GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Internet vs. Sneakernet: The No-Tech, Low-Tech Option

Joe Maglitta | Date: 06-19-09 | Comments

Sometimes the smartest technology path may be the one not taken. A low-tech, no-tech approach that cuts costs, saves energy and frees precious resources for truly high-payoff technology initiatives?

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Internet vs. Sneakernet: The No-Tech, Low-Tech Option - Gum-Chomping Fun Kids, Not Luddites

Gum-Chomping Fun Kids, Not Luddites

No, I�m not some old hippie or off-the grid survivalist. I�m a big city guy who really likes modern technology, especially computers. But when does the heavy application of technology become overkill? The more I started poking around, the more I found others thinking along the same lines. It�s too early to pronounce this a trend, but there are budding signs.

The existence and popularity of Low-tech Magazine is one. It�s great place to start, filled with fun, thoughtful articles on wind-up laptops, wooden bridges, floating trash islands, etc. Even more radical is its sister pub, No Tech Magazine.

Surprisingly, the most eye-catching evidence is a new print and TV ad campaign for Dentyne chewing gum. The schtick is this: Cute young couples cuddle, nuzzle and otherwise personally interact in nontechnological ways. In one, a happy bunch sits in a room talking under the caption: �the original chat room.�. In another, a tender kiss becomes �the original instant messaging.� Cute. The uber-message of this campaign to get young folk to put down their damned cell phones and relate in person (and chew more Dentyne) is clear: Some things are better done without technology.

Another interesting little cultural cue: stickers that make new iPods look like old cell phones (below).

Colleges Pull The Plugs

More seriously, today�s New York Times has an interesting little piece about how colleges are reaping big savings by trimming small energy and technology-related costs that add up.

Room phones and voicemail systems are fading away now that the vast majority of students depend on their cellphones. � Many colleges are rebuilding computers instead of buying new ones, limiting the purchase and use of campus vehicles.

Cornell College, in Mount Vernon, Iowa, estimates that it saved $40,000 by not replacing old voicemail equipment. � The University of Washington communications department faculty did away with landlines, saving $1,100 a month.

At Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., the contest resulted in almost $3,000 saved as students competed in turning off lights and unplugging chargers and printers. Students in participating dorms got 25 percent of the savings, $730, for pizza parties and other programs.

Dickinson College held a �virtual swim meet� with Bryn Mawr College, in Pennsylvania, about 112 miles away. Each team swam in its home pool, then compared times to determine the winners. Estimated savings on bus travel: $900.

Savings are modest, to be sure. Nonetheless, they�re savings. I�d take them, my company would take them, and I bet yours would too. In these times every bit helps.

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