Technocracy Watch #Solutions DigitalDetox
Cut the cord and live in the analog world occasionally
Greetings plebs and peasants,
If you are like most people (yes, myself included, I am not judging), you spend way too much time staring at screens, whether TV, computer monitor or the little Black Mirror we all carry in our pockets. Health issues aside (strained eye sight, ‘texting thumb’, poor posture, etc), non-stop consumption of digital media, even that which educates and informs, can be harmful to mental health. Being out of work for a year has made it harder for me since I have literally not much else to do, but under ‘normal’ circumstances, I always try to give myself at least one full day (two is preferrable IMO) per week away from anything that plugs in. So, start small. Set aside one weekend in the next month that is device free. Spend time with loved ones. Have actual conversations. Stop worrying about all the fuckery of the world Live life the way we all used to. Its only two days to start. And once you find how freeing it can be, a weekly digital detox of one or two days will come naturally, and will be something you actually look forward to.
- jw
Source : World Council For Health
5 Reasons You Need a Digital Detox and How to Get Started
We live in a technology-driven world. During the past two years, many of us have spent more time than ever plugged into a virtual world where we communicate with friends, consume news, and perform everyday tasks.
This increasing shift to the digital world comes with many benefits, but it also interferes with some basic human needs, and, unfortunately, it has become a source of stress and anxiety. In fact, according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, 18% of American adults said technology use was a significant source of stress in their life.
What is a Digital Detox?
A digital detox is commitment to reconnecting with the in-person world. It is done by strategically reducing the amount of time spent on devices such as mobile phones, computers, and TV and then using that time to engage in more social, mindful, or creative ways. Unplugging in this way improves mental health and quality of life as people re-engage with the external world of friends, family, nature, creative expression, and self-care activities.
A digital detox is simply setting firm boundaries on your use of technology. Realistically, most people cannot unplug from the digital world completely as they rely on it for everyday communication and work. But no matter your situation, the most important goal in a digital detox is to use your devices in ways that contribute to your well-being and to limit use in ways that bring you stress and anxiety.
Why Would I Need One?
Many people instinctually know they need to set boundaries around their use of technology. Whether they notice themselves feeling stressed about the news or find themselves neglecting responsibilities in favour of screen time, most recognize the negative impacts technology can have on their everyday lives.
You Might Need a Digital Detox if:
Stewing about the news or online interactions interrupts your ability to sleep
You experience anxiety or anger after engaging on social media or other sites
You keep a device with you at all times
Your relationship with your intimate partner or friends is negatively impacted
You repeatedly check engagement on your social media posts
You have difficulty concentrating on everyday tasks
You’re afraid of missing out if you don’t check your device regularly
You find yourself neglecting personal responsibilities
The Benefits of a Digital Detox
In today’s highly connected world, most of us could probably use a digital detox. Even though many of us may feel the need for a digital detox, it can be challenging to change our habits, especially when we’re bombarded with opportunities for online connection and additional technology use. One simple way to begin a detox is to focus on its benefits:
Reduced Stress
Unplugging from anxiety-inducing sites, apps, news stories, or online relationships immediately reduces stress. It can be helpful to remind yourself that your anxiety, stress, and attention to these matters is unlikely to produce positive change. However, unplugging and engaging in self-care activities or accomplishing daily tasks will produce immediate positive impacts, reduce stress levels, and eliminate some of the negative effects associated with the overuse of and dependence on screens.
Control Over Your Time
For all assertions that it saves us time, it seems that we are more engaged with technological devices than at any other time in history. Our jobs and everyday lives depend on the digital world, but much of our screen time goes above and beyond what is required. One of the most important benefits of a digital detox is identifying what amount of your technology use is essential, what amount is enjoyable, and what amount is detrimental. From there, you can make decisions that reduce your technology use and ultimately free up time that you can use in other positive ways.
Improved Sleep
The blue light emitted from most of our devices suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep patterns. Reducing screen time, especially in the evening hours can greatly improve the quality of our sleep and our overall physical health.
Better Relationships
A key component to the success of any relationship is the time invested in it. Once you have determined and committed to detoxing from digital devices, you will find yourself with more time to invest in real-life relationships. Whether that looks like a re-engagement in social activities or more time with a significant other, the quality of your relationships will improve.
