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Comment by 11thEarlOfMar | Hacker News Reader

I've recently been considering exactly the opposite. A place where I can take a 'technology vacation'. Perhaps extended. Most HNers probably couldn't comprehend a world without Internet-connected wireless computers, but in that time, one could actually think for hours about a single idea, concept, design, desire or plan without interruption. Or one could just read a book cover to cover. Sure, just 'turn your smartphone off', but just knowing that so much information is flowing through it and that something you may 'need to know' might transpire while you've got it powered off makes it a bit like withdrawal.

Let's build a 'quiet place' we can share with friends and family that is completely unplugged, with one landline phone downstairs in the hall, a newspaper on the porch in the morning, and a library full of books we've always meant to read....

It would be like re-charging your brain from the attenuation of interruption.

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It’s a very good idea, the restorative effects on taking a break from modern life has been practiced a long time in Scandinavia. Both my brother and my father has tech intensive stressful jobs in healthcare and keeps their minds by hiking, cycling, skiing and kayaking. These types of activities or relationship with nature does have a term called friluftsliv.

Personally I think the effects are similar to meditation when you are on a long hike.

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs...

I have a hard time doing these things without a car. Being able to reach a nature site/park/recreation area on public transit with a huge group of people makes it feel like just an extension of the city and city life. You’re surrounded by a mob of people with their phone cameras out, even if you don’t have yours.

How do countries without mass car ownership pull this off?

I don't think quiet places need to be built. They already exist, in the deserts, mountains, and forests. You just need to take the time to leave home and go there.

There is something called Rainbow Gathering, where a bunch of people go into the wilderness for one month(but people come and go as they like), to do exactly this. No electronic technology, except for torches. Xooking over open fire And quite some more, but also some weird things. So there are spaced out hippies as well, but usually also quite many ordinary people who just like to live differently for some time. And in my experience the human interactions there, are in general much deeper, since people live more in the moment, than on their phones half the time.

I have been to some very nice ones in europe (but also left some bad ones). In the US I heard, they are much more extreme, so I can't talk about that.

But if you can't stand naked people dancing around the fire to drums etc. at all, than I recommend a simple mountain hut off the grid, or something a similar. I like both ...

Have you considered hiking?

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