Living Without Computer Today - Is It Possible?, How much time eats your computer? ;)

[drh 0]

Hello there. My family members keeps annoyingt me becouse of sitting by computer so much.They don't care, what am I doing: programming, reading news, posting in forums or reading emails - they allways think that I'm just having fun, and it's no use from computer LoL So I decided to ask, how much time a day do all of YOU spend sitting by computer? Just trying to find out: 6-8 hours per day is normal, or I can call myself computer maniac already...

[Smack 0]

My family was the same way while I was in highschool, they thought I was being anti-social and didn't believe me when I said I was talking to my friends on instant messenger. Or they wouldn't believe me when I was studying for school or doing something productive that would help me in the future.. I'm a CS major.Of course, when I enrolled in college as a CS major and received scholarships and such, they don't see to mind anymore. ;)Edit: Oh and I say I spend like 4 hours a day on the computer, but if I have an assignment I may spend 8+ hours on the computer.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Smack (see edit history)

[seez 0]

I don't spend that much time online. And to answer your original question: It is possible to live without computer. It just takes aLOT of self discipline and self control and self.... everything else. It would be very difficult.

[rvalkass 5]

On the average weekday I spend roughly 2 hours sat at a computer. About an hour and a half of that (half an hour at school, an hour at home) is spent doing school work. The remaining half an hour is devoted to my website, reading news, emails and currently a PHP project I have undertaken with a friend. At weekends I might spend 3 or 4 hours on the PC, but only if its not particularly nice outside.

they thought I was being anti-social and didn't believe me when I said I was talking to my friends on instant messenger

Its weird how most adults see instant message programs and forums as anti-social and not ways of communicating with eachother. I simply remind my parents that they spent their evenings on CB radios, and its the same sort of thing

[aminzzlink 1]

Same probleme here !!!They always blame me, i used to spend all time in my computer .... but now i spend 3~5 hours a day ...

[husker 0]

I usually spend around 2 hours or a little less per day on the computer counting my computer class at school. On weekends, I actually spend less time, like about an hour. My mom gets very angry when I'm on the computer too long, so I try to keep it on the down-low. We can and we have lived without computers for 1000s of years, and I think we could do so today. We would have to bring down these things called "books" from our attic and start using those.

[csp4.0 1]

of course we can. Parents (espeicially mothers) see us as playing on the computer even when we are doing homework. They normally create something for us to do even when its already done. i.e. Wash the dishes honey. When there is ONLY 1 PLATE! They think computer is bad because they ind it very boring, but once you know all about computers even your mum will get hooked

[Casino.Royale 0]

I'm usually always online. I'm guessing about 8-10 hours on weekdays and 14+ hours during the weekends. This is of course, if I don't have any plans for the day. Also like most of yours, my parents.. or well, rather my mom thinks that I spend all my time online just playing games such as Unreal Tournament, Jedi Academy, etc.

[srujanlive 0]

I do use a computer a lot . I spend most of my time in front of it. So much so that a day without the internet makes me go mad. Becoming so addicted to it scares me event o think of living without it for a day. But, practically i do spend a lot of days without it. I can go without it for a few days maybe. But thats it .Not much long

[Skyfalling 0]

I use the computer quite a bit, as a matter of fact, most of my life revolves around it (and school, of course). I only recently last year got a complaint from both my parents for using the computer too much and that I should be doing something else more profitable with my time. My mother is completely clueless about technology and thinks I should be outside gardening or something. My father came from a poor family and so when he came to Canada started doing amazingly well at school (as quoted from him, he got over 100% in science and math because he studied the whole book). He likes computers and technology a lot, but also thinks that I should do something else. It's hard, because they're practically comparing their pasts to mine. I'm sorry we live in the second fattest city in Canada, dad, and that we even call ourselves a city at all. We're more like a town, a village. I've tried going outside, doing sports, hanging out with my friends, but it doesn't work. It's just not me. I love my friends, but I like being alone a lot more. I just can't part from my computer, it's kind of like it's a part of me. This is where I can actually act like the person I really am.Sorry I kind of went off topic there...but this is all true. I definitely can't live without my computer. I think there are a lot of people that can't live without one. You'd most likely find at least one in every house, even if it's a Windows 95 or something. You know, there's not much to do down in this small area but fish. The internet is my way of connecting to people from other places around the world.

