# Despite modern technology, I still....\[fill in activity of choice\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938 "2013-01-03T10:19:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/41 "2013-01-04T10:24:40Z")
In my buying list are: Parker 75 fountain pen Rolex Oyster A full Encyclopaedia Britannica set A pre-64 Winchester model 70 My dream knives I already have: Randall #27 and a 1972 Case xx medium jack. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/42 "2013-01-04T10:44:38Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I have a bread machine, and have not used it more than perhaps 5 times. My roomie will use it. I prefer to make bread by hand, there is something very satisfying in the kneading and watching it proof. > > Last time I broke a shoe lace, I got my lucet loom and wove a pair of cords the correct length, though I think that was more not wanting to leave the house in heavy rain. > > I find it easier to sew medieval and renaissance clothing by hand rather than machine except for the really long seams of hemming the bottoms of the skirts. I can sit and watch TV and box pleat almost faster than I can do it on a machine. > > I make almost everything we eat from scratch as it is less expensive normally and really not that much extra work. It also lets me avoid accidentally eating something I am allergic to. That’s really cool - I used to make and sell lucets, but only ever really used them myself for curiosity value rather than utility, but I might start making my own shoelaces now. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/43 "2013-01-04T11:16:04Z")
write stuff down with pen and paper, i don’t have a smartphone. i can do more in the kitchen with a knife, and faster, than most people can do with cooking accessories and appliances even if i can call to get something done (bank, school stuff, etc), i’d much rather go down to the place to talk to someone in person. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/44 "2013-01-04T13:01:39Z")
Despite modern technology I still… walk. Really, I live 3.5 miles from central London which I can walk to in an hour or so at a reasonable pace, yet so many of my friends will take expensive taxis, unreliable, noisy and dirty public transport, or frustrating and grindingly slow car journeys to get there in not much less time than it takes me on Shanks’s pony. ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/45 "2013-01-04T13:24:03Z")
I roast and grind my own coffee. There really isn’t any substitute for doing it yourself. Convenience doesn’t matter if the result tastes like wet cardboard. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/46 "2013-01-04T13:53:04Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > File taxes by hand – when it’s completely free (not even having to buy a tool) then I’ll consider it. I _would_ feed my pennies into a counting machine if they were free, or very cheap, and convenient, but I will probably always still roll my other change. After all, if I don’t roll it how will I know how much I have? Filing taxes is completely free. All the sites that do online taxes (TurboTax, TaxAct, etc…) are required by federal law to offer free 1040 filing. Though I guess this is moot if you have more complex taxes. it works for me…I take the standard deduction, and the only other deduction I have is student loan interest, which is still part of the free service. Re: change. You know how much you have because the machine tells you. If there were some big scam where CoinStar wasn’t counting change properly and stealing money, I think we would have heard of it by now. The damn thing’s easy, and you can keep all of your money if you get it as a gift certificate to certain retailers. Though since most of them are online retailers, and this thread is about doing old-fashioned things, it might not go over well suggesting it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/47 "2013-01-04T15:39:38Z")
Do people really use electric can openers? I only thought that the elderly or arthritic would use them. I mean, opening a can with a $4 can opener takes about five seconds. I can’t recall ever seeing one of these in someone’s kitchen that didn’t have some sort of issue with using their hands. I don’t get the appeal of snow blowers. Sure, it is probably easier than shoveling. But you’ve still got to go out into the cold storm to use it. Plus they cost a ton. I see them for over $1,000 all the time. Call the plow guy. $25 and the driveway is done. Even if we get twenty storms a year it’s still a fraction of the cost of a snow blower. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/48 "2013-01-04T16:04:03Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Call the plow guy. $25 and the driveway is done. Even if we get twenty storms a year it’s still a fraction of the cost of a snow blower. A snowblower can be done on your own schedule. Back when I was a kid at my parents’ house, they got it plowed by our uncle who did it part-time in winter. But we were family, so we were top of the list. Obviously, at some point someone is at the “bottom” of the list and who knows how long that might be. If there aren’t a lot of plow services in your area, you might prefer to do it yourself. Especially if you want the driveway clear in the morning when you leave for work. Also, no one buys a new snowblower every year. If we figure a well-maintained snowblower can last ten years, that’s only $100 a year. Add in the cost for gasoline and incidentals like a tune up, oil, maybe a small repair, and it still wouldn’t top $150 a year. So now the “break even” point is closer to six or seven snowfalls a year large enough to warrant using it. Plus, we can’t overlook the fact that using a snowblower is just plain fun. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/49 "2013-01-04T16:16:33Z")
