I recently read a book that I'd recommend called "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology," by Eric Brende. Brende was pursuing a graduate degree at MIT and taking some classes studying the influence of technology on society. The more he learned, the more he disliked what technology was doing to the culture. About that time, he happened to meet a man who lived in an Amish style community, and he decided to try living their lifestyle for 18 months. Their rules about technology were even more strict than most Amish (no motors of any kind), but their rules were imposed not because of their religion, but because they purposefuly set out to live with less technology.
It was an interesting read and really made me think about the purpose of technology in our lives. For instance, think about how much time we spend making various "time saving" devices work, does it really end up giving us more time? I found that thought particularly interesting because my whole career (the computer industry) is based on maintaining machines that were supposed to make things easier for us.
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