Nathan Drescher / Android Authority
Last week, I embarked upon an experiment. I wanted to know what it would feel like to live as if it were 1993 again. That year was the tail end of the analog era, just before the internet and Windows 95 and the first dot com bubble. I was a kid then, so I had some memory of how things were. But could I still function in that world today?
For one week, I lived without modern technology unless it was absolutely necessary for work and emergencies. I carried a Discman, scribbled in a paper planner, and made phone calls instead of texting. It was chaotic at first, but oddly calming by the time it was all over. Here’s how my week went.
What tech would be the hardest for you to give up? 84 votes Smartphone 57 % Streaming music and video 7 % Smart home devices 0 % Google Maps 14 % Social media 0 % I could give it all up tomorrow 21 %
Monday: Finding 90s tech
Nathan Drescher / Android Authority
Woke up like normal. Wait, no I didn’t. My phone alarm didn’t go off, because I no longer had a smartphone. Those hadn’t been invented yet. I was late. Got up, rushed around, got my kids fed and dressed and off to school.
I completely forgot what I was supposed to do next because I had no reminders or even a calendar. By this point, I was thinking maybe I should have prepped a little before starting this experiment.
Thankfully, I actually lived through 1993 once already, albeit as a kid, but at least I knew what to look for. Tracking down a functioning Discman was no easy feat, however. The thrift stores had a bunch, almost all of them broken. I finally found one that worked well enough, along with some CDs: Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Ace of Bass.
For those who never used one, a Discman is a portable CD player about the size of a paperback novel. It skips when you walk, eats AA batteries, and looks like a museum artifact. I normally stream music from YouTube Music, but for this week, I had to rely on physical discs.
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