I also have a ~/research directory full of academic papers, saved copies of web pages, for anything I want to implement or play with. When I don't feel like programming, there's plenty waiting for me to read, rather than needing to get online and probably distract myself.
There's something very satisfying about being able to sit down and do productive work with what you have locally, and not needing to worry about losing productivity because the coffee shop wifi dropped out.
On the other hand, unplugging in general is good for us and I agree with the other commenters' encouragements to get out in nature or talk to people face to face. If I'm on a train or plane, I'd much rather put my laptop away and engage with what's around me.
Constant access to computing systems and networks is very new, and we know it is changing us, but we don't have the perspective to know how. The precautionary principle suggests we should spend as much time away from these systems as possible, especially for those of us who make our livings with them.
Use the time to unplug. When you do return to your screen you’ll have a fresh prospective on a lot of your problems. You’ll also be happier and healthier.
I find something cathartic writing C applications and tools. Perhaps I should seek professional help.
I want to move out of Austin. One of my research projects is how to do rural internet. Just because I am curious if it's doable.
I know that some folks end up in Terlingua cause they want to get away from everything... I'd just like to get away from most things and keep the comms channel.
It also helps me control my internet addiction when I'm not off the grid, because I can have no browsers running while I code, so I'm not a tab away from HN.
The docsets come from Dash, which is very nice since that is payware. So here apple users pay for non-apple users it seems :)
If you are on mobile -- phone or tablet instead of a laptop -- some apps will let you take notes or whatever offline and sync up when internet is available.
Do brainstorming type exercises at that time. Free time to actually think has real value.
Some people like reading a book by the pool. I like looking at demographic data. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Programming: get the documentation first, manuals API reference, tutorials, and use a language that doesn't have much "now install this library" dependencies.
DevDocs[0] (offline collection of API docs) is perfect for this.
[0]: https://devdocs.io/
Or something cutting edge like a kitesurf kite. They are only about 15 years old, so plenty of room for improvement. Just takes time and many prototypes. Cloth is pretty cheap.
However what side projects you could work on really depends on what you are interested in. I would imagine that anything you could work on on a single laptop would qualify.
But seriously, personally, I would do some writing. Either a blog post, or compose a letter / email (to be sent when Internet is back on).
I would also read a physical book as I find the rather therapeutic.
