Shutdown Day: March 24th, 2007
“It is obvious that people would find life extremely difficult without computers, maybe even impossible,” reads the site for Shutdown Day, “If they disappeared for just one day, would we be able to cope?
Shutdown Day takes place on Saturday, March 24th, 2007 and challenges everyone to see if they can survive for 24 hours without their computer. The site contains more information about this one-day exercise, a survey where you can indicate whether or not you’ll take part and a link to this video with people abusing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of laptops in some kind of posturing that’s meant to approximate rebellion:
Speaking as a programmer, a technophile and an Asian, I would like to formally denounce Shutdown Day. It’s obviously some kind of wacko protest thing created by Neo-Luddites. I probably will spend the day away from my computer, but only to round up these techno-peasants so that they can be put to work in the Coltan mines.
A Modest Proposal
You want a day I can get behind? No Poetry Day. Modern poetry is self-indulgent crap written by NEMS (non-essential members of society), and many of us go for months without poetry with no ill effects. We could take turns standing in front of a group of our peers and even say how long we’ve gone without poetry, AA-style. It would rock.
As for those who would counter me with Audre Lourde’s line, “Poetry is not a luxury!”, I would gladly agree: luxuries are things people want and will pay big money for. Poetry is neither.
13 replies on “Shutdown Day / A Modest Proposal”
I agree, what would the point be in “not connecting” for a day? First, you’ll connect the next day anyway, second, really, why do it?
Snark is the grain of sand that irritates the oyster of civilization, inducing it to produce pearls of progress.
(Claps hands over head, screams “Whoo-hoo! Self high-five!”)
You know what they say about when you assume…
More importantly, today is Steak and BJ day! http://www.steakandbjday.com/ . (SFW if you turn images off)
Maybe it’s to remind yourself that you can, and are permitted to.
I can shut off my computer any time I want! Uh…hey! New article to digg! Shiny!
The defensive talk-radio tone of this says a lot. “Wacko protest thing”. Very insightful.
You yourself would deride the tactic of diverting attention onto a weak bystander, in this case, poetry — which is indeed as you point out, absurd. It’s also a defenseless neuter having nothing to do with the matter. You may as well have suggested “Snuff Alzheimer Retirees Day”.
Perhaps it is somewhat pointless to turn your computer off for a day. However, if it encourages anyone to think critically about all this ubiquitous technology, that will be for the good. Its very prevalence demands that we keep our eyes open rather than just obediently buying and buying into the latest stuff to hit the market. You as a self-described technophile (one who loves technology), owe this to your love.
Never ever turn your bullshit detector off, not in regard to anything — perhaps especially the things closest to ourselves.
(By the way, what does “Asian” have to do with it? Why not, “speaking as a guy with a goatee”? Because you are that, and it seems just as relevant.
(By the way, are you Asian? I thought you were Canadian. “Accordion City” = Toronto ON, doesn’t it?))
P.S.: And turn off the goddam cellphone too, while you’re at it. Don’t be made a slave!
Okay, so do it now.
Relax, it’s a tongue-in-cheek piece. Hence the reference to A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift.
However, I do not want you to feel that your effort to fight the good fight was in vain. Hence I grant unto you the animated graphic below, posted in honour of the noble intent of your comment. I salute you with a filet mignon on a flaming sword!
I once met someone who had a 386 implanted in his chest, controlling a defibrillator that would kick in when needed.
I dare the Shutdown Day people to ask him to turn it off.
I also dare them to request the shutdown of nuclear reactor safety monitors.
And traffic lights and thermostats.
I guess our one cat who is microchipped is ok as long as she stays away from RFID readers. “No, Phoebe, you can’t go in that direction! Not on Shutdown Day!”
Here’s an idea that would bring some value to shutdown day (cuz I checked out their web site and found no real purpose for the experiment): instead of shutting down, how about everyone donates their 24 hours of computation power to a cause like World Community Grid (www.worldcommunitygrid.com)? At least our computers will be used for good and not evil – and they will be used for computing not as aerodynamic wunder-toys, the shutdownday people will get to conduct their useless experiment, and nobody will have to endure any poetry that they don’t want to hear.
You’re 100% right, Shutdown Day is a neo-luddite lame idea. Even if you shut off all of of your PCs/laptops at home, you are still using plenty of computers.
All across the city, embedded computers are monitoring the electrical grid, water filtration, sanitation systems, furnace/air conditioning systems, traffic lights, transit systems, critical care patients, air quality, noise levels, and so on.
To really do without computers you’d have to go camping. But not to a national or provincial park, because they use computers to handle the scheduling/booking of the campsites.
Shut down my computer for a Saturday? Hell, I do that every Shabbat!