found on ebay for relatively cheap. If you can get an enlarger for a reasonable price, you can get the rest of what you need for a few hundred dollars.
Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to share!
Awesome, thanks!!! I'm not sure when/if this'll happen for me, but if it does I'll remember this :)
DVDs and CDs. I'm not a huge stickler for video quality (I want it to look good obviously but I don't give a shit if it isn't bluray or 4k or something) so its nice to have a physical copy of movies sometimes. People tease me for my DVD collection but then as soon as we go somewhere like upstate Maine and you don't have wifi to stream something and my DVD's still work they change tune >:) I've just been in enough situations where I couldn't afford/didn't have internet that I still greatly value being able to watch movies and listen to music without worrying about if I have wifi or if a streaming service is going to have dropped it. I still watch streaming services most days, but as time goes on I get more and more wary of buying the right to access something rather than owning the thing and my DVD collection becomes more and more important to me.
Comic books are another big one.
Card games I go back and forth on a lot. I like the flexibility being digital gives card games for balance, but I do really miss paper card games sometimes. Though, the internet kind of also ruined card games IMO so I guess maybe I'm just nostalgic.
Sending letters by snail mail! I have a bunch of stationary, washi tapes, and stickers that I like to use. I've only sent out a couple so far, but I'll likely send out more just because it's fun and I have some really nice year of the rat forever stamps lol. I also have a little wax stamp thing to make a nice wax seal with my first initial. I also have a couple of fountain pens, and am looking to get return address sheets. I'll be sending more mail this year, it's fun lol
When I go into a room, I say to myself, "There's a light switch. I think I'll turn on the lights." I don't have to say it aloud, actually, I just think it. And that works, the lights always go on, regardless of the state of the Internet or wifi.