Could you survive a week using only 2000's tech?

[Shaytan]

Today I've watched a video on YouTube posted last week by the channel Rod Studios, where the hoster challenged himself exactly what the title suggests: living for a week using only tech from the 2000s (to which he considered to be anything up until 2005 - a reasonable consideration I'll follow in this thread unless someone else proves to be a wrong assumption). The original concept would be to make a series of videos where he'd challenge himself with only using tech from increasingly previous decades, but he ultimately decided against doing so by his own conclusions.

 

The idea was so that all his gadgets, including his TV, computer, smartphone and gaming consoles, were replaced by their 2000's counterparts. Also, he went as far as not visiting websites that didn't exist back in the day (including all social media) and limiting his entertainment - namely movies - to titles released during the first 5 years of the 21st Century.

 

While I personally don't think the experience itself or the way his own daily experiences were presented to be that great, the concept and his own conclusions are, and so I recommend everyone checking out the video:

 

 

 

I personally think, as always, this depends a lot from person to person and each one's way of life. For example, I don't feel the need to socialise that much due to my own personality and so I only talk to an handful of people on a regular basis, besides forums. Social media doesn't have that much importance to me, since I only use on a daily basis Fasebook and mostly for the guitar groups and memes, which I could easily spend a while without. Also, when it comes to comunicating, I've always found the most practical to use SMS and regular voicecalls over Internet instant messaging apps, so an old "dumb" phone could perfectly handle the task.

 

Another major function I use my phone for is to listen to music, but besides the storage limitation and no music streaming services, a music player would do its job as well.

 

My two main hobbies are gaming and playing guitar: well, not only I love retro gaming and so one week of revisiting (and even discovering) old games would be very entertaining. Regarding the guitar, my oldest one is 7 years-old - yet its technology dates back to the 80's, therefore I think it would be completely fine; also, my amp is a late 90's Marshall, so the only limitation I'd find in this hobby would be in terms of learning resources, however not a deal-breaker since it's a creativity-based hobby.

 

While Rod Studios had trouble getting a CRT TV, I still have some around the house - including the Sony Trinitron in my bedroom - that are reliable and good enough for the standard channels and for DVDs. I don't watch much TV and I play on PC, so I never felt the need of upgrading it. Finally, I don't use any other tech gadgets besides my ebook reader, yet paper books are readily available and so that wouldn't be an issue either.

 

Perhaps my only limitations would be in terms of acessing the pages and studying materials for college, the only thing that could perhaps make this challenge not possible for me - but I'm still very interested in trying it.

 

What about you? Can you imagine attempting such thing yourself? Could you even do it for a few days or there's no way you'd go through a week without modern-day tech?

 

This discussion in other places: Ultimate Guitar.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Shaytan

[Dottie]

I think it was an interesting topic indeed, and having grown up on mostly technology from the 90's and 2000's, I am perfectly content and not really wishing I lived back there again like some of the younger ones always say. With things like...

Dial-up (pain in the ass)
Windows 95 through XP (boy were them computers slow)
VHS (especially renting them...)
Fat-back TV's (Channel 3 was your friend)
CD's (please insert disc 7)
Floppies (my god, kill me )
Game Cartridges (blowin skills over 9000)
128MB Flash drives (that were 30 dollars new!)

that I had to deal with on a daily basis, I do have a much better appreciation with seeing how fast and convenient things are compared to even 10 years ago, but if I were to forcibly limit myself to technology only available up to 2005, I think I could make due since I have a good chunk of technology that I had from way back. I find myself going back to old videogames on a frequent basis (plus I got Lego so entertainment is covered fairly well), but probably the biggest challenge I'd likely face is the use of computers due to how much slower they were overall; heck, I'd even try to find a version of CATIA that existed in 2005 since I do a bunch of cad stuff.

 

I'd probably have to bum my brother's car since it's from '03

Edited February 18, 2018 by Dottie

[Tao Cheng]

My side hustles requires a smartphone and internets. I have a 2000 Honda Odyssey as a spare vehicle if that counts.

[Night Machine]

Hell, I could survive a week with only using 80's Tech.

Edited February 20, 2018 by Night Machine

[Batman Who Laughs]

I could probably survive a month using no tech what so ever. Sadly my work inhibits that from being a reality. Outside of that providing I had heating, lighting, running water and a cooker I'd manage quite fine.

