Better Off : Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende (2004)

is an interesting tale on experimenting with living with minimal needed amount of technology amongst the "Minimites" (this is a nickname for an Amish group, who let the author join their settlement). The settlement adheres to Anabaptist traditions, living without the use of electricity, and powered machines (although machines are still being heavily used, in some cases built using parts from powered machines). At the same time, they are also open to receive benefits created by technology, e.g. it is considered proper to use the phone to call a trained doctor, when a midwife's skills are no longer considered sufficient during childbirth. As an interesting tidbit, as it comes out, that many (most?) Amish groups really playing with their own restrictions on the use of machines. Telephones cannot be in the house, but they can be in phonebooths in the settlement. Cars cannot be owned, but they can be rented. Only electric and gasoline powered machines are disallowed, leaving pneumatic and other type of machines for use.
The author takes a pragmatic approach, not using machines is really a means to "increase income, and lower expenses" allowing lesser workload necessiated for living. It seems, that expenses spent an acquiring machinery by farmers make farming an unprofitable enterprise. Also less dependency on machines strengthens the community requiring cooperation between members. So how this experiment turns out? Read the book to find out.

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