Improved Self-Image
One of the more sinister aspects of electronic devices is how they impact us on a psychological level. Constant exposure to exaggerated, curated, and even false images of our friends’ lives is responsible for a real psychological phenomenon know as FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). FOMO affects people deeply as it prompts intense feelings of anxiety, isolation, and exclusion. One way to avoid these unpleasant emotions is to spend more time engaged in our own real-life experiences and less in the digitally enhanced experiences of our friends.
Getting Started on a Digital Detox
When starting a digital detox, it’s less daunting to remember that it doesn’t have to be a complete break from the technology we enjoy and rely on in everyday life. Instead, a digital detox should be viewed as a way to redefine your relationship with devices so that they bring you enjoyment and convenience and don’t interfere with other aspects of your life.
To begin a digital detox, the first thing you need to do is simply notice how you use technology. Spend a week using your devices as normal while journaling your thoughts on the following:
How much time do you spend on devices?
What apps or sites cause you to feel anxious or upset?
What apps or sites bring you enjoyment or convenience?
What are your habits around screen time? Do you always have a device in hand? Do you use your device at certain times of the day or in certain locations?
Does your use of digital technology interfere with your other responsibilities?
And finally, take note of which uses of your technology are essential and which are not.
With this information, you are ready to start your digital detox!
5 Tips for a Successful Digital Detox
A digital detox will look different for each person, but, no matter what your situation, it’s important to look at your non-essential use of screens. Your goal is to reduce screen use in the areas that you have identified as causing stress and anxiety.
Make sure you write down your digital detox plan and follow these tips:
1. Set time limits
One essential component of a digital detox is setting time limits on your use of technology. Depending on your circumstances, you may want to consider:
limiting total minutes per day spent on your device in a day using a screen time counter
limiting individual sessions of screen time (e.g. 20 minutes at a time)
limiting or eliminating time spent on sites or apps that cause you stress or anxiety
having a designated screen-free period of time like mealtimes, mornings, or bedtimes
having one day a week that is screen-free (digital abstinence)
2. Set Physical Boundaries
Place your devices out of sight whenever you can. A few simple boundaries to try:
plug your phone charger in out of sight
leave your device at home when the situation permits
keep your phone off or in the back seat while driving
when you are outdoors, socializing, or engaging in healthier activities, try not carrying your phone with you
delete problematic apps
3. Use Your Devices with Purpose
Much of the time we spend on devices is aimless and causes needless stress. It also takes up time that would be better spent on responsibilities, social interactions, or creative activities. When you reach for your device, ask yourself, “What am I hoping to achieve?” or “Will this bring me enjoyment?” And act accordingly!
4. Disconnect at Bedtime
Blue light from screens is not the only aspect of technology that disrupts sleep. Upsetting news and obsessing about social media apps cause many people’s thoughts to race and loop as they are trying to fall asleep. Designate a time to ‘park’ your devices a few hours before bedtime and use your device’s ‘night mode’ if you are using it past 8pm.
5. Turn Off Notifications
One simple way to reduce the temptation to reach for your device is to turn off notifications. Push notifications are designed to grab your attention and make your mind think something urgently needs your attention. Turn on the notifications that you know might require your attention (e.g. texts from family members) and silence the rest. Rest assured, everything will be there when you return to your device later.
And Finally: RELISH THE TIME YOU GAIN!
The whole point of a digital detox is to free up time and mind space for real-life social interactions and to establish a healthy balance between digital connection and in-person connection. Taking a strategic break from technology will, no doubt, pay off in your daily life. Make sure you reap the rewards of your efforts!
Make a coffee date with a friend
Go for a walk
Journal
Try a new sport
Visit an older relative
Explore your creative side
Cuddle with your partner
Play a board game
Read a book
Listen to music
Try gardening
Meditate
Be playful with children
We hope these tips will encourage you to try a digital detox! At the conclusion of your detox, be sure to share what you experienced with friends and family so they can try one, too. You may wish to regularly schedule a digital detox a few times throughout the year and even involve others in your detox so you can encourage one another and keep each other accountable.
Related:
Source: The Knowledge Pantry
Are you prepared for an internet outage?
It's easy to take having access to the internet for granted. It's been the destination for most of our how-to questions for decades. However, if the electric in your neighborhood goes down, the cell towers and datacenters that power the internet won't be far behind. Where can you turn for information in an emergency like that?
My family preps. We have pantries for food, stored jugs of water and power generators on standby, but we never planned for what we'd do if we needed to learn something critical (such as how to treat a wound) in the case we couldn't get online or contact a doctor.
