As we enter into UK Lockdown 2:0 it seems that many are embracing the slower pace of life with more ease this time around. Is it the acceptance of the new normal? Is it just easier to be indoors when the weather turns colder in November? In Luminary Autumn Winter 2020 (created in 2018) we cited the need to slow down as a key factor in our decision making and future planning. As we face unprecedented challenges and global shifts today, it is vital that we slow our pace of living, in order to secure a better future for all.
“It seems that in this current climate of fear, uncertainty and change, that we must slow down the pace of things. Winter urges us to take things easy, rest and nurture ourselves. Although in design and retail we delight in skipping from one season to the next, this constant change does not reflect the way that the natural world works. Slowness really is just as important as the fast pace in modern life.” - Luminary Issue 20: Autumn-Winter 2020.
SLOWWW.ML | THE WEB SERVER THAT LOADS AS SLOW AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE
Constant advancements in the internet have transcended our modern love affair with speed. However, many experts have argued that today the internet is too fast and frictionless and has been the catalyst for the on-demand culture.
As we know the pandemic has illuminated many aspects of contemporary lifestyle that we can no longer sustain if we are to rebuild a post-pandemic world that is better and stronger. The need to slow down not just for our wellbeing but planet, is a fundamental aspect to a brighter future.
In a new experiment by Terence Eden, the hacker living in London takes us back to slower times; the days of dial-up internet. Eden was inspired to create this project when one day his internet went down and he was forced to use his comparatively slow mobile connection. Slowww.ml is the web server intentionally designed to load at the pace at which most adult humans can read.
"About 20 characters a second is as fast as the average person can read. Why transmit information any faster? Nowadays, we want everything instantly. But sometimes it is nice to have delayed gratification." - Terence Eden
We are provided with information faster than we can process it and Edens experiment highlights how easy it is to consume and share misleading information or even sacrifice your privacy by agreeing to terms of use we don't fully understand.
Could a slower internet be the solution to some of these issues? In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson “adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Image Credits: ©annastarmer / @Independment / @Vice
