Mouse Potato Does Stuff
N-gated Hacker NewsAh, the classic "I'm too cool for the future" stance. 😎 Terence is proudly waving his #luddite flag, convinced that #Bitcoin is just a passing fad, like pet rocks or fidget spinners. 🌱 But hey, who needs technological progress when you can just blog about how much you don't care? 🙃
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/03/im-ok-being-left-behind-thanks/ #skepticism #technology #trends #blogging #HackerNews #ngated
I'm OK being left behind, thanks!
Many years ago, someone tried to get me into cryptocurrencies. "They're the future of money!" they said. I replied saying that I'd rather wait until they were more useful, less volatile, easier to use, and utterly reliable. "You don't want to get left behind, do you?" They countered. That struck me as a bizarre sentiment. What is there to be left behind from? If BitCoin (or whatever) is going…
CyJust to give you an idea of how pathetically defeated we are in the US by the surveillance state, the power company came to my mother with good news! She already qualified for a special program that would charge her less money, except during the peak hours from 5pm to 9pm!
She just told me they're going to come and install "the new meter," and the Hillsboro city bulletin has a full page add including "Meetie the Cartoon Power Meter" just to get us used to Change.
And it occurs to me, they put those power meters up with the spinny wheel indicators, because they can't measure when an individual household is using power. That's why they have to meter it. They wouldn't need to replace the meter, if they already could measure when we're using power during the day. So they're straight out lying to my mother first off.
And now the new power meter they're installing will continuously report her power usage over the day, saving that data in yet another database for the data brokers to sell to the fascists? Maybe I don't want Hitler to know what time I'm turning my house lights on? That's how desperate they are to install more and more surveillance, to the point of lying to little old ladies so they can totally save her money by constantly monitoring her.
It's not even a "smart meter," I specifically warned her under no circumstances to get one of those. But it probably will be anyway, because they totally thought that's what we wanted. Jerks.
#luddite #rant #FuckEverything
She just told me they're going to come and install "the new meter," and the Hillsboro city bulletin has a full page add including "Meetie the Cartoon Power Meter" just to get us used to Change.
And it occurs to me, they put those power meters up with the spinny wheel indicators, because they can't measure when an individual household is using power. That's why they have to meter it. They wouldn't need to replace the meter, if they already could measure when we're using power during the day. So they're straight out lying to my mother first off.
And now the new power meter they're installing will continuously report her power usage over the day, saving that data in yet another database for the data brokers to sell to the fascists? Maybe I don't want Hitler to know what time I'm turning my house lights on? That's how desperate they are to install more and more surveillance, to the point of lying to little old ladies so they can totally save her money by constantly monitoring her.
It's not even a "smart meter," I specifically warned her under no circumstances to get one of those. But it probably will be anyway, because they totally thought that's what we wanted. Jerks.
#luddite #rant #FuckEverything
BupuI've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button
It's a me, MauroI'm listening to one of my favourite bands from back then, Karate. Reading Farina's lyrics, so inspired by an "analogue" life, so rooted into relationships and natural elements, and details.
I wonder if any modern artist would rather be a luddite, in this time and age. How can you convey such experiences from a life conducted through the mediation of everything digital?
Maybe I just need to touch grass more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LxaVbwwvSA&list=RD5LxaVbwwvSA&start_radio=1
Water
CryogenicNighthawkThere's a joint presentation from the Illinois #Luddite Society and #Makerspace Urbana on the 14th (next Saturday) at 2PM at the local Independent Media Center (#IMC).
Come hear people suggest that:
1.) technology should serve human wellbeing
2.) the judgement that many dominant technologies fail to meet this standard, and
3.) what you can do about it
I'm going to mention lots of #OpenSource and #SelfHosted tech from texting with #Meshtastic to privacy respecting smart thermostats.
Simon Peng 🐵Just finished reading: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao. This book is so dense and leaves me with so many different thoughts about the AI industry. My biggest takeaways right now:
https://simonpeng.net/2026/03/05/just-finished-reading-empire-of.html
Trevor McLeodI am not an #ai #luddite but the rapid explosion of #datacenter demand needs to be balanced against #power and #cooling ( #water ) demands not to mention the impact on the cost of #electricity
#onpoli #cdnpoli #municipalities #ontario
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/03/02/news/ontario-towns-cities-data-centres-mapped
One data centre or one million homes? Mapping Ontario's proposed hyperscaler boom
Canada’s National Observer found and drew from multiple sources to put together a map of planned data centres in Ontario, and found at least 15 projects with a combined capacity of 2,202 MW currently proposed — a bigger power draw than two million homes — for data centres alone.
jabsonikThe #Luddite Club has a website? FAKES!
Paris MarxThe Luddite Club started in a Brooklyn high school, but it’s become so much more.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke with Amanda Hanna-McLeer and Lucy Jackson to discuss ditching smartphones, getting off social media, and what it means to be a modern Luddite.
Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/317_the_luddite_club_is_for_everyone_w_amanda_hanna_mcleer__lucy_jackson