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Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

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Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#31

Post by analog8374 »

esafak wrote: post #18
analog8374 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amish luddite. Technology is vetted by a central committee before the public is allowed to use it.

I was in Amish country last week, watching in bemusement as elderly women zoomed down the street in e-bikes. I thought to myself that it was understandable given that they lived on uneven terrain. But then, I wondered, why did they choose such a place to live if they were not willing to use technology, and why did e-bikes get a pass while cars didn't?

it's literally whatever is approved by the central committee. which is actually pretty smart when you think about it

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#32

Post by idontwantthis »

philips wrote: post #19
runjake wrote: post #13

In the true sense where you're militarizing and committing acts of sabotage on others' property (so-called "monkeywrenching")? And then, getting suppressed and eradicated/killed by the government? No. I prefer the "Calm Technology"[1] approach as espoused by Amber Case[2]. I think this is the saner path forward. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_technology 2. https://a.co/d/02kdlV3p

What are some of your favorite devices/software that follow this idea? I can list mine: - Supernote by Ratta https://supernote.com - Air Lab by Networked Artifacts https://networkedartifacts.com - Xteink X4 (or equivalent) https://www.xteink.com - Zeroink Writer - my kids use it to practice typing and write letters I can print out. Essentially digital typewriter. https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink…

My favorite is a notebook and pen. I tried all ways to write notes digitally and it only adds stress and friction for me. No batteries to charge, no files to backup, no bluetooth to sync.

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#33

Post by widowlark »

philips wrote: post #19
runjake wrote: post #13

In the true sense where you're militarizing and committing acts of sabotage on others' property (so-called "monkeywrenching")? And then, getting suppressed and eradicated/killed by the government? No. I prefer the "Calm Technology"[1] approach as espoused by Amber Case[2]. I think this is the saner path forward. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_technology 2. https://a.co/d/02kdlV3p

What are some of your favorite devices/software that follow this idea? I can list mine: - Supernote by Ratta https://supernote.com - Air Lab by Networked Artifacts https://networkedartifacts.com - Xteink X4 (or equivalent) https://www.xteink.com - Zeroink Writer - my kids use it to practice typing and write letters I can print out. Essentially digital typewriter. https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink…

To add to this:

- Playdate (https://play.date) - fun little portable console with an rLCD screen

- Daylight (https://daylight.computer) rLCD paper-like tablet

- Envy (https://envynote.app) - Obsidian without the plugins, local only

- dumb phone (https://dumbphone.so) - make your iPhone dumber, on purpose

- xteink x4 pro (https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4-pro-pocket-ereader) - great, small reader

hope people enjoy!

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#34

Post by dgellow »

howunfortunate wrote: post #17
frumplestlatz wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately? Are we really at the point of supporting terrorism of the “correct” political persuasion?

We're way past it, sadly. Luigi was insanely popular for the cold blooded murder of a CEO. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated Charlie Kirk's murder within minutes of it happening , let alone the discourse you see now, a year later. Plenty of people, even on this forum, openly advocate for "the funniest thing" happening to Elon. Terrorism and murder are in vogue.

No mention of a certain president and his cultists coup-ing the government to steal an election? Definitely sounded like terrorism at the time, with clear call to eliminating a vice president and other representatives

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#35

Post by [deleted] »

GolfPopper wrote: post #28
howunfortunate wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're way past it, sadly. Luigi was insanely popular for the cold blooded murder of a CEO. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated Charlie Kirk's murder within minutes of it happening , let alone the discourse you see now, a year later. Plenty of people, even on this forum, openly advocate for "the funniest thing" happening to Elon. Terrorism and murder are in vogue.

[flagged]

[deleted]

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#36

Post by lubujackson »

I remember reading about how the Amish operate. We treat them as a quaint, anti-progress cult of sorts, but they have a process where they consider new technologies and determine if they are worth adopting or not. Obviously the answer is "no" most of the time, but the pattern of considering and embracing new technologies through a communal, forward-thinking process seems like a reasonable way to counter the velocity and unintended consequences of rapid progress.

Of course, for this to make any sense it would need to be a global process, which seems entirely unfeasible until we've already badly burnt our hand on the stove. That seems to be precisely where we are in the process.

The best path forward may be cataclysmic societal collapse that leaves just enough knowledge to rebuild carefully with newfound wisdom. But wisdom is a rare and unlikely commodity. More probable is a dark age where technology is akin to witchcraft.

We've had our chances to stop burning coal and save the Earth, and we don't seem to be capable of that right now as a species. Maybe the better path is if we acknowledge our lack and "vibe submit" to our AI overlords, since we can't overcome ourselves in any direct way.

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#37

Post by philips »

runjake wrote: post #30
philips wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some of your favorite devices/software that follow this idea? I can list mine: - Supernote by Ratta https://supernote.com - Air Lab by Networked Artifacts https://networkedartifacts.com - Xteink X4 (or equivalent) https://www.xteink.com - Zeroink Writer - my kids use it to practice typing and write letters I can print out. Essentially digital typewriter. https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink…

I love and use a few of those products and would agree, but I think a bigger component is our relationship to technology. IMHO, calm technology is both a property of a product and a way of relating to a product. And I think it's quite personal. For example, digital note-taking tablets are anything but calm for me (but I recognize they may be for others!). OTOH, I practically live in Obsidian. I ask myself: - Can I ha…

Yeah, calm home automation stuff is the best.

Water main valve robot, Flume water usage sensor, and Eve water sensors near supply lines is super reassuring when traveling or out of the house. So is having a electrical panel that I can check if the oven really was off.

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#38

Post by runjake »

idontwantthis wrote: post #32
philips wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some of your favorite devices/software that follow this idea? I can list mine: - Supernote by Ratta https://supernote.com - Air Lab by Networked Artifacts https://networkedartifacts.com - Xteink X4 (or equivalent) https://www.xteink.com - Zeroink Writer - my kids use it to practice typing and write letters I can print out. Essentially digital typewriter. https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink…

My favorite is a notebook and pen. I tried all ways to write notes digitally and it only adds stress and friction for me. No batteries to charge, no files to backup, no bluetooth to sync.

Same. While recognizing this doesn’t necessarily hold true for others.

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#39

Post by nradov »

idontwantthis wrote: post #32
philips wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some of your favorite devices/software that follow this idea? I can list mine: - Supernote by Ratta https://supernote.com - Air Lab by Networked Artifacts https://networkedartifacts.com - Xteink X4 (or equivalent) https://www.xteink.com - Zeroink Writer - my kids use it to practice typing and write letters I can print out. Essentially digital typewriter. https://www.crowdsupply.com/zerowriter/zerowriter-ink…

My favorite is a notebook and pen. I tried all ways to write notes digitally and it only adds stress and friction for me. No batteries to charge, no files to backup, no bluetooth to sync.

Ugh. Writing with pens has always been so uncomfortable for me. (Yes, I've tried good quality pens and different writing techniques.) Typing on a keyboard is so much faster and easier.

Re: Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

#40

Post by softboyled »

runjake wrote: post #13

In the true sense where you're militarizing and committing acts of sabotage on others' property (so-called "monkeywrenching")? And then, getting suppressed and eradicated/killed by the government? No. I prefer the "Calm Technology"[1] approach as espoused by Amber Case[2]. I think this is the saner path forward. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_technology 2. https://a.co/d/02kdlV3p

My kind of Renaissance. Sign me up!
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