A few months ago, I thought it would be a good idea to start pantry-ing up on videos and articles that I might need to have handy in a crises and put them somewhere portable that I can always access, even without an internet connection. That's where the idea of the knowledge pantry came from.
This site is designed to share what I put together and hopefully provide some thoughts for those who are looking to do something similar. It's my own way of fighting back against our times of supply and utility disruptions that have continued to make me worry about my family's well-being. It's brought me some peace of mind to have this so I wanted to share with others feeling the same.
My setup
What information would be most relevant to me to have at my disposal if I could no longer get online? That was the question I tried to answer in selecting what files I should download and store offline for my own knowledge pantry. The tablet I've demoed in the video is the resulting answer. It contains:
Nearly a thousand videos of common DIY topics. Topics range from learning how to garden and preserving food to how to perform CPR.
A full Atlas of the United States, including detailed roadmaps and hospitals in every state.
All FEMA's (https://fema.gov/) emergency guides for what to do during a national disaster (flooding, tornado, forest fire).
A library of detailed eBooks that include recipes, medicinal guides, and training books on an array of specific knowledge.
Every wikipedia article in existance (6.5 million articles).
Every wikihow article in existance (over 230,000 articles)
Every wikibook article in existance (3,458 books)
How to create your own
Deciding what type of knowledge to store
In the event you do not have access to the internet, there is probably some emergency information you'd want to have at your disposal such as:
How to treat a medical condition (e.g. performing CPR, treating hypothermia, stabilizing fractures, etc.)
What to do in a natural disaster.
How to find/collect drinkable water.
How to forage for food.
How to build emergency shelters.
How to find/signal for help.
However, there's a world of not-so-obvious stuff you may wish to consider adding to your list as well (in the far more unlikely even you may need them). Things like:
List of local hospitals
Getting correct medicine dosages
Understanding conversions (meters, feet, ounces, grams, etc.)
What the law is (your rights in your state)
How to hold traditional ceremonies (funerals, etc.)
How to read and predict weather patterns
It's a good idea to ask yourself what information do you think could be relevant to you personally and make an outline of categories (you probably aren't going to be too concerned about avalanche safety if you live in Florida). For me, I came up with my list of topics by going to the bookstore and taking the table of contents from a handful of local homesteading and survivalist books and using those as categories to start gathering information on.
Deciding where to store it
At first, I stored all my information on a thumb drive. I thought that would be good because it works on most devices, is easy to copy, and it's portable. However, a thumb drive would always need another device to read it and I thought I'd be better off with some kind of "all in one" solution so things couldn't get lost or separated. What I ultimatley did instead was put all my info on a 256 gig SD card and loaded the card into a cheap tablet.
I recommend whatever you use, you keep it all together and keep it portable. I bought a cheap bright-orange case for my tablet that's durable. I use it to store both my tablet and my solar charger. I know I'll be able to quickly identify it and grab it along with my bug out bag in an emergency.
Matching to your learning style
My knowledge pantry includes eBooks and videos; however, you should ask yourself what formats work best for you. Are you the type of person who typically turns to youtube when learning a new skill? Or do you prefer the step-by-step instructions you might find in online articles?
Whatever it is, try to match the types of files you download to your own learning style. Disk space is cheap, so go overboard and be redundant. You'll never regret having too many sources to be able to pull from.
Covering your bases
Wikipedia's co-founder Jimmy Wales described Wikipedia as “the sum of all human knowledge" and he's probably close to right... with over 6.5 million articles it is the premiere online encyclopedia of, well, everything.
When you don't know what it is you might some day need to know, it's a good idea to cast as wide a net as you can. For me, I wanted to establish a baseline that covered as many topics as possible--even if I'd most likely never need them. Downloading all of Wikipedia was good enough for me. And fortunately, Wikipedia allows you to do this since it's open-source. Wikipedia puts out a "zim" file that makes the entire Wiki library of articles available to read offline. That means all of Wikipedia (in multiple languages), all of Wikihow (Wikipedia's collection of how-to guides), and all of Wikibooks can be downloaded and viewed offline--for free. However, you do need an zim-reading application to view them.
Kiwix is an open source project that allows you to view offline zim files. You can download Kiwix and the wiki zim files here:
https://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Content_in_all_languages
Once you have downloaded them (be patient, these are some big files), try running Kiwix and see if you can boot up Wikipedia on a device without an internet connection.