[SilverRST]

Yes, I can survive a week using only 2000's tech. Before unsocial-media got borned, we got the nicest tech, yes, they were limiting but they were a lot of fun.

GameBoy (Advanc SP)

[Otter]

It's kinda funny how recent you'll find posts on this very forum including a "56K" warning. Ha. I wouldn't be surprised if there are members here still living on "2000s" hardware.

 

Myself, no, I could not do my job without competitive hardware. But I could easily remove it all from my personal life for a while.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Otter

[DarksunDaFirst]

I've done the appalachian trail (NY to SC) and I'm adept with wilderness survival skills.

I think I would be ok.

Edited March 16, 2018 by DarksunDaFirst

[Straypuft]

Come at me bro, I can survive.

 

Didnt get my first cell phone til 2009, dont use it much during my current day to day stuff. So Id be able to use a land line efficiently.

 

Internet only started to get better from 2000 to 2005, Didnt get my first broadband until 2003.

 

If I had a then top of the line computer, Id use most of the time with it to play some of my old favorite games, Also, back then, many games were still original in plot and stuff, not the repetitive grind we have in most games today.

 

Sometimes I miss the customization that Myspace offered, Id love to build up a page just for fun on some kind of myspace emulator since it cannot be brought back in todays ways. OMG the Userbars!

 

Back then it wasnt uncommon to see someone carrying every single bus schedule that the city offered just to get around town on a single day, My city bus system still offers them. I had a laptop back then, I could just stuff the schedules in the laptop bag I had back then.

[Presidential]

I go off in the woods a few times a year. Only technology I use there is a radio. Nothing but beer, music and nature. Cell phone gets no reception so I just leave it at the camp grounds.

[Paisan™]

Well, If I had to live on 2000s tech for a week, I'd glue myself to a chair in front of my PS2. She's over 10 years old and still functioning!

 

I go off in the woods a few times a year. Only technology I use there is a radio. Nothing but beer, music and nature. Cell phone gets no reception so I just leave it at the camp grounds.

Sounds like fun!

[Asmodo]

Of course, that would be the dream scenario. Nothing but a PS2, some VHS's and a fat tube TV. I still use all 3 of those. Fire up an old Windows Me computer and play some DOS games and some Chip's Challenge and Dope Wars. Would take that over today's technology any day of the week.

[itsallup]

It has been 18 years since 2000. Time has passed faster. We actually used cellphones to make phone calls and pagers to send text. Cameras were to take photos. Videocameras were to film. You had to find a Kodak store to reveal the pictures you took, and 24 hours until you see it revealed.

 

I remember the Pentium series. First PC I had was a Pentium III IBM in 2001, Windows 2000 because Me is horrible. And then Dual Core came up, I worked very hard for one. 2.6ghz 2gb of memory in 2006 was like the ultimate pc. And I still have the DualCore CPU working. Been 12 years of service, no motherboard replacements, nor Hard Drives. Held some GTA3 and Vice City memories with a built in gfx memory of 128mb.

 

I could last a long time with early 2000 technology. A nokia 5120 phone, 4 head VHS, 29" TV for the fat PS2 and a Fax to scan and copy things who needs printers anyways.

[K^2]

I had a smartphone with internet etc in 2004. PDA that could send mail through my phone even earlier than that. There has been a huge spread of tech into general population starting at the end of 2000s, but these of us who were tech nerds in 2000s had pretty much the same tech everyone has today. Not quite as powerful, but interfaces were simpler, so it sufficed. And this decade, we have VR and 3D printers that are still just starting to penetrate general market.

 

To properly inconvenience me, you'd have to roll it back to 80s, which would have me complaining about the weight and size of my cell phone and laptop, because you can bet your behind I'd still have one and would find a way to send mail and browse Usenet through it.

 

 

It has been 18 years since 2000. Time has passed faster. We actually used cellphones to make phone calls and pagers to send text. Cameras were to take photos. Videocameras were to film. You had to find a Kodak store to reveal the pictures you took, and 24 hours until you see it revealed.

