I was thinking today how cool it would be to live in a community that restricted technology to things no later than 2010.
I’m not sure exactly why but I can’t think of anything after then that properly enriches my life.
If you could pick a date and create a real community around it, when would you choose?
It’s only in the past couple years that photovoltaic panels and LFP batteries have been cheap enough for communities or households to run completely on off-grid solar power. 2010 would have a lot more fossil fuel burning. That’s a significant technological development. OTOH I’m using a 2011-era computer right now and am fine with it.
Why not keep it simpler with one commandment:
Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.
I’m not sure exactly why but I can’t think of anything after then that properly enriches my life.
Was that around the time you moved out of home?
I get how you feel, but personally I don’t really have that for all of tech. I’d say if apps could be in a state just before enshittification comes in, that would be my date per app.
But I think even in modern day, open source is bigger and more powerful than ever, Linux is actually viable for some non techies (Steam Deck), and I’m genuinely happy to be in the present in that respect. If you manage to avoid using all the proprietary crapware these days, it’s never been a better time to embrace open source software.
Of course, environmentally and politically things are absolutely horrid, but I think that’s a topic out of your question’s scope.
I would rather use intelligence, sanity and morals as a cutoff/limit instead of time. If you’re too stupid, crazy or evil (or a combination of those) you’ll get banned to the sandbox.
The overall state of technology is actually pretty great. There’s just a few really shitty organizations that tend to dominate the headlines with their pump and dump schemes.
Before 1998. Before social fucking media and cell phones.
I have had a cell phone since 1991. Same phone number since then even. Of course, back then a cell phone was just a phone… that you used to make phone calls. That was it. Texting wasn’t a thing yet and wouldn’t be in widespread use for a few years. Apps on a handheld device was still science fiction.
I used one of these in the mid-90s over AMPS. It wasn’t mine, but I made a few call on it on several occasions. What a beast.
I had a Motorola Star Tac in 1997. Still was a good time to be alive.
I wouldn’t. Like, there are things that were in the past that I liked that aren’t always around now. But I think that overall, things tend to get better as time moves on.
2010 seems like a good cutoff.
I miss the aero era.
