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Open Source Low Tech

opensourcelowtech.org

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Re: Open Source Low Tech

#71

Post by nchmy »

bregma wrote: post #48
xmprt wrote: post #3

I like the idea behind this. I feel like far too often, the solutions we build for poor communities involve specific materials that can't be manufactured locally, so it just creates more dependence rather than self-sufficiency. It's one thing to build and ship 1000 bicycles to a poor village, but it's another to teach a village how to make bicycles with random spare pipes and materials they can find anywhere. That wa…

You know what they say: ship a village 1000 bicycles and they ride for a day. Teach a village to make bicycles and they ride for the rest of their lives. The counterargument is, of course, "but what's in it for me?"

Ship a village 1000 bikes and one person is going to end up seizing control and selling them to everyone at market value. Perhaps even under the guise of being a social non-profit whose profits go to help people (extremely ineffectively)

Source: I've literally seen this with my own eyes

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#72

Post by nchmy »

benj111 wrote: post #33
nchmy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would be different about a bike designed for Africa than one designed for anywhere else? What parts that require specialized tools should be redesigned to use standard tools?

Well I'm not African so I don't know. I'm thinking that in the west we either have very cheap bikes that aren't really designed for long term use, and more expensive bikes tend to use fancier parts. Off the top of my head. Steel frame, can be repaired / modified with any old welder. Designed so it can be taken apart with the minimum of generic tools. Standard bearings, brake blocks etc (probably brake blocks that you…

Yeah, that sounds about right. I assume such bikes, parts and tools do exist. Can probably order it all on alibaba. I intend to investigate and do this in the coming years, but have to attend to other things first.

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#73

Post by nchmy »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #60
nchmy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to elaborate? (and not cut out the most important context from my comment)

The trouble with your premise is that it doesn't just apply to local people, it applies to people in general. Incompetence is all around us. Notice that everyone is a local in the place where they live. But local people at least have the benefit of knowing their own situations, which puts them ahead of some other rando who doesn't even have that and presumes to know better.

And hence, AS I SAID, people should collaboratively work together. There's no presumption - despite you recognizing that incompetence is all around us, you'd be amazed at how many completely obvious things are not done, and other things done very poorly

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#75

Post by camwhite »

I love this project. I often lament how narrowly focused on tech/software open source tends to be. It is the most powerful example of human altruism that I can think of but it tends not to address a lot of peoples basic needs. I would love to see an open source house, car, bike, etc much more than I would like to see another solution for coordinating container clusters or something

(I know there are actually a few projects in the categories I mentioned but they are, largely, underwhelming)

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#76

Post by camwhite »

gaigalas wrote: post #15

Reminds me of https://www.opensourceecology.org/ , but way more low tech. One could actually try the Open Source Low Tech designs without having a small fortune to spare or gathering a considerable community to cooperate.

I thought of this guy as well. I love the spirit of attempting to make open source farm machinery. I think that domain and ones like it are under addressed by open source in general. I think the guy who started it still makes content on youtube but much of it seems to be recordings of zoom webinars he does. Not really sure what the state of the project is

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#77

Post by camwhite »

nchmy wrote: post #26
gaigalas wrote: post #15

Reminds me of https://www.opensourceecology.org/ , but way more low tech. One could actually try the Open Source Low Tech designs without having a small fortune to spare or gathering a considerable community to cooperate.

I've never really understood the point of open source ecology. As you noted, it seems egregiously complicated and expensive. I guess that's why it seems to languish in obscurity.

I would argue that, for anything with value, there is value in having a decent open source option for that thing. I think farm equipment is valuable, so I think it's great that someone is working on an open source option. You are right though, it is an enormously uphill battle. To get off the ground, there would likely need to be a well funded non profit involved. Would be cool to see Futo or similar tackle something like this

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#78

Post by idiotsecant »

nchmy wrote: post #20
bloqs wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had never really considered the _competence_ of help before. It makes a huge amount of sense and is a strong argument for intelligent younger folk looking for a meaningful career. Instead of engineering for the pocket lining of your chosen billionaire, why not use those incredible skills to use in frugal or humanitarian engineering

In my fairly extensive experience, non-profit organizations are not just full of and run by grossly incompetent people, but deeply arrogant and/or deluded ones as well. I have NEVER found an organization that has a genuine desire to seek truth, efficacy etc. They often go with whatever their first (inevitably insufficient) idea was, and not only reject all criticism but respond with indignity, etc... There's no meani…

There are plenty of nonprofits making a difference, your cynicism aside.

Re: Open Source Low Tech

#80

Post by idiotsecant »

fragmede wrote: post #25
bloqs wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had never really considered the _competence_ of help before. It makes a huge amount of sense and is a strong argument for intelligent younger folk looking for a meaningful career. Instead of engineering for the pocket lining of your chosen billionaire, why not use those incredible skills to use in frugal or humanitarian engineering

Who's taking care of me when I'm old and my body and mind are failing? Billionaires aren't gonna, but the money they pay me can be used to trade for goods and services, so hopefully when it's my time, it's less shitty.

We spend 60 years of our lives being miserable so that the last 10 will be slightly less miserable. How does that make sense?
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