Church of the Latter Day Amish
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:02 pm
I coppied this from the /5 United Group. Author at the bottom.
"I've used up part of my Sunday trying to turn two bad microwave ovens into one
good one by the time-honored method of swapping parts. No joy.
Not that it was unexpected, but at least I know I tried. That is worth
something.
I approached the whole task with more than a bit of timidity, especially given
the dire warnings about deadly voltages, so I may have quit sooner than I should
have. But I haven't gotten this old without learning to respect my discomfort
when approaching things technical in ignorance. And a microwave oven is full of
technical bits I confess ignorance of.
Which got me thinking about what being an Airhead is. We commonly call
ourselves Luddites, but I don't think that is really appropriate. We love
technology, study it passionately, and are intensely proud of our ability to
care for and repair our machines. You won't find us throwing wooden shoes
(sabots, in Dutch) into machinery, thereby causing sabot-age.
Nope, not Luddites. Now that I've thought about it, it seems the Amish are more
our spiritual brethren. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking the Amish are
technical dullards. They are masters of the technology they deem fit to use.
It is just they have chosen to limit what technology they DO use. Steam,
gasoline and electric power they choose to leave be. They have no vendetta
against such powers, they simply don't employ them.
But within the sphere of the technologies they do employ, they can be intensely
competent and highly ingenious.
I remember once seeing an obviously Amish contraption beside a country road. It
was installed on a little stream that had been dammed and outfitted with a small
water wheel. The waterwheel drove a cam which caused a long, high pole to
reciprocate. There was a LONG cable attached to the top of the pole, leading up
to the farmhouse. I'll take bets that the motion of that wire drove a pump
inside the farmhouse, pumping water for the family and their animals. Clever!
So what about us Airheads? We have a more inclusive definition of acceptable
technologies, but we still stick to the human scale. We use gasoline engines
and DC electricity. We put up with the fact that AC current exists in our
machines, and diodes to boot, but keep them strictly confined. Outside of the
diodes there is nothing on our machines that Thomas Edison wouldn't have
recognized.
And all of it... ALL of it is comprehensible and maintainable by a human being
with reasonable skills and a modest set of hand tools. Only the most involved
procedures, such as engine and transmission rebuilds, require deep technical
knowledge and specialized machine tools. Still there is a reasonable chance
that one man could master every aspect of the technology that goes into the
machine.
So here we are, Latter Day Amish, trying with some success to hold the
overwhelming and confusing new technologies at bay while we practice our old,
traditional crafts.
Sadly, we are a dying breed, less and less at home in the world that is moving
on, with or without us.
It's a shame I couldn't repair that microwave. But it's not a surprise."
Best,
Ed Bianchi
'71 R60/5 "Homer"
'84 R80RT "Carmina"
'87 K75C/Dauntless "Lady Carol"
"I've used up part of my Sunday trying to turn two bad microwave ovens into one
good one by the time-honored method of swapping parts. No joy.
Not that it was unexpected, but at least I know I tried. That is worth
something.
I approached the whole task with more than a bit of timidity, especially given
the dire warnings about deadly voltages, so I may have quit sooner than I should
have. But I haven't gotten this old without learning to respect my discomfort
when approaching things technical in ignorance. And a microwave oven is full of
technical bits I confess ignorance of.
Which got me thinking about what being an Airhead is. We commonly call
ourselves Luddites, but I don't think that is really appropriate. We love
technology, study it passionately, and are intensely proud of our ability to
care for and repair our machines. You won't find us throwing wooden shoes
(sabots, in Dutch) into machinery, thereby causing sabot-age.
Nope, not Luddites. Now that I've thought about it, it seems the Amish are more
our spiritual brethren. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking the Amish are
technical dullards. They are masters of the technology they deem fit to use.
It is just they have chosen to limit what technology they DO use. Steam,
gasoline and electric power they choose to leave be. They have no vendetta
against such powers, they simply don't employ them.
But within the sphere of the technologies they do employ, they can be intensely
competent and highly ingenious.
I remember once seeing an obviously Amish contraption beside a country road. It
was installed on a little stream that had been dammed and outfitted with a small
water wheel. The waterwheel drove a cam which caused a long, high pole to
reciprocate. There was a LONG cable attached to the top of the pole, leading up
to the farmhouse. I'll take bets that the motion of that wire drove a pump
inside the farmhouse, pumping water for the family and their animals. Clever!
So what about us Airheads? We have a more inclusive definition of acceptable
technologies, but we still stick to the human scale. We use gasoline engines
and DC electricity. We put up with the fact that AC current exists in our
machines, and diodes to boot, but keep them strictly confined. Outside of the
diodes there is nothing on our machines that Thomas Edison wouldn't have
recognized.
And all of it... ALL of it is comprehensible and maintainable by a human being
with reasonable skills and a modest set of hand tools. Only the most involved
procedures, such as engine and transmission rebuilds, require deep technical
knowledge and specialized machine tools. Still there is a reasonable chance
that one man could master every aspect of the technology that goes into the
machine.
So here we are, Latter Day Amish, trying with some success to hold the
overwhelming and confusing new technologies at bay while we practice our old,
traditional crafts.
Sadly, we are a dying breed, less and less at home in the world that is moving
on, with or without us.
It's a shame I couldn't repair that microwave. But it's not a surprise."
Best,
Ed Bianchi
'71 R60/5 "Homer"
'84 R80RT "Carmina"
'87 K75C/Dauntless "Lady Carol"
