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Saturday, May 28, 2005 |
Nice article in Forbes on Mass Amateurization (seen on Martin Koser's Furl feed). I especially like the quote about the mass amateurization enabled by the Model T:
To be fair, all this amateur energy isn't exactly a new force. When
exciting technologies emerge, Americans have always pounced and created
something original. In his 1936 New Yorker article "Farewell, My
Lovely," E.B. White eulogized the Model T and the creativity it
inspired in its owners: "When you bought a Ford, you figured you had a
start--a vibrant, spirited framework to which could be screwed an almost
limitless assortment of decorative and functional hardware.... Gadget
bred gadget. Owners not only bought ready-made gadgets, they invented
gadgets to meet special needs." The difference today is simply the
technology, says University of Virginia technology historian Bernie
Carlson: "I would call it the Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David
Thoreau theme, that it's as important to produce as it is to consume." Forbes Article Page 2
BTW, it wasn't just
the gadgetry that was done by amateurs; the very act of driving was now
a mass activity, where chauffeurs had previously been required. Also,
according the PBS series A Science Odyssey, the Model T also amateurized automobile maintenance: owners could and did do basic maintenance to their Model T's.
3:45:32 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Nicholas Gall.
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