08/19/2026
The below image was an advertisement that I ran back in 1997/1998 while I was CEO of PCS Telecom.
My VP of Marketing (Shelly Green) was a genius and we ran this in full color in a dozen different magazines.
Let's think about it for a second. 1997 - 1998.
We all still had house phones. Less than 20% of the population even had a cell phone. Internet? You mean Dialup AOL?
No broadband, no high-speed internet, no satellite service, no apps on cellphones, no mobile hotspots.
Being connected was not a thing as it is now for the average person.
For a telecommunications company selling switching platforms, it was critical. Hence, why the marketing plan worked so well.
So, now almost 30 years later, everything is connected and we tend to freak out and even panic when we aren't online.
Progress??
Honestly, I am not sure.
I am a member of several homesteading and off-grid living groups and to be very honest, I don't think that most people truly understand that, not could they survive it.
When I am reading group posts from people saying how off-grid they are, I laugh. Umm.. you're posting on Facebook, that is about as far from off-grid as it gets!!!
Everything communicates.
Your electric meter talks to the power company and monitors your usage. Your vehicle talks to the manufacturer and sends service reminders, your thermostat talks to your phone, your refrigerator sends you text messages when a filter needs to be changed.
Your smart phone talks to your smart watch and your Alexia at home, well.... she listens to EVERYTHING.
Again, Progress???
Could you totally disconnect?
When my eyes open each morning, the firs words out of my mouth are "Alexia, Time". Then from that to "Alexia Forecast" and onto "Alexia BBC World News". This is as I am reaching for my phone to see what text messages I missed overnight and to check for camera alerts around the property.
The electronic universe now knows that I am awake starts it's own plan for me for the day. From pop-up ads, to pre-set stations in the truck, everything that I hear, see and interact with has something to do with communication taking place in the background, between computers, servers, satellites and towers.
What to have some fun? Say a key phrase in front of your Alexia or if you don't have one google search something obscure on your phone. Then see what happens.
If I say: "Alexia, how do you cook octopus" then for the next few days I will get all kinds of suggested things related to octopus.
God forbid if you ask Alexia about a extended car warranty!!!!
The bottom like is that we are all connected, far more than we can ever understand. There is no "off-grid", there is no getting away from it.
We're lost without it.
