ni dieu, ni maitrê

Jenn. 27. eating soup

[thirdity]

“In science, restraint was necessary: there were questions that one was not allowed to put to the world — and he who nevertheless put them was like one who complained about a mirror whose reflection repeated his every movement but refused to reveal to him the volitional reason behind those movements.”

— Stanisław Lem, Fiasco

[dandelionsresilience]

whether the internet becomes an intolerable surveillance state, ubiquitous subscription model, or unusably ad- or AI-ridden shithole, I think we need to remember

how to do things offline

either on your personal hard drive (just because it’s an app doesn’t mean the information is stored in your device) or on paper. I’m not saying the collapse of the internet is imminent, and I’m not suggesting we do everything completely without technology, or even stop using it until we have to. (to be clear, I also don’t think the internet will just blink out of existence, suddenly stop being a thing at all; rather I think it might continue to lose its usefulness to the point where it’s impossible to get anything done. anyway) but some people may have forgotten how we got by before the internet (I almost have!), and the younger generation might not have experienced it at all.

I figure most people probably use the internet mainly for communication with friends and family, entertainment and creation (eg. writing), and looking up how to do things, so here’s how to do those things offline:

First and most importantly, download everything important to you onto at least one hard drive and at least one flashdrive! files can get corrupted and hardware can get damaged or lost, but as long as you keep backup copies, you have much-closer-to-guaranteed access versus hoping a business doesn’t decide to paywall, purge, or otherwise revoke your access. I would recommend getting irreplaceable photos printed as well

download and/or print/write down:

anything important to you - photos/videos, journals, certificates, college transcripts

contact info - phone numbers and/or addresses of friends/family (know how to contact them if you can’t use your favourite messaging app), doctors (open hours would be good too), veterinarians if you have pets, and work

how-to’s - recipes (one, two), emergency preparedness (what do I do if… eg. I smell gas)

other things you might google: cleaning chemicals to NOT mix, what laundry tag symbols mean, people food dogs and cats can and can’t eat, plant toxicity to pets

and know offline ways to find things out - local radio station, newspaper, a nearby highway rest area might have a region map, public libraries usually have a bunch of resources

also, those of you who get periods should strongly consider not using period tracking apps! here’s how to track your period manually

free printable period tracker templates (no printer? public libraries usually charge a few cents per page, or you can recreate it by hand)

moving on to entertainment, you can still get most media for free! it’s completely legal to download your favourite movies to your own personal hard drive, you just can’t sell or distribute copies (not legal advice)

movies: wcostream.tv (right click the player) - the url changes every once in a while but usually redirects; I recently noticed that it’s hiding a lot of movies behind “premium,” so it may or may not work anymore | download youtube videos

music: how to get music without streaming it | legal free downloads

games: steamunlocked.net - doesn’t have every game and can be slow to update, but very reliable

books: free online libraries | legal free downloads

otherwise passing time:

active outdoor games

for road trips (social verbal games)

for when power’s out

for sheltering in place (not all offline, but good ideas)

board games (often found at thrift stores)

ad-free customisable games collection (mobile)

read, write, draw, or whatever your craft is, sing, dance, clean, reorganise, take a bath

go outside - excuses include napping (if safe), eating, reading, finding cool plants/animals/rocks, playing with the dog

places to go include:

zoos and museums can be surprisingly cheap

parks and nature preserves

library, mall, or game shop

and a few miscellaneous things for good measure:

time budgeting | household management

how to use a planner | I’ve had success with visually blocked-out schedules like these

please add on if you have any other offline alternatives to common uses of the internet!

