The Low-Tech Times

The Low-Tech Times previously recommended push reel lawn mowers in its lawnmower buying guide. Now, according to WHSV.com ABC Channel 3, local retailers are reporting an increase in push reel lawn mower sales:

With gas prices on the rise, many people are looking for cheaper ways to save money at the pump, including how they mow the lawn.

Ace Hardware stores, Lowe’s and Home Depot have noticed a change in how people are reacting to higher gas prices. Managers’ at all three stores say sales of Push Reel mowers have steadily increased over the past month.

The Low-Tech Times continues to recommend manual push reel mowers, but keep these factors in mind before deciding one is right to you:

1. Push reel lawn mowers are best for small yards (e.g. townhomes).
2. Pushing a push reel lawn mower through very tall grass is more difficult; keep up with cutting the grass if you choose one.
3. If you want to cut your grass leaving it fairly long (more than three inches), you may not be able to find a push reel model to meet your needs.

Keith Knipling describes a new service people can use to find their lost cell phone or stage a call so they can get out of a bad date:

Misplaced your cell phone around the house? Give your number to PhoneMyPhone and they’ll instantly ring you up. PhoneMyPhone can also schedule phone calls at specific times, useful for cutting business meetings short or ending bad dates.

Instead of using PhoneMyPhone to search for your lost phone, the Low-Tech Times recommends never losing it in the first place. I recommend leaving it turned off in your glove box. Or, if you must use your cell phone regularly, then place it next to your wallet on your dresser or nightstand when you empty your pockets at the end of the day.

In terms of getting out of a bad date, you could instead feign an illness, e.g. “I’m sorry but I’m having really bad stomach problems and have to go.” Perhaps, even give honesty a try.

I suppose the service may come in handy for those who do not have a land-line, but if they are consistently misplacing their cell phone, perhaps they should have a land-line for emergency use.

Bob Bly, an old-school copywriter, wrote to hi-tech blogger Robert Scoble saying that he is a low-tech guy and does not understand all of the hullabaloo about the latest hi-tech gadgets and services:

I don’t have any of it — for that matter, I don’t own a Blackberry, iPod, wireless laptop, or even a cell phone — and I get along fine without them.

In fact, I’d say my productivity is greatly enhanced by not fooling with all these useless gadgets or reading the endless blather on social networking sites.

Can you help an old guy from the old school understand what he’s missing?

Scoble responded to Bly implying that people can choose to be lazy and ignore hi-tech trends, but that choice is an ignorant one:

OK, OK, I see that a few of you are interested in how I’d answer Rob’s question straight up. My answer:

“There is value in staying ignorant.”

Seriously. Think of the tradeoff to staying ignorant. You might have to go to school to learn something new instead of grabbing another beer out of the fridge and sitting on the couch and watching another CSI

The Low-Tech Times strongly sides with Bob Bly in this discussion. While it is a mistake to reject all new technology out of hand, it is equally wrong for the public to have a knee-jerk reaction to purchase the latest unnecessary hi-tech gadget or service. Scoble should not assume that people are ignorant just because they choose not to spend their time and money on the latest technologies.

The Low-Tech Times sees some troubling signs in today’s society, including drivers who pay more attention to their text messages than the roadway and people talking about surgically embedding cell phones inside their bodies.

Avoiding unnecessary hi-tech devices is not lazy; on the contrary, insisting on a button to roll up and down car windows is lazy.