off topic, but a goodbye and a thank you

[2984839]

I'm not going to visit MR or any other forums anymore. I've seen participation in forums and the internet as a whole take too much of my time, and it has become more and more of a negative experience. In addition, I have noticed myself posting things solely to try to win approval and appreciation from others, and I don't like this habit of self-aggrandizement in myself. The only way to stop it, I think, is a clean break.

I did want to say a thank you to all the members of the PPC forum who have contributed over the years. I've always liked other architectures, and have never seen a forum as active or as knowledgeable as this one. I've learned a lot about PPC Macs and have appreciated getting to know some of you via IM over the years. I'll still be using my PPC Macs as often and as long as possible, and I certainly hope you do too

 

[eyoungren]

Sorry to see you go, but I understand. I left Facebook for some of the same reasons at the end of 2016 and have never looked back. Your emotional health is important, so stay safe and good luck!

 

[Dronecatcher]

I totally understand your reasoning here and have thought this often myself about everything online - alas, I fear 'disconnecting' would mean the world around me might change to the point of my liberty being threatened and I wouldn't even see it coming...
All the best and good luck for the future.

 

[ultrasaw]

Taking action on your self-evaluation is extremely admirable. I wish you the best.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

It's sad seeing you go, but I'm glad you're doing what you feel to be best. I've always enjoyed your contributions to topics here and I wish you the best in all your current and future endeavors.

 

[MBAir2010]

The photographers and older macbook users are incredible and encouraging.
there is some banter and abuse, but i try to use humorous replies instead of antagonizing them.

 

[2984839]

I totally understand your reasoning here and have thought this often myself about everything online - alas, I fear 'disconnecting' would mean the world around me might change to the point of my liberty being threatened and I wouldn't even see it coming...
All the best and good luck for the future.

Thanks, and yes I have the same concern. I also do not know what the right thing to do is here. There is a genuinely good argument for continuing to participate in the culture though resolving to do so in a positive way, so as to hopefully improve things. There is also the argument for simply dropping out and letting things be. I think at this point, I am being more negatively affected than I am willing to accept. The culture right now is such that this is the first time in my life that I have understood (or think I understand) why people leave the world to become monks.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Thanks, and yes I have the same concern. I also do not know what the right thing to do is here.

Indeed, we are in a very dark place right now. Dropping out does look attractive - a lot of people shrug their shoulders and say "what can we do about anything?"
I always say, share your opinion, talk to people - say something maybe they haven't heard yet...although that's getting harder and harder to do now without repercussions.
Just know - you're not on your own in these feelings.

 

[MBAir2010]

Just be happy the internet is not how real people interact, but that depends where you live.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Just be happy the internet is not how real people interact, but that depends where you live.

That's true but unfortunately 'the internet' is now directly effecting government policy and therefore peoples lives.

 

[Imixmuan]

I totally understand your reasoning here and have thought this often myself about everything online - alas, I fear 'disconnecting' would mean the world around me might change to the point of my liberty being threatened and I wouldn't even see it coming...
All the best and good luck for the future.

You are absolutely right that disconnecting from society to the point of situational blindness is a major risk, my wife is half Jewish and the entire Russian side of her family were exterminated by the Einsatzgruppen, yet she is alive because a single ancestor decided to flee a couple decades before, after a pogrom in a nearby town. When rioters are breaking into and desecrating the motherloving US Capitol building wearing t-shirts that say 6MWNE ( Six Million Was Not Enough) and "Camp Auschwitz", the pogroms and zylkon B showers can't be far behind.

My ancestors moved to Shackelford, Surrey (from County Cork, Ireland) in about 1900 and found a village that was, in one ancestors words, "positively medieval", much more primitive than what they had known in Ireland. There was no electricity, no running water, no septic systems only cesspits. Lighting was from Candles or Paraffin lamps. Work was from sunup to sundown. I'm not nuts, I know life was hard, but am I wrong to fantasize about a similar life? There would be no PowerPC of course, no Linux, no internet, it would be an adjustment but I am pretty sure I could do it, and would probably be the happier for it. I just worry about being blind to the Einsatzgruppen.

Always loved 556fmjoe posts, particularly the OpenBSD ones. Happy PowerPc'ing in abstention.

 

[AL1630]

I agree that internet use has somewhat taken over my life, especially with the pandemic + now winter leaving me limited options for other things to do. Like everything, there is a good and bad side. I can't count the number of helpful people, tips, and tutorials I've found on here, from fixing my computer to fixing my car. I can't imagine a world where all that stuff would have to be hunted down in libraries or learned from others you knew in person. I can look at a document created centuries ago, and moments later see news live as it unfolds.

However, with this comes the bad. Social media has grown to dominate many lives and the constant feed of new content destroys attention spans and makes people hungry for the next big news, or even wanting to be a part of it, whether it's a good or bad thing. This manifests itself in the situation that is currently unfolding. As @Dronecatcher said, governing is now being done through social media and the internet. I'm not against having a multitude of platforms to communicate with, but I feel that important 'news' can spread too fast, screw the facts and reality. This drives a wedge between people and as far as I can tell, is largely responsible for the current division in the world.