Getting eBooks
There are volumes of free eBooks on all topics under the sun spread out across the internet. Most are in PDF format.
I've posted a zip file (1.35gigs) of 250+ eBooks that I found across the internet on my google drive at:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z5JtM2OB9hKWzNnei8CpFXC1WG4wIm9N?usp=sharing
topics included in this list of eBooks are:
Holy Books
Emergency Preparedness Quick Guides & Checklists
Food Preservation
Food Production and Recipes
Foraging
Hunting and Trapping
Old and New Recipes
Traditional Ways
Edible and Medicinal Plants
How-to and Bushcraft
Knots
Military Manuals
Survival Guides
First Aid and Medicine
Finding and Treating Water
Gardening
FEMAs disaster guides (everything I could find on FEMA's website)
In addition to this, you may wish to scour your favorite sites for free eBooks on topics relative to you. One way you can do this somewhat easily is to google your preferred site using this format:
site:whatever.com *.pdfThat will return all the PDF search results for a given website. Just swap the "whatever.com" with the sites you're trying to scour.
Note: if you're using a tablet to store eBooks on, make sure it has a PDF viewer installed on it that will work offline. Don't assume the tablet will come with a PDF reader out-of-the-box.
Getting maps and directories
In addition to eBooks and articles, you may consider pulling down directories and maps (if there's no access to the internet, odds are there won't be access to GPS either).
Here are a list of large roadmaps for every state in the USA:
https://www.state-maps.org/road-maps.htm
I've also put all the states in a single zip file which you can download here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Ro_R141kADJSDB6qUzyusNM0orlQBpS/view?usp=sharing
Additionally, I pulled the directory for every hospital in every state each state which I found on:
https://www.officialusa.com/stateguides/health/hospitals/
into a zip file which can be downloaded here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/103SMWnRqQdEnhKwr22cE_qS_I6ojELni/view?usp=sharing
Also, there are some great high-vector maps available as apps for most devices. For instance,
https://osmand.net/
provides apps that carry highly detailed, fully offline maps of any region in the world as well as your position and orientation on the map completely offline.
There are probably some local resources/maps you may wish to download for your pantry as well. Individual municipality and county websites have a lot of that information available and are a good start.
Getting videos
I've downloaded hundreds of DIY videos from different sources (it's the bulk of what takes up my disk space), but I can't exactly share them here due to copyright laws. However, here are the tools for how I do it (also, if this is outside your comfort zone, I'm happy to do some consultation around this part).
Websites to download individual video files:
You just need the URL of an individual youtube or vimeo video and the above links to be able to download an offline copy of the videos. They aren't the fastest, but they'll do the job if you're downloading videos one-at-a-time.
Browser extensions for downloading videos:
Video Downloader PLUS (chrome extension)
A tool that may be easier (and doesn't require copying-and-pasting) is this extension made for the Chrome browser. With it, you can download videos with a single click.
Downloading videos in bulk, programmatically
This suggestion probably isn't suitable for non-techies. If you are comfortable running Python scripts though, here is a custom script I wrote that will allow you to download Youtube videos in bulk. Basically, this script prompts you for search terms and then downloads the top ten videos that match those terms according to youtube. For instance, if you type in "first aid" it will grab youtube's top ten videos about first aid and save them to your machine (along with the title, description, and other meta data about the videos). I used this tool for a few months just downloading stuff in the background as I worked on other things. I'm especially proud of the audible "ding" that you can hear when the files are done downloading so you don't have to keep checking in on it.
Note: you need to install the pytube library after installing python for this to work.
Here is the code:
import urllib.request
import re
from pytube import YouTube
#where to save
SAVE_PATH = "C:\The Knowledge Pantry"
mystring = input("Enter search terms: ")
search_keyword = mystring.replace (" ", "+")
html = urllib.request.urlopen("https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=" +
search_keyword)
video_ids = re.findall(r"watch\?v=(\S{11})", html.read().decode())
bip = set(video_ids)
n = 0
my_input=[]
for x in bip:
my_input.append(" + x)
n+=1
link = my_input[0:3]
for i in link:
try:
# object creation using YouTube
# which was imported in the beginning
yt = YouTube(i)
except:
#to handle exception
print("Connection Error")
# get the video with the extension and
# resolution passed in the get() function
d_video = yt.streams.get_highest_resolution().download(r'C:\The Knowledge Pantry')
try:
# downloading the video
d_video.streams.get_highest_resolution().download(r'C:\The Knowledge Pantry')
except:
print ("")
print("Video Downloaded")
print(i)
print(f'Title: {yt.title}')
print(f'Length: {round(yt.length / 60,2)} minutes')
print(f'Views: {yt.views}')
print(f'Author: {yt.author}')
print(f'Description: {yt.description}')
print('')
print('Knowledge captured!')
print('\a')Getting organized and setting priorities
Downloading all this stuff is priority. However, once you have it, you will want to organize it. Remember, you can't use Google if you can't get online! It's up to you to arrange this stuff so you're not overwhelmed and you can find what you need in an emergency.
