> It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.
The man was bang on (for example, with reference to the discussion of intimate relationships posted here today).
Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
141–150 of 173 posts
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Berry is coming from the worldview that God created a world of great abundance and that if we share, there is enough for all. Sure, but he/they are simply wrong about that. The natural state of living systems is to propagate until they reach a natural limit imposed by some resource constraint or other. Our current technological civilization is an anomaly produced by the sudden release, over a period of a few hundre…
Berry has written extensively about environmental degradation. Notice the caveat above: "if we share". Human greed is the fly in the ointment. Again, he's written extensively on the impact of human greed on the environment. It's not inconsistent to think that there is enough for all and also to think that when we try to grab too much of that stuff for ourselves (more than what we need) that that mutual enough-ness (I…
> Notice the caveat above: "if we share". Human greed is the fly in the ointment.
No, it isn't. Basic physics and economics is the fly in the ointment. For a given level of economic activity, a given amount of material wealth will be produced. That wealth can be distributed evenly or unevenly, equitably or inequitably [1], but there is one basic fact that cannot change, which is the that average wealth per capita will equal the total wealth divided by the number of people. So if the population increases without a concomitant increase in total wealth, everyone will necessarily be, on average, worse off, no matter how much we share.
Christian theology is based on the idea that "God will provide" and intercede miraculously if we have enough faith. Unfortunately, that belief, as with most religious beliefs, collides violently with reality, and when it does, reality wins.
[1] It is also worth noting that an even distribution is not necessarily the same as an equitable one.
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
What about Sister. Frigyes Karinthy, a very famous Hungarian author active roughly 1910-1935 rightly famous for his humorous writing. He is also often billed as a translator -- this, however, is not quite true. His son, much later, in 1981, confessed he had a mentally ill sister, Emilia -- as an example, she used to put buttered toast in her handbag as is -- who nonetheless was a translator genius. She spoke 15-20 la…
Fun story. About Wikipedia, I found it fairly easy (even too easy) to introduce changes given you can cite literally every claim you type.
Not if it is in Hungarian...
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
My mom typed my dad's book manuscript over and over and over again. Even a simple computer revolutionized that inhumane practice. When I worked at Boeing circa 1981, I was expected to write documents out longhand and then hand it to the secretary pool to type. Screw that. I invaded the word processing room, a windowless room with about 20 women working on Wang word processors, with a supervisor facing them. With all…
I'm not sure they appreciated you demonstrating their superfluity, even if you believed it was for their own good. I was once or twice in my career surprised by such ingratitude before I realized that some jobs continue as both soft charity and a means of inflating managerial importance under a polite fiction of usefulness.
Appreciated? They didn't like it at all. It didn't matter what I did, their fiefdom relied on people being afraid of computers and not realizing how simple word processors were. That could not possibly last, and it didn't.
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
"All the way back to 2011" made me chuckle. Practically ancient times!
Until Kobo develop their Tardis, 2011 is a reasonable earliest support date. The Kobo eReader was first introduced in May, 2010. And 11 years' support is much better than that of other mobile device manufacturers. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/03/24/kobo-ebook-rea... Via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobo_eReader
I agree it's much better than other manufacturers. And therein lies the problem!
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure they appreciated you demonstrating their superfluity, even if you believed it was for their own good. I was once or twice in my career surprised by such ingratitude before I realized that some jobs continue as both soft charity and a means of inflating managerial importance under a polite fiction of usefulness.
Appreciated? They didn't like it at all . It didn't matter what I did, their fiefdom relied on people being afraid of computers and not realizing how simple word processors were. That could not possibly last, and it didn't.
I see. I thought you extended "inhumane practice" to the secretarial pool. What I don't understand is why people were afraid of typewriters before they were afraid of word processors and computers. They're frankly not that threatening.
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#147Berry's nine standards for technology are worth considering: 1. The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces. 2. It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces. 3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces. 4. It should use less energy than the one it replaces. 5. If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body. 6. It s…
Referring to his wife as a tool… I have to wonder if that marriage lasted
Those responding saying he treats his wife as a tool are just mean-spirited. She was his editor and, apparently, as much a part of his creative process as his pencil and paper. I can certainly imagine that she was willing and happy in that role. (And yes, the marriage has lasted. She's been described as one of the most important fiction editors no one has heard of, thanks to her work with her husband.)
His reaction, though, seems to say that working on a computer rather than on a typewriter would completely eliminate her role in the process. This is, of course, a failure of imagination on his part. If she'd learned to use a word processor she would have been able to do the job she'd always done, probably with more flexibility and efficiency than when she had to type essays multiple times through the revision process.
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#148> My wife types my work on a Royal standard typewriter bought new in 1956 and as good now as it was then. This was written in the late 80s, but I'd guess they're still using that typewriter over 60 years after it's purchase. Not saying I completely agree with his whole essay, but there's not a lot of computing equipment still in use (or considered usable) from that era. > But the cost would not be just mone- tary. It…
> Floppies were ubiquitous in the 90s, but try reading one now - it's not impossible, but you'll probably have to find some service to help you do that since it's not likely that you've had a floppy drive for close to 20 years. This is a bit rose-tinted. You can pick from a huge variety of floppy drive readers available on amazon, most for less than 20 bucks. Additionally - >As an example, I'd like to get an e-reader…
My two year old Kindle Paperwhite died last fall for no apparent reason. It certainly didn't meet Berry's criteria of being easily repairable by the local shop where I purchased it, though in its time it was an absolute beast for great battery life.
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#149Tangentially related, Wendell Berry's short stories & novels are an excellent read. They all take place in the same fictional small town and are remarkably consistent with one another in terms of timeline, genealogy, and geography. I would highly recommend them.
Remarkably consistent huh? I wonder whether the process has much to do with that: "My wife types my work on a Royal standard typewriter bought new in 1956 and as good now as it was then. As she types, she sees things that are wrong and marks them with small checks in the margins. She is my best critic because she is the one most familiar with my habitual errors and weaknesses. She also understands, sometimes better t…
It helps to realize that Berry's whole outlook on life was wedded to the idea that the best life is one anchored around one's home -- hence his ideas that good technology is purchased close to home, and repaired close to home, and that one's first best editor is found at home. Most published writers, especially those published before the golden age of self-publishing, worked with editors, and his wife was (and probably still is) that editor. It's not as if he doesn't give her credit for her part in his literary work. (Plus, men of his era didn't usually learn to type unless they had reason or inclination to.)
Re: Why I am not going to buy a computer (1987) [pdf]
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
Berry's response to that (and similar) letters is quite sharp, but fair, I thought: > I am also surprised by the meanness with which two of these writers refer to my wife. In order to imply that I am a tyrant, they suggest by both direct statement and innuendo that she is subservient, characterless, and stupid -- a mere "device" easily forced to provide meaningless "free labor." I understand that it is impossible to…
I'm not sure it is fair. The tone of the essay to me reads as one written by someone who never thought to ask. My wife routinely proof reads my work, and she does do it because she loves me, but I am not so foolish as to believe she loves doing it.
There's nothing in the essay that said he didn't ask, and that she wasn't a willing participant, doing the work because she loves him. (And why wouldn't your wife love proofing your work if she loves you? Just curious if she's told you either way.)