It's a tough situation - I want to stay informed and know what's going on like @Dronecatcher, but staying hooked up to the feed constantly is incredibly tiring and depressing. I see the appeal of disconnecting like @556fmjoe, but it seems really hard in this world. I don't think our brains were built to provide the constant flood of new data the internet can provide.

ok, rant over.

PPC helps me get away from it in a way. I can get off the mainstream internet, force myself to use forums (still a form of social media, but not nearly as damaging IMO as there's more of a community fostered), and relax by playing some older games or just screwing around and tinkering to get stuff to work.

Typing this out has kind of inspired me - my New Years resolution might be to disconnect my life as much as I can. Not fully as I still need it for school, and I like the tools and good the internet can bring, but maybe cut down on the bad. I have plenty of books and magazines sitting around, neglected in favor of the magic silver box and screen. I can think of so many better ways to use my time...

 

[Lastic]

I hardly visit any forums anymore, try to spend my lockdown time in a creative way, not sitting behind my computers.
The reality is that I end up 3 hours a day on Youtube,mostly reminiscing.
I can understand the reasoning behind disconnecting, just wanted to post my thanks to you @556fmjoe for initiating my interest in OpenBSD and your do-more-with-less approach.

 

[retta283]

If you see this before your final departure thank you for your participation here, I and I'm sure many others have enjoyed having you. Best of luck in your future.

 

[dukebound85]

I understand your reasoning and wish you the best.

 

[retta283]

I don't wish to start a political discussion, but I will chime in on this here because I don't want to start a thread to do so... I myself don't use social media, I think it's total garbage. I do not own a smartphone anymore as of this fall. It is becoming more difficult in my line of work to resist however. I am very close to retirement so soon it will be a nonissue... But life is now connected to the Internet, for better or for worse.

I never consumed news, my father kept up with every event that happened because his perceived fears of Communist takeover of the United States, but once I moved out of his house in the early 80s it completely cut off. This has not been the case in the last few months however, as at work I get constant political news that I never have before, so I am now informed. Due to this, I have taken more concern with hot issues, and so I am reading some online about politics, a guilty indulgence if you will.

I would love to cut this off again, as I do feel it is making my life worse, but my re-exposure to the events of the world shows me signs of concern for the near future enough that I am afraid similarly that if I shut myself out freedom will die without my knowledge. I always immediately dismissed claims that the events of the Weimar Republic would be repeatable in the States or any other major democracy within the near future, but it seems more and more likely to me that a similar collapse of the democratic process is coming within the next 15-30 years.

I certainly am aware of the contrasts of Weimar and the modern political climate in the West. My uncle was born around the turn of the 20th century, as a teen he witnessed the decay of the German Empire, the abdication of the monarchs, a German Revolution and civil war all on his doorstep. He himself went on to involve himself in the political scene of the Republic in the mid-late 20s, becoming a member of the DNVP. He attended many rallies, and got in physical altercations with a member of the Communard and later a NSDAP member.

He was one of those that retreated from public light after the Enabling Act, as quickly monarchists became a target of the Goons too. He stressed to me in the 80s that while he despised Republicans (not American), that I must remain most vigilant against those on the far left and far right in their attempts to remove the right of free speech from man.
This is what I fear. I'm too old to do anything about it but this fear is what makes it the hardest for me to back away after this re-exposure. There may come a time when I leave this site too because I may just decide to cut my internet connection off when I retire for good, or only keep it for certain tooled purposes...

Sorry for the long rant. Just wanted to get that off of my chest here, as I see many people sharing the same views. To return to PPC, it is the only reason I have not deactivated my account here. It's a great community of bright minds with a common passion, quite dedicated to their hobby. I have received great advice and help with my PPC adventures here, and I certainly hope I have been able to give the same to someone else. I almost want to just disable the rest of the site, perhaps with the exception of the iPod forum. Much different scene than PPC forum. The iPhone board in particular feels like it could be a different site. I certainly do sympathize with OP's views on the effect of forums and the Internet on one's emotions, I have certainly noticed the same.

Sorry again for the long thread hijack and again best of luck to OP in the future.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I'm not going to visit MR or any other forums anymore. I've seen participation in forums and the internet as a whole take too much of my time, and it has become more and more of a negative experience. In addition, I have noticed myself posting things solely to try to win approval and appreciation from others, and I don't like this habit of self-aggrandizement in myself. The only way to stop it, I think, is a clean break.

I did want to say a thank you to all the members of the PPC forum who have contributed over the years. I've always liked other architectures, and have never seen a forum as active or as knowledgeable as this one. I've learned a lot about PPC Macs and have appreciated getting to know some of you via IM over the years. I'll still be using my PPC Macs as often and as long as possible, and I certainly hope you do too

All the very best to you. It can be a very negative place at times and sometimes it’s best to just find something else to do with our time. Our mental health is what is most important at the end of the day. Pop back if you ever need tech advice and enjoy whatever you choose to do!

