After further consideration I've come to accept that some activities are genuinely unpleasant and technology should be utilized to remove those activities from my daily life (i.e. washing laundry by hand would not be rewarding, at least not to me). Other activities, such as cooking, or navigating, I believe are healthy exercises for your brain.
We increasingly live in an era where it is possible to outsource an uncomfortable amount of your day-to-day activities—should you have the desire and money to do so—to increasingly complex technologies. The complexity of the technology is largely what irks me. I simultaneously love my iphone and despise it for performing all these seemingly magical tasks for me, tasks that baffle and perplex me. [as an aside, my iphone recently got a bit wet and has been turning itself off and on randomly and it bothers me that I don't have the knowledge, ability, or tools to fix it]. I like to understand specifically how things work and ideally be able to reproduce or fix them myself. Older technologies are not only simpler, but often more transparent in their functionality. I can see how a letterpress works and can at least guess at how a heating coil works, but I really have no clue how a laser printer or microwave works. While I'm confident I could figure out how these machines work and potentially fix them, much of their functionality is at least superficially hidden. I can't look at them and see how the firmware works.
There seems to be a general trend, particularly amongst young people, away from both craftmanship and a desire to understand how objects come into existence. The DIY movement is a well-aimed kick in the nuts for this trend, but its hard for me to say how strong of a kick (though, this is sweet: DIY 3D printer). I'm not sure I can elaborate much further on this without a good deal more thinking.
Now I don't mean to go overboard here, I don't need to know how to pulverize kidney stones in order to appreciate the pulverizer. I do, however, suspect that there are some clever ways to reconceptualize/redesign common technologies so that their method of functioning is clearer. Mr. Larkin sparked this idea when talking about bimetalic strips and their use in thermostats/thermometers. It's an elegant technology that is almost always hidden inside some sort of housing. And variable resistors are a similarly clever technology that could be used more clearly in light dimmers. [and what if you combined a bimetallic strip with a variable resistor so that when gets hot the lights go down...simple and sexy]
I'm rambling so I'm going to stop myself. I've got some other ideas for projects/products, but I'll wait on them and see if anyone has any thoughts regarding anything I've said. I want to make things, and probably also sell things. I have eyes and skills and ideas, but I'd like partners. I stumbled upon this interview and the following bit got me thinking:
"You need to have the stomach for risk and you need to have good ideas. Let’s just assume that those are the givens, that without either one of those nothing else makes a difference.
I know a lot of people who are in our position, who used to work for The Man or whatever, and now are making records or making films or designing clothes or creating products or screening posters or any of a million other things. And all of them, without exception, all say exactly the same thing and they say it in exactly the same words: “I should have done it sooner.”
When you think to yourself, “In 18 months I’m going to start my crocheted beer coaster company,” the problem with that sentence is the 18 months. What you’re really saying is, “I’m afraid.” Do it now. If you bankrupt a company before you’re 25, that’s like a badge of honor! Get out there."
I am barreling towards you on this train of thought, does anyone want to silkscreen some bandanas?
4 comments:
holy crap I want that printer.
And yes, I agree with you. The techniques of understanding how things work have been turned into techniques of finding the right thing or person to do it for you. I think that started a long time ago, but I might even venture to say it started in earnest with the yellow pages ("let your fingers do the walking"). Or maybe not. But, no matter when it started, I'd say it's one of the worst thing to happen to modern society.
I recently built my own website, and relished programming it, playing with the code, unearthing something that is usually behind the scenes and made to look magical (AND YET IS INCREDIBLY SIMPLE).
Let's start a company. I mean it.
you'll like this:
"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=Sunday%20Magazine%20May%2024,%202009&st=cse&scp=1"
that article articulates what I'm thinking much better than I could.
Let's start it. where are you right now? you gonna be in NYC net weekend?
this is a little old, but still very inspiring for me:
http://monocle.com/sections/design/Web-Articles/Milan-2009/
I wanna do all sorts of things. But I'm leaving on a bike for a while. Royalties would be appreciated for the duration of the trip. Let's get to it.
A microwave emits certain frequencies of light commonly referred to as "microwaves" (probably because they are small, but don't quote me on it). All matter has frequency, and frequencies resonate, building upon one another. "Microwaves" have a frequency that conveniently resonates with water, so when you blast water with tons of certain light waves, it moves a lot, and heats up (ever try putting anything without water in the microwave?). I trust Rod will swoop in at any moment and debunk everything I believe in.
However, even bridges have frequencies, and wind can resonate with them. You can't tell me your physics teacher in high school didn't show you this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw
Wazoom!
DIG!
DEBuNKING:
a microwave oven uses radio frequencies indeed. what happens is that in an electromagnetic field, polar molecules (like water) will begin to align themselves with the field. since in the case of radio frequencies, the field will be oscillating, this means that the water molecules will align one way, then the other, a reaction that generally causes much bumping of molecules, and thus generates heat.
an interesting note: microwave ovens are most effective on liquid water. frozen water's lattice structure makes it harder to shift the molecules.
this process is known as dielectric heating.
microwaves represent a range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum, and they are also used for communication over long distances, much like radio.
and what matt is talking about with the bridge is a standing wave. this is the same principle applied the the chladni plates.(i think celia was interested in these?)
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