There are several options for how to best get organized, but one of the first questions you might want to ask yourself is "what information should I make easiest to reach?"
For me, I have my emergency medical stuff front and center. I personally only have basic medical skills so I wanted videos and articles on things I didn't really know much about like "how to treat different kinds of wounds, how to stop blood loss, how to treat shock etc." to be quick and easy to find when I might need them, not buried in a bunch of folders.
Consider your own situation and sort your files based on what your needs are likely to be. Does a member of your family take any prescriptions that maybe you'd want to have a fact sheet on that you can reach quickly? What about info on specific allergic-reactions or medical conditions members of your house suffer from?
What I did for my knowledge pantry was create categories for all my content and then I put those categories that I considered most urgent at the top level. The more personalized you can get with this I think the better. Just getting organized like this was also a good thought exercise for me where I was challenged to think through what needs my family could encounter in an emergency that I hadn't yet considered.
Putting a bow on it
I thought it was good enough if it was just me to have my knowledge pantry just be a collection of organized files. However, when I shared with my dad and sister (fellow preppers) what I was working on, they asked if I could send them a copy since they live out-of-state and wanted one for themselves.
I was happy to share, but realized all my info, while organized, wasn't super accessible. The videos didn't have thumbnails, the PDFs didn't have previews, they were just files in folders.
I would recommend putting together a single file to go along with all your other files as sort of a "master index" explaining where everything is at and what it is, especially if you're creating something you intend to share. It will provide context for someone new to your pantry to know what all you have and where to find it.
Since I do some web development, I built a little offline website and generated some thumbnails with descriptions so everything could be browsed easier, however just a word document would have been just as good. Imagine this thing you're making is being shared by your friends and extended family without you being there to show it to them. What context would you perhaps want them to have?
Final thought
This thing was a little side project that just kept growing for me. I hope some of these resources shared on this site will help you better prepare for anything that gets thrown your way in an emergency. It's been a passion project, but one I really believe in. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or requests and I'll respond. Thank you and happy prepping!
Links
https://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Content_in_all_languages
Kiwix is an open source project that allows you to view offline zim files. Zim files are like libraries of data packaged into a single file. You can download the wikipedia zim, wikibook zim, and wiki how-to guides from this site along with the kiwix zim reader which will allow you to read and navigate all articles offline. There's several other zim files include one for project Gutenberg and Stack Exchange.https://www.officialusa.com/stateguides/health/hospitals/
This is a state-by-state directory of all hospitals in the USA.https://www.state-maps.org/road-maps.htm
This is a list of large roadmaps for every state in the USA.https://osmand.net/
is a source for high-res roadmaps and points of interest for any spot in the world.
https://www.ready.gov/be-informed
FEMA's list of emergency guidesThe youtube ripper
For downloading individual youtube videos.Vimeo video downloader
For downloading individual vimeo videos.
Ways to connect
Telegram: @JoelWalbert
Email: thetruthaddict@tutanota.com
The Truth Addict Telegram channel (mostly news aggregation, no login needed)
Hard Truth Soldier chat on Telegram (login needed)
Mastodon: @joel_walbert@noc.social
Session: 05e7fa1d9e7dcae8512eed0702531272de14a7f1e392591432551a336feb48357c
Odysee: TruthAddict
Donations (#Value4Value)
Bitcoin:
bc1q5jhxnkxqpc45veqd9czf2ys3th6y4ne6a96j3h (on chain)
bc1q6l4rezjv4p6vzmwmf7fkx9j5dtj3trzl3hqe048sd80su77jwq9scsy3jq (lightning)
Monero:
43E8i7Pzv1APDJJPEuNnQAV914RqzbNae15UKKurntVhbeTznmXr1P3GYzK9mMDnVR8C1fd8VRbzEf1iYuL3La3q7pcNmeN