The Low-Tech Times

A couple of recent Facebook articles caught my attention.

Waste of Time

Bob Bly wrote an interesting piece on whether using social networks, including Facebook, is a good use of his time:

…when you join, you get e-mails every day from people saying they have found you on one of these networks … and asking to be added to your list or be allowed to follow you or whatever you call it.

These e-mails interrupt my busy day, and so I don’t reply when I get them: It would destroy my productivity and take me away from the pressing writing deadlines at hand.

But I don’t reply to them LATER, either … because — well, because I am busy, and I have more important things to do, whatever time of day or day of the week it is.

I agree with Mr. Bly that facebook does seem like a waste of time and that is why I have not signed up myself.  However, I won’t deny that many people enjoy using the service.  Some folks I know do use Facebook and they find that it helps them keep in touch with their friends; I won’t tear them down for that.  I would, however, also suggest having low-tech, real visits with  friends, such as dinner parties.

Inappropriate Banning of Users?

The Washington Post published an article last week suggesting people are getting kicked off of Facebook, when perhaps they are not doing anything wrong:

“All I was doing is using it to communicate more efficiently, which is what I thought it was for,” said Coe, 25, of Centreville. “I don’t feel like I was violating any code of ethics.”

Others have been kicked off the popular site for adding too many friends at once; sending too many messages; joining too many groups; or “poking” too many friends, a casual greeting on the site. Shunned Facebookers said the punishment contradicts the site’s core mission — to help people connect and communicate.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent about an hour picking blackberries. The reward was a wonderful blackberry cobbler that my wife made. Blackberries are delicious and chock-full of antioxidants.

While I spent an hour or so picking blackberries one day, many other people spend hours every day on their BlackBerry handheld wireless email devices. Undoubtedly, much of that time is wasted. The BlackBerry devices are so addictive that many people refer to them as CrackBerries.

The Low-Tech Times strongly advocates choosing real blackberries over the hi-tech time-wasting devices that share the same name.

See Also: I Like Blackberries; They’re Delicious

Harpers Ferry, WV is one of my favorite scenic spots. Looking down at the town from Maryland Heights, the scene looks like an amazing model railroad layout. I’ve also enjoyed the view from Weverton Cliffs when hiking the Appalachian Trail across Maryland. Other remarkable views in the area include the vantage points at Loudoun Heights and Jefferson Rock. Jefferson Rock is named after Thomas Jefferson who described the scene:

“The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder and pass off to the sea…

…This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.”

Today, some of these historic views are being threatened by a proposed 190 foot tall hi-tech communications tower. Joshua Bowman reports for The Herald-Mail.com:

The proposed tower site, near the intersection of Keep Tryst and Sandy Hook roads, has angered many people who say a 190-foot tower there would obstruct views in the area.

The site is less than a mile from Harpers Ferry National Park, the Potomac River, the C&O Canal and the Appalachian Trail.

County officials have said the site is needed to provide reliable radio coverage south of Boonsboro.

The Low-Tech Times hopes Washington County officials can find a solution to their communication needs without erecting an eyesore in such a beautiful area.