[Saint_Michael 3]

I would say it's only possible if your a newborn baby or in a old folks home because either way it would be hard for either or to be able to concentrate on using the computer properly. On the other hand if your between the ages of Teenager and getting ready to retire, then you will be touching a computer unless your a janitor or something then most every job uses one in some shape or form. To either communicate with someone, passing information or even storing information. Computers have or on the verge say maybe in 20-30 years will replace most jobs that do not need a human hand except to turn it on and off and maybe replace parts when they fizzle out.The average user have become some dependant on a computer that most have more then 2 computers in their own home which includes 1 desktop and 1 laptop and maybe a 2 more of either or. But what can yo usay computer have made most peoples live simpler, while some angry that they just lost their job by getting replace by a computer. Which still happens from time to time because last year where my father works a bunch got laid off and got replaced by an oracle system to automate everything for them.So as the computer become more advance so will the need to have a better system then anyone else.

[terminal2k 0]

i do spend a lot of time in front of computers. monday to friday i spend around six hours a day using one at work. then when i get home i use them another 2 hours or more and then different amounts of time on the weekend depending on what i get up to.At home my main computer is in the livingroom, the screen is right next to my tv. I will usually have the compter running a lot even when i'm not using it with my instant messaging programs running if one of my friends wants something, or I'll look something up that was on tv. or check the tv guide online. Its so convenient to have it there and ready. with wireless keyboards and mouses it has become just another part of my livingroom.I would find it very difficult to live without computers. My job at work would be quite a bit more difficult (and would probably need more than two people to actually do) but it woud be the things I take for granted now like being able to access information so quickly. to be able to do my banking and pay bills at any time I want. to communicate so easily and quikly, I can't imagine going back to writing people letters which would take DAYS to get to the recepiant. As far as people using computers too much.. It really depends on if the computer is really affecting your life. Just reading through the replies here makes me wonder if people realise how much their computer is affecthing them. Social interaction isn't the same as chatting on the computee with your friends. especially when the people you chat to are people you don't know in real life. A lot of people these days find it easier to talk to people over the internet then talk to their neighbour next door, or the people that they work with. anyway i'm ranting on a bit now. but I hope some of you understand what I'm trying to say.....

[heavensounds 0]

Hm..I think that your subquestion - How much time does computer take from you? - is not the best, because the main question is, how many things you can do without your computer. Just think, almost everything today is governed by the internet as the most important thing of today's computer world - banking, bookings, school stuff, college-stuff, company-work,....The thing is that time is not the most important variable here, but the amount of stuff you can do and actually do using computer and the internet!It is quite interesting and even horrifying to see how much we are dependant of computers..Best whishes

[techclave 0]

Living without computers .. It is definitely possible to a degree. But , taht life wont be fun. And the other side of the coin - Too much of computers aint much fun either, i guess ..I am somewhat a computer addict as you are .. I spend about 8-10 hours a day on my computer. I would want to do some extreme programming or something very useful. But i usually end up , listening to some internet radio stations, spending my time at forums, watching movies, getting stuck up with some web design work .. The routine has really become very monotonous. Nothing new in store,. Everyday i log on to a similar range of websites, . do routine work like checkig my mails, replying to what i have, answering my website queries, listening to some songs, foruum posting, scrapping at orkut, updating pages for my site, watching a movie, and playing some melody tracks and going to sleep. This seems to be pretty dumb when i think what i get to do all day at home. Isn't there something out there to do apart from getting stuck up with my computer ?I think it would be better to get a feel of the world outside too. You don't get much of a chance to do physical activity these days. So, spending all the time on the computers at home, would not be advisable, i guess. I had a break for about 5 days without my computer. Me and some of my friends had gone for a tour. It was something which i was glad i did,. it was something really different . No computers , no html, no browsing, no movies. and it wasm't that bad. And it was a refreshing experience too. A nice feel good time, i got ,over there.Definitely ,you cannot practically eliminate computer out of your world. But what you can do is, limit the time to something useful that you might be doing with your computer. Once you start to use your computer wisely, your life could get that much better,.. Try it out !!

[mandyyx 0]

I can definitely live without a computer. But considering that I spend most of my time on the computer. It'll be somewhat boring to picture my life without my computer. ;P I do almost everything on the computer. Chat, homework, research. I did spend a couple of weeks without using my computer for entertainment purposes, but all it did was bore me. I spend about 6+ hours on the computer a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but I do think I spend too much time on the computer. My family has bugged me about it a lot. But most people around me spend most of their time on the computer, so I've gotten used to it, but living without a computer would be a great improvement to the health of people who spend half their day or more sitting in front of a screen playing games and such, unless it's something important.