In an increasingly commercialized world where does individual effort and initiative fit in? Every Walmart looks the same — even high class/high touch places like Starbucks are basically all interchangeable. And as many of these ‘advances’ are made possible by information technology, it might seem that a high-tech approach removes the opportunity for individual effort or contributions. But individual effort is as important, if not more crucial, than it has even been. Innovation comes from individual effort, and it is crucial that our communities include practitioners of craft. And this craft can range from spinning and knitting locally grown wool into a new sweater as it is a programmer creating a new internet driven employee application.
Our industries — education, manufacturing, or agriculture — need to change. Attempts to hold off, or ignore a changing world are doomed to failure. But in these changes we need to preserve the work of the individual, balanced with quantity production. For instance in a university do you run your own student/faculty email system, or do you outsource to Google Apps? While economics may seem to be the main motivator, the real question should be “what do innovative, clever, thoughtful employees do best?” Are their talents best spent maintaining email servers? If so then keep it in-house. But if not then maybe it is time to make a change. In David Ruhlman’s new book Wooden Boats, he references David Pye and the concepts of workmanship of risk (individual) and workmanship of certainty (quantity production). It is an important distinction, and one to keep in mind when weighing how best to move an industry forward and still hold on to the human aspect that will insure long-term success.
Colleges Warily Turn Sensitive E-Mail Over to Outside Companies
The sour economy is leading some colleges to adopt free e-mail services from Google or Microsoft for their official faculty and administrative accounts. So when the president of Abilene Christian University or Boise State University gets e-mail from a donor or a professor, the messages are stored on servers beyond the universities’ control.
How the Elegant Practice of a Craft Can Be High Tech, Too – The New York Times
High-tech…had nothing to do with when something was done and it had nothing to do, per se, with computers or other newfangled gear. Rather, it was an elegant solution to a problem…David Pye…touched tangentially on the technology issue in … ”The Nature and Art of Workmanship” Mr. Pye saw two kinds of craftsmanship:…the ”workmanship of risk,” a phrase he used to describe workmanship in which ”the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgment, dexterity and care which the maker exercises as he works.” …The second type… he called the ”workmanship of certainty,” which, he said, was ”always to be found in quantity production, and found in its pure state in full automation.” This approach goes back to the Middle Ages, at least in embryonic form…Mr. Pye went on to say that technique was ”the knowledge of how to make devices and other things out of raw materials,” and technology was ”the scientific study and extension of technique.” Workmanship, therefore, became ”the application of technique to making, by the exercise of care, judgment and dexterity.”
The Nature and Art of Workmanship: David Pye, James Pye, Elizabeth Balaam: Books
Arguing that the aesthetic quality of our environment depends as much on its workmanship as on its design, and that workmanship has been largely ignored, David Pye develops a new theory of the aesthetics of workmanship which can be applied to architecture, to the products of industry and to craft-work. The author shows how and why we are conscious of finish and workmanship, goes on to ask why so much of our environment is impoverished and asks what can be done about it.
Amazon.com: Wooden Boats (9780670888122): Michael Ruhlman: Books
There are fewer than 10,000 wooden boats in America but the circulation of WoodenBoat magazine exceeds 180,000. What is it about wooden boats that has captured the popular imagination? With the “lively blend of reportage [and] reflection” (Los Angeles Times) that made his The Soul of a Chef such a success, Michael Ruhlman sets off to Martha’s Vineyard-the location of a renowned boatyard-to find out.
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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