Dumb Consumer Item of the Month - Always On Devices

Everything sucks energy these days, even when they aren’t being used. This is the brilliance of phantom load, or vampire, power.

Take a look around your house. TV in standby mode? It’s wasting watts all the while it is waiting to be watched. 

Is your phone charger in the outlet with nothing plugged in? It’s still sucking power. Same with that desktop or laptop computer that is turned off, but still plugged in. Many of our devices aren’t necessities. Rather, they’re conveniences dressed up as a super smarty progress for the people. 

And the real kicker? The ''smarter'' your technology gets, the dumber it is about using energy. We’re talking billions of watts wasted globally when we could just say no, unplug a charger, or flip a switch. It’s kind of like leaving your car idling all night because you might want to drive to the store at 3 a.m.

Waste is the new smart. We’ve been sold this idea that a “connected” home is the future, but it’s just a fancy new way of burning through our dwindling energy resources while making us more sedentary than ever before. We’re so obsessed with making life short term easier that we’re making the planet long term harder to live on. 

Every watt these vampire gadgets suck up is another step toward an emptier energy tank.

So, what’s a simple-living energy minimalist to do? 1. Unplug! Yank those chargers out of the wall like you’re pulling weeds. 2. Get yourself a smart power strip that cuts the juice to standby devices—ironic, I know, but it works. 3. Turn off the Wi-Fi router at night; the internet will still be there in the morning. 4. Ask yourself if you really need a fridge that texts you when you’re low on eggs. 5. Live simply, own fewer devices, and drive a wooden stake in the chest of that vampire power suckage for good. In a world where waste is a feature, not a bug, all we have to do is pull the plug. 

This applies to individual actions, as well as to pulling the plug on the entire wasteful system.

How are you pulling the plug?

Is a Simpler, Low-Tech Life the Key to Protecting Our Humanity?

“People are fed by the machine, but they are not nourished by it,” Wendell Berry warns us. Now we are not only not nourished by the machine, but we are at danger of being eaten by it.

Consumer culture sells us AI assistants, smart devices, even brain implants, as keys to a better life. Yet these tools threaten our mental autonomy—the heart of being human.

In a world racing toward ever-smarter AI, brain-computer interfaces, and hyper-connected digital lives, a chilling question emerges: are we sacrificing the sovereignty of our minds for the sake of progress? 

The real danger of AI technology isn’t just about privacy or data—it’s about the potential loss of our mental autonomy, the very essence of what makes us human. As Neil Postman cautioned, “Technology is a Faustian bargain. It giveth and it taketh away.” 

Advanced algorithms already nudge our behaviours, from what we buy to what we believe, as seen in everything from social media echo chambers to targeted political ads. 

Emerging neurotechnologies, like brain implants being developed by companies such as Neuralink, could take this further, potentially influencing thoughts or emotions directly. 

The stakes? A future where our free will is subtly eroded by corporations and/or governments wielding tools to shape our minds at scale.

This isn’t science fiction—it’s a plausible risk. Studies show AI can predict and sway behaviour with alarming precision, and discussions reveal growing unease about tech overreach. 

If we continue down this path, we might face a world where individual agency is overshadowed by systems designed to control, not empower.

Why Simple Living Matters

Simple living is our rebellion against blind adoption of new high tech schemes. E.F. Schumacher said, “It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.” 

A simpler, low-tech life offers a counterpoint—a way to reclaim our mental freedom. 

By stepping back from the digital deluge, we can:

• Reduce Manipulation: Limiting exposure to algorithmic feeds (like those on social media) helps us think more independently, free from constant nudging.
• Reconnect with Humanity: Face-to-face interactions, unfiltered by screens, foster authentic relationships and critical thinking.
• Protect Our Minds: Avoiding reliance on invasive tech, like neural interfaces, preserves our inner world from external control.

How to Embrace a Low-Tech Life

• Curate Your Tech: Use devices mindfully—opt for tools that serve you, like a basic phone for calls, not endless apps.
• Unplug Regularly: Set tech-free hours or days to focus on nature, reading, or reflection. Studies show screen breaks boost mental clarity.
• Build Real Connections: Prioritize in-person community over virtual likes. Join local groups or volunteer to ground yourself in the tangible world.
• Question Progress: Not every innovation is worth adopting. Ask: does this tech enhance my freedom or threaten it?

A Safer, More Human Choice

The allure of new tech is strong, but so is the case for simplicity. A low-tech life isn’t about rejecting progress—it’s about choosing what aligns with our humanity.

As the AI juggernaut roles on at lightning speed, let’s hold fast to what keeps us free: our ability to think, feel, and act as sovereign individuals. In a simpler life, we protect the safety and authenticity we’re at risk of losing.

Henry David Thoreau warned, “Men have become the tools of their tools.” Let’s reject the tech tool trap for a clear mind, rooted in the real world. 

As we have been saying since 2008 on this blog, less stuff means more life. Simplicity today isn’t just frugal—it’s taking a stand for our very souls.

What’s your take? Are you drawn to a low-tech lifestyle, or do you think new tech can coexist with mental freedom? Share below!