A review by ronald_schoedel
Off the Grid: Living Blind Without the Internet by Robert Kingett
4.0
A couple decades ago, when this author was likely a toddler, I was a reader of newspapers and books for the blind on the sub-channel of a local FM radio station. Anyone who wanted to listen to us had to have a special kind of FM radio, available generally only to those with sight disabilities. A sight-impaired listener could tune in at a predetermined time based on a regular schedule, and hear the comics being read and described, certain magazines at given times, novels, newspapers, and so forth. But one had to listen to what was on, or know when to tune in to hear a novel, and then hope they don't miss a day. Listening to Robert Kingett talk about how he struggled with a conventional FM radio to find news and entertainment brought back many memories of my time in radio, and in the sight-impaired reading service, and made me think about how far the world has really come for everyone, and especially sight-impaired persons, with respect to access to information and knowledge. For the current generation of internet users, doing without the internet seems nigh impossible. For a modern blind person in the West, to whom the internet has opened up so many possibilities, being cut off from the internet is probably unthinkable. A sighted person would find it difficult to give up their sight for a month, I suspect, and I would guess it was not much easier for Robert to give up his access to the world.
Today, Mr. Kingett can access anything he wants on the internet, read any newspaper, listen to any novel, etc., with very little difficulty. In the mid-90s, it was not so. Hearing how Robert and other sight impaired persons have been able to benefit from the internet so immensely really made me appreciate the current state of technology, and appreciate it all the more, especially knowing how absolutely critical are many of the current technologies to the blind community. What are niceties for me are necessities for them.
But, everything comes with a cost, and the cost of our interconnectedness on the net is sometimes our lack of real life connectivity between human beings. Robert's experiment should serve as a reminder to readers to not rely entirely on technology where there are human relationships and connectedness to experience. Looking up phone numbers on the web or asking Siri to get us directions is one thing; abandoning real interpersonal friendships in exchange for Facebook and Skype chatting can diminish our humanity and understanding, if we allow these technologies to completely displace real life. Moderation is the key.
Robert's month-long experiment was longer than I think I should like to do without any connectivity at all. I appreciated his perspective as well as the background details he provided as to why certain parts of the internet were so useful to him, much more critical than they are to me or the general sighted community. In this way, the book also serves to help sighted readers to better understand the sight-impaired community's needs and how technology can be so useful.
(The author provided a copy of his book for review purposes.)
Today, Mr. Kingett can access anything he wants on the internet, read any newspaper, listen to any novel, etc., with very little difficulty. In the mid-90s, it was not so. Hearing how Robert and other sight impaired persons have been able to benefit from the internet so immensely really made me appreciate the current state of technology, and appreciate it all the more, especially knowing how absolutely critical are many of the current technologies to the blind community. What are niceties for me are necessities for them.
But, everything comes with a cost, and the cost of our interconnectedness on the net is sometimes our lack of real life connectivity between human beings. Robert's experiment should serve as a reminder to readers to not rely entirely on technology where there are human relationships and connectedness to experience. Looking up phone numbers on the web or asking Siri to get us directions is one thing; abandoning real interpersonal friendships in exchange for Facebook and Skype chatting can diminish our humanity and understanding, if we allow these technologies to completely displace real life. Moderation is the key.
Robert's month-long experiment was longer than I think I should like to do without any connectivity at all. I appreciated his perspective as well as the background details he provided as to why certain parts of the internet were so useful to him, much more critical than they are to me or the general sighted community. In this way, the book also serves to help sighted readers to better understand the sight-impaired community's needs and how technology can be so useful.
(The author provided a copy of his book for review purposes.)