[dandelionsresilience]

More Stuff

Remember that links won't work without the internet, so also write down anything you find useful in this post! You have to download stuff ahead of time while you can still access the internet

keep physical user manuals for things like car, tv, appliances

how to prepare for computer work offline (may need to use reader mode to bypass a popup)

check interactions with any medications you're taking

how to search a library (databases are often accessible via library computers so might still be a thing without internet; also some info on manually searching the actual stacks) (backup rb)

make note of your local/state/federal laws regarding tenants’ rights & housing resources, workers’ rights, gun laws, abortion laws (though this is changing frequently)

How to Download Videos

URL downloaders for specific sites & in general

4k Video Downloader Plus, VLC Media Player, Freemake, YouTube-to-mp4

screencap with OBS (may only work on firefox and may violate ToS) or xbox game bar on windows (win+g)

especially download meme songs that you probably won’t find on a CD (example) with https://ytmp3.nexus/

Print photos with VistaPrint, WalMart, or CVS

Old Farmer's Almanac

Household chores list

Simple household repairs

Loads of old recipes (backup rb)

how to wean yourself off the internet

how to spend time with family

how to get involved with your community

ways to spend more time outside (set a goal/reason to be outside)

how to get outside more in different seasons

how to build nature into your lifestyle

how to start a self care habit | how to make a self care checklist

self care assessment | axes of self care | reparenting resources

[motorclit]

Since I've already kind of been doing this due to living on a farm where we easily lose power during storms and lose internet because our only service provider is too fucking cheap to update infrastructure (we have copper wires still, not fiberoptic cable), I feel like I should add on some stuff, too. (Also, we haven't been able to afford any up to date shit since the early 2010s.)

- GET YOURSELF A WEATHER RADIO. Phones can be stolen, malfunction, die, etc. While these things can be a pain in the ass because it goes off for the region your local National Weather Service covers, this could very well save your life, especially if you are in a situation that I'm in that I described above. I recommend Midland, and this one is the most affordable if you're worried about price (Jesus, this thing was 30 bucks a year or two ago... stupid cheetoh). One of my local library branches even has it. (I also heavily recommend getting an emergency radio from them, too! Just be sure you get familiar with it soon and use it every once in a while so you're not struggling in a panic. This is the one I have.) Radio isn't a service you have to pay for like cellphone service or internet. Just be sure you have your battery situation all figured out. That being said, while the weather radio only uses the WX bands, the emergency radio allows AM and FM stations, too.

- Get an antenna of some sort for your television so you can receive local TV stations. This could be important regarding local news. I haven't gotten one for us yet, and I'm not even certain if we can get signal anymore because of how defunct many relay stations for airwaves are. If you live in or near a city and you're not deep in a valley, you're gonna have better luck with this. Yes, there are antennas made for modern flatscreens. Look them up while you can right now, and learn how to hook them up. I wish I could share more on this, but like I said, I haven't gotten one for us yet. I don't even know if we'd get anything to come in, lol. But like radio, airwaves are free. This includes what you could get on television!

- Look into meshtastic. Wanna get in touch with a friend or family member and get a response back quickly? Want to send out a message to the local community also using it? Imagine texting on radio waves. That's... kinda basically what this is. And there's no service to pay for! AND IT'S DECENTRALIZED! I haven't had the chance to try it out, but I'm definitely interested. Here's a video if you wanna learn more about what this is.

- Field Guides in book format. Get them. Mainly those involving local plants and insects/arachnids. Get familiar with where sections are in them in case you need to quickly look something up. You don't wanna assume whether or not something that bit you isn't going to be a problem for your health. I'd also recommend snake guides as well. It's VERY IMPORTANT to know what species bit you if they're venomous so you can be given the correct antivenom.

- Physical media is a thing gaining popularity for obvious reasons. Don't assume it's a fad. Unless you taped it, there aren't gonna be any ads or commercials interrupting what you're trying to watch. Learn how to operate VCRs and DVD players if you're too young to be that familiar with them. (I have the coveted combo machine that I've had since the 2000s. Still works like a charm.)

