My "Wild" World of Technology

My Declaration of Independence

I wish to be free from those who tell me how to live.

Free from all forms of advertising -
television, Internet, print, and the inserts
I find in my daughter's Barbie packaging,
telling me to buy more of their products.

Free from conventional politics, religion and philosophy.
I want to find my own way of thinking
and I want others to think for themselves as well.

Free from name brands,
from Coach, from McDonalds, from Doritos, and Microsoft.

Free from traditional “jobs.”
I want to claim my education and find a career I enjoy.
I want to wake up each morning, smiling at the tasks ahead of me.
I want to help people who are grateful for my assistance.
And I don't want a corporate monster boss looming over my shoulder.

Free from America, the “land of the free,”
which has been tainted by capitalism, social norms and closed minds.


My Wild World of Technology

While I think Christopher McCandless pursued his adventure, as documented in Into the Wild, somewhat carelessly, I have great appreciation for everything he stood for and attempted to live by. McCandless took the greed of Americans to heart; he saw no need to live a lavish existence. In fact, he despised those who stuck to the mainstream, buying into all the capitalism this country has to offer. While I'm not quite prepared to go trekking off into the wilderness, I, too, choose to live my life more simply, foregoing excess and overindulgence. In this essay, I will detail ways I use technology to live a more simple, enjoyable life. While I may be known to boycott anything at the drop of a hat because I don't agree with the principles that lie within it, technology is the one arena I have come to appreciate. I don't think the business of technology is a greedy one. With all it has to offer, people are better off to invest in it and reap the benefits. Today, with expenses at an all-time high and income at an all-time low, I have found it imperative to make sacrifices to survive. Technology has helped me achieve this goal.

The Postal Service vs. Online Banking, E-mailing

At several points in my life, the U.S. Postal Service has had me boiling. When I was eleven years old, it tried to destroy the post office in Wakefield, my hometown. I took petitions door-to-door, begging my neighbors to help me fight for this establishment. Even though I was young, I understood that Wakefield only had a corner grocery, a fire department, and a post office, and I wasn't about to let one of our only three landmarks be taken away. My petitioning stopped the destruction of the post office. Fourteen years later, when I served as editor of The Pike County News Watchman, the Postal Service swooped down upon Wakefield once more. They had recently been successful in shutting down the Stockdale Post Office and several others throughout Southern Ohio. Their goal for Pike County was – and still is – to close all branch stores and send postal customers to a consolidated office, the one located in Waverly. This conversion, if completely successful, will have some residents, such as those living in Cynthiana, driving nearly 30 miles for postal service. Unfortunately, the U.S. Postal Service won their battle in Wakefield. The office was closed over a year ago and replaced with a row of metal mailboxes. Since, I've done everything I can to boycott this government entity. The rising and ridiculous costs of postage is something I avoid falling prey to as much as possible. I invest in online banking and bill-paying, and for years I haven't had the need to communicate with friends by mail; e-mail and social networking is sufficient. I just can't sit back and let the government charge me outrageous prices for postage, then shut down all of my county's branch post offices so that we have to buy even more gas at sky-rocketing prices in order to travel to the consolidated office that they say simplifies the business. Talk about fascism.

Downloading vs. the Music Industry and Cable Television

Alright, I'll admit it, I download everything under the sun. Music, movies, television shows, e-books, audio books, literally everything. I do this to send a personal message to the failing music industry and to cable television providers. Neither of these businesses have a clue how to be successful. The music industry fights its customers over the right to listen to the purchased product, and cable television blinds its customers with relentless advertising and packages with networks no one wants to view. They have many options, such as pay-per-play for musicians and a la carte for cable subscriptions. However, they continue to perpetrate a war against their consumers that eventually sends them to the Internet, to a world where, although illegally, millions of individuals obtain their entertainment for free. Corrupt business has turned loyal customers, who are more than willing to pay for entertainment, if the price is right, into pirates.

Open Source vs. Microsoft

When Windows Vista and Microsoft Word 2007 came out, people started complaining. Both programs are difficult to use. Vista is well-known as the program that asks you questions about everything. “Are you sure you'd like to (fill in the blank)?” is a phrase Microsoft users are familiar with. Not only are the security features on the programs overzealous, simply owning the software costs an arm and a leg. My alternative: open source. At home, I have two computer systems, both running on Linux with Ubuntu and Kubuntu, versions of the operating system. I use Open Office as my word processor, The Gimp as my alternative to Photoshop, Amarok as my music player, and a host of other free open source software. Open source programs are those created by individuals who offer up the software's code for others to alter and improve upon. No copyright infringement or binding contracts, the purpose of the open source movement is to avoid software that is restricting and demanding of excessive royalties. I'm proud to say that, aside from my use of the computers at the college, I've successfully boycotted Microsoft for nearly a year now. Now, my computer does exactly what I tell it to do. It doesn't ask questions or suffer from corporate limitations, viruses and other threats are unheard of, and best of all, it's absolutely free.

Advertising Blindfold

Thanks to my avoidance of cable television, I've also been able to avoid many of the impressionable advertisements of the modern age. I hate advertising. If there is one goal I have in life, it is to avoid being swayed by advertising at all costs. I further exempt myself from purchasing propaganda by using the Adblock and Flashblock extensions on Mozilla Firefox, my Internet browser of choice. These extensions block all advertisements from my Internet browser. I don't even know they exist. As far as junk mail and other forms of print advertisement go, limitation is key. I'm very careful of who gets my address; I'm certain to never give it away if I think the receiving party may share my information with advertisers. Once you live by this code of conduct, vultures become obvious, and steering clear of them becomes easier.

Other Ways I Fight “The Man”

Eliminating oppression by the powers that be is simple. I've taken many steps to be sure that I live my life deliberately, the way I choose to. Every day, I find new ways to cut corners, to save money, and to live by my convictions. I aim to work in a non-profit industry, avoiding corporate corruption. I opt for a cell phone and high speed Internet instead of keeping a land line in my home. After all, a land line would be the easiest thing for the government to wire-tap if they should ever choose to do so. I wear off-brand clothing; I wouldn't be caught dead looking like a walking billboard for someone I've already given my money to. I'm a loud-mouthed Liberal. I don't push my opinions on others, but when I hear a viewpoint other than my own, I make sure the party sharing their ideals knows there is another side of the coin. I suspect Chris McCandless would think my efforts respectable, although he didn't seem to be a technological kind of guy. Many individuals interviewed in Into the Wild commended McCandless for at least attempting to live by his convictions, for doing something that very few people try to do. I may not practice every moral that I preach, but I do live my life somewhat on the wild side, taking steps to personal freedom that I feel are vitally important to my existence.