14 DAY TRIAL // Over one year has passed since Jake Davis – also known as Topiary of the LulzSec hacker collective – was apprehended by authorities and charged with several counts of computer-related crimes. He was released on bail on the condition that he would not get anywhere near an Internet-enabled device.
In an article published in The Guardian, Davis talks about his life without an Internet connection and the way his daily activities have changed after he was banned from using a computer.
“I'm often asked: what is life like without the net? It seems strange that humans have evolved and adapted for thousands of years without this simple connectivity, and now we in modern society struggle to comprehend existence without it,” he wrote.
“In a word, life is serene. I now find myself reading newspapers as though they weren't ancient scrolls; entering real shops with real money in order to buy real products, and not wishing to Photoshop a cosmic being of unspeakable horror into every possible social situation.”
He claims that while life is somewhat more boring and simple tasks are more difficult to perform without virtual reality, there are some benefits to it. The paranoia he felt during the time when he hacked websites has “vanished,” he sleeps better and books are more interesting than ever.
Furthermore, he argues that life without the Web has turned him into a more fulfilled individual.
“It's not my place to speculate on whether or not the hacker community should stop taking itself so seriously, but I certainly became entangled within it and had forgotten how easy it was simply to close a laptop lid,” he explained.
Finally, he advises other hackers to give it a try and take a break from online activities, even for a short while.
Topiary is not the only hacker who sees things differently after having had problems with the law. A former TeaMp0isoN member whom we interviewed a few weeks ago had also sent out a somewhat similar message to the community.