The Amish Project

[elwoodblues1969]

Ironically enough,I spend more time indoors on my computer,as I feel disconnected & fed up with the outside world....but this guy found a whole and brave new world waiting for him,by his decision to disconnect himself from all electronic communication...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dpDQONK5-qI


-Thom

[MarioD]

The secret is moderation.  I use the computer a lot but I’m not tied to it.  I send emails to friends because my penmanship and spelling are terrible and of course the computer has kept me involved with music and fellow musicians. But we do like to walk a lot, sometimes at the beach near us.  Every fall we go to the southern tier to walk and take pictures.  We do not have a cell phone to distract us. I stay way from cities and densely populated areas as much as possible these days!

[elwoodblues1969]

Although Toms River is still a suburban town,it has the density of an urban area and even though I love the conveniences of being just a stone's throw from the Parkway & the bus station-as well as two shopping centers,I am appalled at all of the hustle & bustle and of all of the superficial folk that come along with it.
New Jersey has a reputation of being the most feted & festering sewer in the country(mainly labeled as such by elitist New Yorkers).. ..the same people that come down from the city to vacation here & treat this area like a dumpster by littering it and then there are those who move down to overpopulate the area,as it's a paradise for them,because they can live like fat cats via the cheaper real estate here.
The Mafia owns most of the car dealerships in this area and there are more Italian restaurants per city block than most towns in this country.
Toms River is gradually being transformed into an urban area & the real estate prices here are now atrocious & if it weren't for this subsidized building that I live in,I would have had no choice but to move out of state,just to get by.

As for cell phone use,I do have one,but for no other reason than I was offered one for absolutely no cost to me because of my income,& I use it to make long distance calls.
It's my very first cell phone & I was probably the only 40 year old in the country to receive his/her very first cell phone.

I reluctantly signed up for Facebook,as only a means for staying in touch with people who refuse to use the f**king phone mainly,& then there are others who are just to far off of the radar,to communicate with any other way.

On the subject of exercise,I walk when I need to,for groceries & such...but I have an exercise bike for that.

When I arrive to a point in my life where I feel that life is not so precious anymore,I'll buy a mountain bike and get myself killed making an attempt to make my way across the highway to get to the local park for a nice ride in the "country".


-Thom

[MarioD]

The Mafia owns most of the car dealerships in this area and there are more Italian restaurants per city block than most towns in this country.

It sounds like I would fit right 

 I was probably the only 40 year old in the country to receive his/her very first cell phone.

Nope, I’m 65 and have yet to receive a cell phone call.  Maybe I should get a cell phone

[Oren]

When each of these items are regarded as tools, rather than toys or status symbols, life begins to make more sense.

The goal: lead a meaningful life - live deeply - feel profoundly. Choosing the tools that most effectively aid us in accomplishing this is a very personal thing... more a matter of preference and personal style than anything else.
In this context, a smart phone can be just as cosmic as Haiku poems or a message in a bottle.

[folderol]

When each of these items are regarded as tools, rather than toys or status symbols, life begins to make more sense.

The goal: lead a meaningful life - live deeply - feel profoundly. Choosing the tools that most effectively aid us in accomplishing this is a very personal thing... more a matter of preference and personal style than anything else.
In this context, a smart phone can be just as cosmic as Haiku poems or a message in a bottle.

Very true! Tools have ability to bring value, rather than have value.