Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology

[Ultralight]

Anyone else read this book?

The summary:

"What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate Eric Brende flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or "hooked to the grid," and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.
Better Off is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure."

http://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Fli.../dp/0060570059

[bae]

Did he swear off antibiotics and other such technological evils as well?

[iris lilies]

Anyone else read this book?

The summary:

"What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate Eric Brende flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or "hooked to the grid," and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.
Better Off is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure."

http://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Fli.../dp/0060570059

Eric lives a few blocks from me.

He still is low technology years after writing this book. I see him regularly at the library using the computers.

He and his wife rehabbed an old victorian house. They have chickens in the back yard. She was a soap maker for a while, dont know if she is still dong that.

He rides a recombinant bike around the city. For some years he had a pedicab service, taking people around downtown in his bike-buggy powered by him.

[Ultralight]

Did he swear off antibiotics and other such technological evils as well?

Not that I remember, but I think that when his wife was preggers and giving birth he just used some old country sawbones.

I read this book about two years ago, but they Williamsmith mentioning the Amish and a few other things coming up in my daily life made me think of this book.

I thought it might be of interest to others on here, or perhaps just an interesting point of conversation.

The book isn't so much about swearing off all technological advances but rather how to use the littlest one can while getting the most out of it. It is about being very selective.

There are some religious undertones and overtones to the book. But... despite of those it was really smart and an interesting critique of modern life.

[Ultralight]

Eric lives a few blocks from me.

He still is without technology years after writing this book. I see him regularly at the library using the computers.

You're schmoozing me.

[iris lilies]

You're schmoozing me.

You dont know that weve talked about this book several times over the past dozen years.

its good to have a new audience for my brag "hey, I know Eric!"

[Ultralight]

I actually searched for the book title on here because I thought that you all must have read it.

[iris lilies]

I actually searched for the book title on here because I thought that you all must have read it.

Maybe all of the discussion was on the old website.

I think its a good,book and will be an enduring one in its little niche of "technology and humans"

[LDAHL]

I can certainly agree with the proposition that you don't need to swallow every technological tidbit they put in front of you.

But how do you make the calculation of what to adopt and what to pass on? Is it a purely a time/money trade-off? Can I reduce these types of choices to a simple return on investment to maximize "life energy"? Some sort of ecological ethic that makes certain assumptions about technology versus nature? The importance of not supplanting human effort with machines? Some may see some kind of spiritual benefit in heating their house with wood they chopped themselves, but I don't.

[Ultralight]

I can certainly agree with the proposition that you don't need to swallow every technological tidbit they put in front of you.

But how do you make the calculation of what to adopt and what to pass on? Is it a purely a time/money trade-off? Can I reduce these types of choices to a simple return on investment to maximize "life energy"? Some sort of ecological ethic that makes certain assumptions about technology versus nature? The importance of not supplanting human effort with machines? Some may see some kind of spiritual benefit in heating their house with wood they chopped themselves, but I don't.

All good questions! To one degree or another the author examines most of these.

Though I'd like to hear some opinions on here as well as more questions related to those you've asked.