 

[2984839]

I appreciate the kind words. I think I should clarify though that I am not cutting off due to political vitriol. I think all of that is all caused by a much deeper problem.

It's that as a culture, we worship ourselves. Worship. It's an old English word from "worth-ship". Whatever is of highest worth to you, is what you worship, and we all worship something. All of social media are systems that we built to inflate our own egos, designed to transform life into an endless pursuit of acquiring likes, upvotes, retweets, and subscriptions. "Personal brands" are now a thing for ordinary people, not just celebrities. Every YouTuber seems to sell "merch" (what a term!) these days, with references to their own cult-of-self's in-jokes, memes, and lore.

Virtue is dead as a concept. It is not taught or thought about, except as maybe a historical oddity. In its place is virtue signaling. Mob appeasement and looking for affirmation are the sources of value in a society in which objective values are villainized as intolerant or sneered at as archaic. And when an increasingly powerful handful of tech companies anoint themselves the moral police and collaborate as the gatekeepers of thought, they do so with careful eyes fixed squarely on the social media reactions of an increasingly curated group of the most vocal extremists in their own increasingly censored worlds. The most important questions though are not who the President is, or what "the other side" is up to, or how many people like us. It's: who are we? Why are we here? And where, if anywhere, are we going next? All else follows from our answers or non-answers. Our lives today don't merely lack the answers to these questions, we refuse to ask them, because we know that answering them would lead to the hard reality that our culture of self-worship is a shallow idolatry.

But the main reason I need to stop is that I have realized I'm the worst about this. I've always been a people pleaser, and sought praise from teachers in grammar school, then high school, then university. Then I wanted to be liked by my bosses and peers, which I was good at doing. I would come home from a long day of hoping everyone liked me at work to sit in front of a computer and see if I had any new likes on Facebook and Macrumors. I convinced myself that I didn't care about these things, but I did. When have I ever done something purely for its own sake instead of for appreciation of others? A cynic might point out that even posting this is an example of that vice--and they may be partially right. But I do think it's important enough to share in spite of any of my flaws, and the PPC forum is the only place on the internet where I actually post anymore, so I feel I owe an explanation to a great group of the only other people besides me who are crazy enough to run a 16+ year old computer.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Virtue is dead as a concept. It is not taught or thought about, except as maybe a historical oddity. In its place is virtue signaling.

An excellent analysis.

But I feel you are being too hard on yourself - there's nothing wrong with being a people pleaser (unless that's at the expense of every other contribution you make to the world) and getting a buzz from likes/acknowledgement isn't so bad when it stems from genuinely useful content and advice.

The amount of positive feedback I get from anything I do and post - apart from on this forum - is pitifully miniscule in proportion to the work put in but that doesn't prevent me from doing it, simply because I don't do it for likes - and I suspect you don't either, even though you hope someone has liked it or commented.

It's a tough one - we are living through transformative times and maybe the older ones amongst don't like what we are witnessing but the problem is, being old and past our best, removes us from any sphere of influence.

 

[adrianlondon]

Take a short break then come back, always understanding the nature of the forum you're posting in.

This is MacRumors, which although not the most accurate name (as it seems mainly about phones not laptops), only post things here relating to your Apple products and thoughts. If it's off-topic, don't post.

Do that with every forum. Yes, even Facebook - it's meant as a way to share dull photos of kids, food and your grinning face somewhere outdoors. It's not meant for ranting about politics or vaccines or sharing other posts from other places doing that. Just stick to what it was originally for and ignore everything else.

Having said that, my post here is a good example of what not to do. Ah well. Umm .... headphones full of water, notches, melting Intel laptops, bug-du-jour-gate, battery life, too thin, too big.

 

[MBAir2010]

That's true but unfortunately 'the internet' is now directly effecting government policy and therefore peoples lives.

Media has always been like that, even during the 20th century.

 

[mmphosis]

openbsd nmap and open firmware. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

 

[MBAir2010]

retta283: “I never consumed news, my father kept up with every event that happened because his perceived fears of Communist takeover of the United States”

i lived through that as well, My dad hated krushev boldly!
even caught myself supporting the CCCP hockey team and being devastated on that 1980 loss. I know more about sri lanka politics than my own country!
but what baffles my brain is
Where i am now, i cant use apple products because they are now blocked in this house im staying due to some “freespeech” app ban Friday. im happy all-this for me ends next week. These freedom lovers hate free thinking!

I realized recently that these social media sites, especially reddit censor and accept only what surrounds their personally lifes and events rather than an opinion and i have had several non biased comics ignored or blocked because that subject did not focus on their personal lives, Which deflated my cartooning career. where else can i get a random funny cartoon circulated or published anymore?

 

[jeyf]

positng on community forums
-your not going to change anyone's oipinion
-very bad for anonymity

 

[Apple_Robert]

The problem Joe is facing is one of balance. Using the internet as an aspect of life is balance. Allowing the internet (and the various worlds therein) to become your life is when there is no longer balance, and one starts feeling lost, misunderstood and agitated, due to trying to juggle so many different things coming out of one Wifi or Ethernet port.