looking back at the challenge

The tech-free challenge was fun and eye-opening. I realized that (this sounds ridiculous) there is a whole world out there. I realized that my environment was my house, school, sports places and friends' houses. But i can walk out of my house whenever i want and the real world is right there. Where most of live is so artificial. We go on vacations, but it's just adding a place to the environment. not getting out in it. I can stay up all night, it's my decision, i keep the lights on, my environment changes. But out in the woods i can still stay up as late as i want but the sun won't stay up. I think that if you can, at least once, just get out in the woods and revel in the lack of control you have. It's like everyone is suffering from a bit of power high. everyone can mold their world to fit their life, and that's not natural. We should all get out at least once, for just 24hours, and realize that we are part of the world, and it does what it does regardless of what we do. And the more stuff we come up with the more we're kidding ourselves. Just get out and realize that no matter how much time you spend inside the world goes on, and don't forget you are a part of it.
This challenge wasn't good for me in the tech department, i know i'm no survivalist. I'd have been lucky to make it a whole month. But it was amazing on the philisophical front. I recomend it to everyone.

How the challenge went

Since i was in the middle of the woods i wasn't tempted by tech. In some ways that may have been easier than the other levels, because i didn't have the temtation factor. It's not 'tempting' to use a stove in the middle of the woods. I really wished i could use a stove in the middle of the woods but i couldn't. We did have to improvise a lot though. My mom made me bring hand sanitizer and that was good because we had to use it like lighter fluid in the freezing cold hours of the morning. The biggest thing that i missed was heat. We take it for granted (or at least i did) that we are always in a reletivly comfortable temp. But when you are outside it's different. I didn't crave my iPod or my computer or even a flashlight as much as i just wanted a central heating system. It was cold. But second to heat came music, actually. not better food but music. We had acounted for this of course and brought guitars, but we couldn't play the whole time, so i really craved music often. We sang and stuff but as soon as i got home i listened to music. It was great. oh! and water. We had to boil it and stuff to purify it, and it didn't taste too great. But water is another one of those things not to take for granted. And not just water, i mean anything to drink. Just imagine every time you are thirsty you have to go across a swamp to a creak, get some water, burn youself putting it into the fire, and then burning yourself getting it out of the fire, and the finally drinking what tastes like water that is full of ash and was boiled in a bean can for 15minutes. It's gross. We used a video camera, to record it, and are in the process of editing it now, and we acidently used it as a flashlight when we were going to bed. We kind of forgot that we were doing the challenge, and were just using stuff to survive, and the videocamera works like a flashlight so we used it and didn't realize the error until the next morning. We also used the emergency cell phones for time, and we checked when it wasn't very necesary.

Before the 24 hours sans tech

I decided to do the level six challenge with two friends. The level six challenge means "no electricity, no cars, no telephones, no restaurants." I know that it would be hard. I knew that we weren't all that prepared and i knew that i would probably have fun too. I didn't really know what to expect from the challenge. I didn't think that there would be a big change in my psyche, i just thought that i would have another life experience under my belt. Not much more to say. I was tired going into it and i wasn't thinking very much.

My acual view on Technopoly the book. (the other post isn't good)

Technopoly is a warning. Technology is injecting itself into our lives, and it could be a bad thing. Mr. Postman is warning us that if we do not look at tech with a skeptical, critical eye, we may get into trouble. He went into the specifics of trouble in his book, but it wasn't about that the trouble, it was how to avert it.
Everything has a downside and technology has downsides too. Before we continue to walk into the future we have to look around and ask ourselves about some of the new conveniences. Ask what sacrifices we are making for what gain, and whether or not it is worth it. If we just keep on walkin' we will run into more trouble than we can handle.

technopoly! my opinion. it matters!

I think that technopoly was a good book. it was about how technology is taking over our lives. It made me think, and i have a much more suspicious view of technology. Its views are maybe extreme, and that turned a lot of people off it. I think that the warning is just. And i think that we should heed it. Look at me. i'm blogging. What's wrong with me??? anyway it's good. It's all about information glut! there is so much that none of it matters. The very fact that you are reading what a highschool student is blogging on the internet proves that you yourself are the problem. stop reading and save yourself!!!!!!!! lol

im in class

Ima makin ma blog. Ima gon in dewoods fo twany-fo owas. il survive!