Craftsmanship & Niche Technology

A lot of the research I do is influenced by my belief in what imagination can do. I love science fiction, history, and especially the imaginative power of the arts as a whole. It is why—unsurprisingly—I like niche technology. The beauty of niche technology is the “taking back” of technology as a skill and art form, it is both a refreshing of old tech, and a curiosity that challenges technological determinism with craftsmanship. Niche technology to me means, taking seemingly “old” or obsolete technology like the famous iPod, Alphasmart Neo 2, or Nintendo 3DS, and saving it from becoming e-waste. Another way of viewing “niche tech” is contemporary, focused-based tech, such as E-ink or open source projects going back to the foundations of dedicated single-use technology. These two examples of niche tech are often used by those who follow Cal Newport’s idea of digital minimalism. The idea of using technology deliberately and if possible for a single purpose. I’ve skimmed Newport’s book Digital Minimalism, it is a rather popular idea for anyone and everyone who is either: One, wanting to be more productive, or two, wanting to be more present. I tend to see conversations about the best note taking applications, the best e-ink tablets of such-and-such year, or even what is the best planner and what should people put in their “journaling ecosystem.”¹

The most concerning aspects of these communities is the unhelpful conversations of “over-consumption” and also the blind belief in “productivity.” Particularly in the analog stationery community (notebooks/pens/stickers/etc) there is a rather mind-numbing conversation about “overconsumption” a term I am sure other hobby spaces have felt the presence of. The issue to the conversation is that there is not enough on what people make. Hobbies are good to have, but it is a shame that most media about hobbies, revolve around reviews, hauls, and purchases, and not enough on what people make. Overconsumption is the system at play here, it is designed to make companies profit, it is not new, the system is and has always been “overconsuming."² The remedy to not just unhelpful and bad posts and “overconsumption” is shifting these hobbies to center conversations that are about doing and not just owning. The most optimal review is one where it is not even focused on the object itself. Being mindful of what we own is but the first step, the next step is doing.

This brings me to productivity. The idea that we need to output consistent work on a regimented basis, it actually makes perverse the idea of doing. Which means, people using the excuse of “increased productivity” to unmindfully purchase and use non-tested tools/systems. Or even, believing they are doing something in the act of that blind-yet-hopeful purchase. The classic procrastination tango. I’ve done it countless times, and it is also one of the ways in which I feel I have wasted money. Not overconsumption, we are always overconsuming (and I do think that should change) but I am investing in an idea that will never be: perfection. That is a waste. Perfection is the issue at stake here for both “overconsumption” and “productivity;” perfection is the antithesis of the future. If we can only imagine ourselves in the future as perfect, there is no real way of progress. We are missing out on a lot more.

I love the “seasons” of a year. I actually often use things more when I put my life in that way of thinking. Some things are picked up, other times put down. I only truly look forward to seasons. When it comes to stationery, that is one way I have been consistent in documenting my life and using up the items I’ve purchased. When it comes to the electronic devices I use, those are for experimentation and skill-building. But I try to keep an element of humanity in all of them. I use ‘em up. There was a great conversation on how “human” eink technology is, which I agree with. While they discuss how e-ink is a technology that aims to blend in rather than stand out, all while bridging the gap of digital output and analog thinking—it is actually human because someone thought to ask, what would digital paper look like? Community led-design is pivotal in developing solutions that are impactful, considered, and human. It is the designer going to the community and asks “what problems do you wish to solve” instead of identifying the problems for them and finding a solution. The problems are truly considered from those who experience them. The seasonality of life requires various technologies to get certain things done, to answer the problems that arise throughout the year. To be with our loved ones, and to be with ourselves. These technologies are tools, we must be craftsmen of our own lives to be skilled enough to use them.

I’ll end with an anecdote of a tinkerer I admire. On the subreddit of r/writerDeck, you will find the many curious creations by Un Kyu Lee, an innovator in the space creating dedicated, unique devices towards writing, what he calls the Micro Journal. He made the Micro Journal for himself, but has since developed various versions which have come from the input of the community. Lee’s ability to merge his love of the typewriter form as well as the needs of contemporary writers to use digital word processors away from the distraction found on the internet is unparallel in comparison to Apple-clone’s surrounding e-ink and writing solutions today, like Astrohaus’ FreeWrite or the ReMarkable team. Unlike them, he provides the Micro Journal, with open sourced files both in printing and gathering the resources of the hardware as well as the software he has made. For limited runs Lee will make a custom Micro Journal for you and ship it from his home and tinkerspace in Italy. Recently, in a post ironically titled “Looking to buy my dream writerDeck” Lee laments that he has been dejected to see Micro Journals he has made be immediately put up for sale once they have been delivered. Lee, feeling cynical, “farted around” and made an ironic, sort-of basic “dream writerDeck” with an LCD screen that closes onto a ortholinear keyboard. This ironic tinkering lead to people continuing the cycle he once thought was encouraging, people going in the comments of this post with the “meta-ironic” writerDeck he made, stating “this is my perfect writer deck.” When thinking about the work Lee puts into his creations, the efforts he makes in detailing the process of making it, and even providing an accessible labor for those who do not have the necessary tools to make the Micro Journals themselves, it is such a sadness he has to witness his craft get dumped down the toilet of the perfectionists and the over-productives of the world. Niche technology is overwhelmingly lucky to have such dedicated craftsmen both new and seasoned, working on producing solutions together. We must foster a culture that respects the craftsman, especially the craftsman invested in open tech and community directed design. No one seems to know the gifts of conscious and inspired creation, they can hardly chew it as they gulp it down with the fizzy stuff of dopamine and novelty.