The hell are you talking about? This is a 2003 phone with a 2MP camera. It's one of the first, but that's when it started. And I haven't held a film camera in hands since late 90s. First digital camera I tried was in '97. (Used a floppy for storage XD) SD Card cameras appeared in '99 and by mid 2000s it was hard to find places to develop film. Everyone switched to digital by then, even if not everyone was using phone cameras yet.

 

And pagers? Are you serious? There were over 100M cell phones in US by the year 2000. Pagers were done before this century even began. In 2000 there were still some people using them. By 2005, the only place you'd see a pager is Friends reruns.

[Tycek]

Not a problem for me really. I'm not that dependent on the technology anyway in my private life. The biggest problem would be lack of music player in 2000 phone, since I like to listen to some mp3 during trips, but I guess I would take walkman instead.

 

I couldn't work in my job, however, as game development needs a bit more fresh tech than from year 2000, but I guess the challenge only limits to private life.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Tycek

[K^2]

I couldn't work in my job, however, as game development needs a bit more fresh tech than from year 2000, but I guess the challenge only limits to private life.

I don't know, retro games are pretty popular. You could probably develop something for DOS and still be able to sell it, so long as you bundle it with DosBOX. (Although, if you mean your actual current job with your current employer, then probably no. Just compiling modern code will make 2000s computers cry.)

[Derphoe]

I wouldn't even be able to tell most of the time what would be considered non 2000 era technologies.

[itsallup]

I had a smartphone with internet etc in 2004. PDA that could send mail through my phone even earlier than that. There has been a huge spread of tech into general population starting at the end of 2000s, but these of us who were tech nerds in 2000s had pretty much the same tech everyone has today. Not quite as powerful, but interfaces were simpler, so it sufficed. And this decade, we have VR and 3D printers that are still just starting to penetrate general market.

 

To properly inconvenience me, you'd have to roll it back to 80s, which would have me complaining about the weight and size of my cell phone and laptop, because you can bet your behind I'd still have one and would find a way to send mail and browse Usenet through it.

 

It has been 18 years since 2000. Time has passed faster. We actually used cellphones to make phone calls and pagers to send text. Cameras were to take photos. Videocameras were to film. You had to find a Kodak store to reveal the pictures you took, and 24 hours until you see it revealed.

The hell are you talking about? This is a 2003 phone with a 2MP camera. It's one of the first, but that's when it started. And I haven't held a film camera in hands since late 90s. First digital camera I tried was in '97. (Used a floppy for storage XD) SD Card cameras appeared in '99 and by mid 2000s it was hard to find places to develop film. Everyone switched to digital by then, even if not everyone was using phone cameras yet.

 

And pagers? Are you serious? There were over 100M cell phones in US by the year 2000. Pagers were done before this century even began. In 2000 there were still some people using them. By 2005, the only place you'd see a pager is Friends reruns.

 

 

The USA was always ahead of us and everything released there coud take 10 years to release in Brazil. My first phone was back in 2003 I had a Nokia 5120

 

 

And only had enough money for a new one in 2006 or 2007 dont remember. Right about year after I bought a motorola v3 I got a job and bought my own ps2, and my pentium dualcore CPU. Wow two years after San Andreas was released. Things over here were not and are still not very affordable.

 

We had MSN and e-mails so as means of communication not much has changed. Ok so maybe I exaggerated about the pager.

[Tycek]

 

I couldn't work in my job, however, as game development needs a bit more fresh tech than from year 2000, but I guess the challenge only limits to private life.

I don't know, retro games are pretty popular. You could probably develop something for DOS and still be able to sell it, so long as you bundle it with DosBOX. (Although, if you mean your actual current job with your current employer, then probably no. Just compiling modern code will make 2000s computers cry.)

Unfortunately I am not a freelancer, but just a small gear in a machine and my current employer wouldn't exactly like to switch to hardware from 2000.

Edited May 13, 2018 by Tycek

[ClassicRock]

Yup, already did that on more than one occasion. I need to 'unplug' every now and then.... frees the soul, if you know what I mean.

[-l-]

I did a couple of times, using my CDs and cassettes with a old walkman.

I still use pay phones, charging balance to my mobile phone is useless as I don't use it.

I'm revisiting old days again when I rarely visit kind of Internet Cafe, only if I need to do something quickly, like when I was using cards to do only homework.

 

I can write a lot... but, oh well.