- Learn to make a go-bag (or several) *NOW.* Climate change is making shit get worse. I've got 2 hiking backpacks ready just in case we gotta split, so all I have to worry about is getting the cats into their carriers. Another thing that weather radio can sometimes be used for is if you need to evacuate due to things like volcanoes, chemical accidents, and wildfires. I am not kidding. A NOAA Weather Radio is fucking awesome and essential. I'm hoping to get a duffle bag to fill with more supplies for long hauls if needed, but I wanted to get the backpacks ready. (And if you're gonna have food with you, BE SURE TO ROTATE THE FOOD SO YOU DON'T HUNKER DOWN OR DIP OUT WITH EXPIRED FOOD. THIS INCLUDES ANY PET FOOD YOU HAVE PACKED.) You need to be able to get your shit and get at a moment's notice. Seconds could matter in an unexpected situation. Make sure you thoroughly plan every possible thing with the rest of your household and loved ones, such as where to go in certain circumstances, where to meet up, etc. INCLUDE ANY AND ALL PETS IN YOUR PLANS, TOO! (If you takes meds, make sure you plan for those, too, and make sure they don't expire. You will also want supplies for typical dental care. Trust me on this one.)

- Learn how to write and mail letters. If shit gets so bad for privacy online, the only way to keep in touch with friends and loved ones with privacy is gonna be through mailing letters. This means you gotta hand-write them. Yes, responses will be slow and you'll have to get the hang of using a writing utensil, but if we did it back in the day and survived, so can you. It is against federal law to open or tamper with someone else's mail. (For now. That cheetoh sure is doing whatever the fuck he wants without consequences.)

I just woke up about an hour ago and still drinking my coffee, so that's all I have for now. I don't know if I have any other things to add and just not remembering any of them. I'm also old and doing this on mobile, so trying to go back and edit and shit made the screen boop around and made me fuck a couple things up. I hope i fixed it all and the wording is fine and the links are helpful.

[dandelionsresilience]

Also! Modern MP3 players and how to archive/preserve your digital stuff

[divorce-enjoyer]

ice water is awesome because you get more water in your water

[divorce-enjoyer]

you think youre out of water but then you check back in five minutes and woah! theres more water! the world is so beautiful

[innerchildabortionclinic]

your cat was an honor to see in the window

[weepingwidar]

Walter Grab (Swiss, 1927-1989) - Mein Freund und die Irrlichter (My friend and the Will-o'-the-wisps) (1969)

[whichwaytofindmyself]

Lil ladybug is enjoying the sun after the rain

[memorycycle]

dont take bird noises for granted

[memorycycle]

next time ur outside and you hear birds just think about how awesome that is and how much it would suck if they were gone

[official-ornithology-posts]

Official ornithology post

[cheaphalloweencostume]

i love you sharp strong aquiline nose women and we have to kill the button nose/rhinoplasty plague together

[dykeselfcest]

I fear a lot of people learned to take good care of library books as children and instead of internalizing "leave shared community items as you found them as much as possible, because other people will use them too" they internalized "printing and binding a book imbues it with sacred energy and if you dog-ear a mass-market paperback you're desecrating the entire concept of written language"

[jerkeline]

One way to get tasks done in the day is to make yourself a Chekhov's List. Put all of the things you have to do on a list, and now that they've been revealed they'll need to be completed by the afternoon (third act) and when you've completed something you can Chekov that task from the list

[tothechaos]

any tips for developing discipline? ive been going through life on a lackadaisical hedonist build but ive got a bunch of mysterious problems that i may or may not be at fault for

[darling-peony]

Do not go gentle into that good knight. He likes to be fucked much harder than that.

[a-book-of-creatures]

I'm starting all my papers like this from now on

[a-book-of-creatures]

From Gowers (1947)

The man on the street is convinced that African elephants have never been used for war and/or peace

[dailyclassicart]

Anton Genberg - "Mountainous summer landscape"

[proslost]

Her concern with landscapes and living creatures was passionate. This concern, feebly called, "the love of nature" seemed to Shevek to be something much broader than love. There are souls, he thought, whose umbilicus has never been cut. They never got weaned from the universe. They do not understand death as an enemy; they look forward to rotting and turning into humus. It was strange to see Takver take a leaf into her hand, or even a rock. She became an extension of it, it of her.

Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed

[sweeetestcurse]

Planet Earth II: Episode 05 - Grasslands

[dontforgetukraine]

Glowing sky (1988) by Viktor Zaretsky