It's a sad story... that the computer as a producer device basically died with the Sun workstation, but it kinda deserved to, since it didn't evolve at all, except for computer scientists themselves. If you were any other kind of scientist or engineer, you were a consumer
-
-
BTW, though I've framed this as a UX type problem, it isn't really. It's basically a macroeconomic problem. Consumerization as a 130 year old historical trend (I date it to 1890 when the home stopped also being a workshop) needs to gives way to high-tech neo-producerism
Show this thread -
I'm very wary of what someone aptly dubbed techwashed pastoralism, so I don't producerism in the older Thomas Jefferson sense or the wood-working-with-hand-tools sense. I'm talking replacing consumer culture with last-mile circular economies, 100% full-lifecycle ownership etc.
Show this thread -
In this context, the home/life as a producer space isn't a sort of waldenponding for NPC maker-doers. It's sort of a thick-client for the cloudy infrastructure world that is a big part of creating a more sustainable material economy.
Show this thread -
Like, one reason I'm experimenting with all this stuff is what I think of as "stack research." Just how much more sustainable/low-carbon could the world get if the home were a locus of repair, making, circular-local trading etc. Not just consumption?
Show this thread -
I’ll close with a picture of these calipers that just arrived from amazon. I find myself asking 2 questions: 1. Where will it live physically? 2. It’s already digital unlike calipers I used in high school in 1989. Why can’t I NFC measurements directly into a spreadsheet?
pic.twitter.com/y3d6mK23S9
Show this thread -
Ooh! Beyond my budget, but will put on my lab wishlist for future...https://twitter.com/NickPinkston/status/1298339458895421440 …
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.