The Old Internet Challenge V2: Day 1
Today is day one of the old computer challenge v2. I attempted this last year, but ultimately work was too busy for me to actually do anything.
This year it’s slightly different. Instead of using an old machine for a week, the focus is instead around limiting your use of the internet like back in the days of dial-up, where you’d have a plan limiting you to a certain amount (or the price would go up significantly).
I’m using the script linked on Solene’s site to hard limit the time I can spent on the internet in the day, at least on my laptop. Although it’s not hardware restricted this time, I am using an old X61 thinkpad as I feel it falls within the spirit. It also has a dedicated switch for turning off the wireless adapter, which I appreciate.
It’s only 6am as of writing and I’m already noticing how much I rely on the internet. I’ve been thinking about caching/downloading a bunch of content to view offline, but as of right now, I feel like that defies the spirit of this (this may change). Therefor, I’m going to restrict myself to watching and listening to things that I have local copies of, such as music, movies, books and GASP the radio as much as possible. I have a load of magazines I’ve bought over the years that I never really finish off, so maybe I’ll be prompted to tackle those, even head to the park with them.
Reflection
At the end of day 1, I found myself using the internet less than I thought. I went maybe a little too intense with trying not to use up time. I still had around 20 minutes left to use when I called it a night.
Right enough, I did end up looking out magazines, taking myself outside to read in effort not to be tempted by browsing the web.
Aside from camping, I’ve pretty much been online since I first got broadband in 2006, so this is taking a bit of time to get used to, but I’m enjoying it!