Ask HN: If you ever use a computer again you die. Now, what will you do instead?

Live a more full life of contemplation and self direction.

Technology is a parasite, feeding upon our attention and self imposed reliance.

Once we read rather than skimmed. Once we struggled with our own discoveries and interpretations without wading through streams of preprocessed perspectives.

Spend more time in libraries. Socialize in person. Produce something beautiful, functional, or expressive by hand.

Exult an analog existence!

I like creating things. Computers are great tools of creation, both the initial work and distributing worldwide. However, I get similar feelings from smaller-scale work- the act of building and creating, whether construction, welding, woodworking, glassblowing, etc. I could see enjoying making more physical things- I already find some extra satisfaction at holding a tangible object, rather than some code or digital work.

Carpentry!

If I wasn't using a computer all day I'd probably be recording (4 track I guess if computers are out) or performing music or doing our teaching outdoor activities (hiking, kayaking, biking). The main reason I'm doing computing is to earn a living although I do find it interesting, less so after nearly 40 years of using them!

Brewing beer. Computers can make it easier (automatic temperature controls, etc.), but are not necessary. Would be cool to try some old recipes from medival times or even further, think ancient Egypt and stuff. And as a bonus, I would have an excuse to dig into history for researching the recipes.

I would become a woodworker and build my own furniture i love building with wood :)

musician, acoustic. just in case computer is subjective

Now imagine if you would never watch the news again. You would feel amazing all the time instead of worried and fearful.

Watch repair, maybe transitioning into actual watch making.

Locksmithing.

Non-CNC Machining.

Take to the sea! If I couldn't use a computer I'd be pretty cut off from most of the world. I have no family so why not embrace it. Learn to sail, learn to fish, oil rig worker, tug boat captain. Whatever opportunity exists and whatever I had the capital to finance I guess.

Remote desktop.

Paint.

The Isaac Asimov short story "A Perfect Fit" from 1981 is about that, except the person does not die if they use a computer. It is just that using one or even thinking of using one causes the great pain and nausea.

Here's a copy at EDN [1], which is where it was first published I believe. In the '70s and '80s professional science and technology publications would occasionally commission will known science fiction writers to write a short story somehow related to the subject of the publication.

Since it is short and freely available I won't bother summarizing.

There's also another Asimov story, "Saving Humanity", about a person who could not use computers. In that one there was no pain or anything like that. It was just that computers would crash if he tried to use them, or was even near on being used. This was quite an inconvenience, because it meant that even if he went into a bank to use a teller to withdraw cash the teller's computer would crash.

It is part of a series of short stories [2] written in first person from the point of view of a writer recalling conversations with his friend George, who claims to have summoned a small demon to grant him favors, but due to the rules the demon cannot do anything that directly benefits George. George instead asks the demon to do things for his friends (usually without the friend's permission), which invariably turn out to go wrong in some terrible way.

In the particular story I'm thinking of, George had a friend who was disappointed he had never done anything great and probably never would. He wanted to do something major, like save the world from a disaster. George mentioned that to the demon, and the demon used his powers to give the friend the computer crashing power.

How the heck is that supposed to save humanity? Apparently sometime within the friend's future lifetime we are going to have a Skynet or Colossus [3] situation and what will save us is George's computer crashing friend managing to get near the ruling computer.

[1] https://www.edn.com/a-perfect-fit/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azazel_(Asimov)

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project

At least can we use our consoles then? Even the (original) GameBoy!!

(darn... 8bit machines should be allowed)

If using a computer would kill me I would spend my time telling others about how to avoid the same thing happening to them.

My only realistic chance at employment is programming. I don't have the endurance for a day job, due to long Covid.

Now, if somehow I got disability... I'd start a very small machine shop in my garage, and just make things.

I am approaching retirement age, but I suppose that I could qualify as a school teacher. For that matter, I could fall back on my stock boy experience of almost 50 years ago, though perhaps not for 40 hours a week.