My snowblower was $700 and it was a gift (or rather, the money was a gift) from my SO’s parents. That is, they gave us the entire $700. So it was more than worth it. And as stated, that’s $700 for a machine that will last me for ten years… As for calling the plow guy to do the driveway, harumph. Not only is it a time issue, but he’s not going to come and do the walks or anything? And besides, we park the car in the driveway, so we’d have to move the car first…which means we have to shovel. 😕 I’m not really sure how that would work. He doesn’t have room to put the snow next to the car or anything; it can only be behind the car. There isn’t room for two cars there since… We essentially have two driveways. One is the one in the back, where my SO parks. This is the one the plow could do, but we’d have to move the car first. One is the gravel ‘shoulder’ in the front where I park my car. The regular plow gets to this first and plows about halfway up, leaving a big gap for my car. Then I have to go shovel the car out anyway…and the snow is goddamn heavy. **Skald** , perhaps I will post a picture of how high the snow is right now, after only a couple of storms. 😃 The worst was the snow of 2010. It snowed approximately every three days, adding anywhere from 2-6" to the snow every time. I would go out and just want to cry, seeing all of the heavy snow piled up around my car. It hurt my back to shovel over and over again and I swore I was getting too old for it! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/50 "2013-01-05T19:16:21Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Despite modern technology I still… walk. > > Really, I live 3.5 miles from central London which I can walk to in an hour or so at a reasonable pace, yet so many of my friends will take expensive taxis, unreliable, noisy and dirty public transport, or frustrating and grindingly slow car journeys to get there in not much less time than it takes me on Shanks’s pony. I walk everywhere, too. It’s a dealbreaker for any house we buy - it has to have all the services we use within walking distance - bank, grocery stores, library, shopping, etc. I have a little cart that I use for groceries, and walk to the store multiple times per week - it’s great exercise. I also drive a manual transmission car - the new automatics might be just as good as the manuals, but I like driving a stick. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/51 "2013-01-05T21:01:53Z")
Given space for all my gear and a kitchen (neither of which I currently have, dammit), I brew my own beer, cider and mead. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/52 "2013-01-05T23:06:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I make bread by hand. I could just get a breadmaker, but I prefer hand crafting it. I don’t like the results of using a home breadmaker. My data points are all several years old, but I don’t find making bread so complicated that I see any benefit to exploring the current options. However, I don’t think using a breadmaker is morally inferior or anything like that. I don’t think using a breadmaker is inherently bad. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/53 "2013-01-06T00:20:27Z")
I read books. Real ones, printed on paper. Prefer manual transmissions. Take notes in longhand with a mechanical pencil on a steno pad. Do mental arithmatic, and sometimes longhand calculations. This is not hard-and-fast, I do appreciate a good scientific calculator. I like paper maps, don’t have a GPS. And I still own and use an old-fashioned optical level and idiot stick for laying out projects. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/54 "2013-01-06T01:05:03Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Plus, we can’t overlook the fact that using a snowblower is just plain fun. 😃 I was always happy to see that one of my neighbors had bought a new snowblower, because I knew, next time it snowed, he’d clear the sidewalk for the entire block, and maybe some of the driveways and cutouts. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/55 "2013-01-06T01:43:22Z")
I still shave with an old-fashioned safety razor. ‘‘Still’’ isn’t the right word because I just started that last year. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, I much prefer it over the newfangled plastic ones, and it saves a lot of money. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/56 "2013-01-06T02:01:23Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Even though I work in IT, and I’m almost always in front of a computer, 99% of my notes are pencil-written in notebooks. Same here, though I use a fountain pen. I sketch out data structures in a notebook, and sometimes code. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/57 "2013-01-06T13:35:31Z")
A snowblower where I live is a necessity, and my moms old Swing Away can opener on the wall works wonders!!! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/58 "2013-01-06T15:29:56Z")
I don’t have an electric can opener, though my mom has had one ever since I can remember. I keep a [‘John Wayne’](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener) on my keyring and have several of the little manual can openers in various drawers in the kitchen. [as an aside, it was my Dad’s original WW2 issue p-38. I also have his issue [cricket](http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/9147/10194400_1m.jpg?v=8CD8C19A1B9FE20).] ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/59 "2013-01-06T16:18:43Z")
I still clean hard surface floors using a mop and bucket. It’s a spin mop but it’s still just a mop. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938/60 "2013-01-06T17:41:35Z")
Write and mail checks for my utilities and insurance. I had a bad experience of my old computer going belly up, ordering a new one from Dell, having problems with the new one and day after day of the tech support trying to talk me through a remedy for what turned out to be a defective circuit board. All told I was off line for about two weeks. On top of that I have really slow internet which occasionaly gets choked off by automatic updates from security. The postal service has about a 100% success rate for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/despite-modern-technology-i-still-fill-in-activity-of-choice/645938.md?page=4)