Exactly the Same, Just Slower.

I think machines are beautiful and, in that respect, I’ve been a “techie” for my entire life.

It didn’t take me long to realize that most people look inside a computer and see this:

Whereas, I look into a computer and see this:

Source: http://bit.ly/15q6QRE

Or this:

The machine itself is beautiful and wondrous to me. The fact that it then connects me to a network of brilliant, kind, amazing, talented people via the internet?

Well, that’s doubly amazing.

Still, many of the things that make a computer wonderful to me exist outside the world of the computer, so when I’m not connected– I’m still reveling in those same things:

Beautiful, wondrous things
Talented people
Great ideas
Laughter & Knowledge

In other words, my life without a computer looks very much like my life with a computer, which looks a lot like this here blog.

Sans-tech, I make things: Today, it was salsa, Italian cream sodas, and no-sew felt bowls.
Online, I make things: Today, it was a geek lotería set, and several new badges for my blog in preparation of my upcoming birthdays.

Sans-tech, I read things: Today, it was a romance novel by Julie Garwood, a 5-page-baby-story about dinosaurs having a party, Macbeth, and one of my husband’s almost-edited novels.
Online, I read things: Today, so far, it was roughly 600 blog posts.

Sans-tech, I enjoy the company of those who make me smile: Today, it was a phone call, a nap with my kitties, assembling a puzzle with my husband, and writing a few letters.
Online, I enjoy the company of those who make me smile: Today, I emailed friends, ~~beat the pants off~~ played amicably with loved ones in WordsWithFriends… and blog-stalked famous bloggers, journalists, and newbie bloggers alike.

Sans-tech, I research things: Today, I hit the books about plagiarism laws, copyright policies, and used the dictionary often.
Online, I research things: Today, I used the reverse dictionary to my heart’s content.

Sans-tech, I write: Today, it was poetry. In fairness, it’s always poetry. I don’t write stories or blog posts by hand.
Online, I write: Today, it was this. How meta!

So to answer the question “Your life without a computer: what does it look like?”

The answer is, pretty much the same. Just slower.

I try to keep an even balance between my online life and my sans-tech life, because I don’t want to let laziness create a misuse of resources. It’s easy to think Wikipedia is the end-all of information, for examples, but I can’t count the number of times that the information there has steered me wrong. Still, you can’t beat the up-to-date resources of the internet, or the sheer size of the community knowledge bank. As far as math goes, I can solve most practical mathematical formulas faster than excel or a computer-minded calculator– but that doesn’t mean there’s not a place for WolframAlpha.com in my heart.

What does your life look like, sans-computer? Would you stop writing– or any other type of passion/hobby– if you stopped having access to a computer? What do you see when you look into a computer? Have you ever played Lotería?

Daily Post: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/daily-prompt-without/