>
>I am beginning to sense, in the same way that when one reaches a certain age
>one begins to sense the
>certainty of mortality, that there will come a day, perhaps in the not very
>distant future—as I don’t
>believe I have any likelihood of reaching the not very distant future in this
>usage—when the annoyances
>and hassles of computers, operating systems, telephones and such will cause me
>to revert to a minimalist
>approach, that is, using as little technology as possible for as few tasks as
>absolutely necessary. And
>when I finally get to The Home, surely there will be a young employee who can
>operate the television for
>me. I hope.
>
After my sudden and much-needed retirement from engineering, I gradually
set aside my interest in technology, though I continued to write feature
articles for magazines. The last one resulted in an annual award from RSGB.
I've returned to simpler things, recently renewing my insatiable interest
in older French (and occasional Japanes/American) road bicycles. I frequent a
local cooperative repair shop, buying parts, using their better quality tools
and repair stands, and often being asked by others for help with things they
don't fully understand. It's nice to be around people who want to learn and
who are not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and getting really dirty.
Yesterday the place was shoulder-to-shoulder and the three volunteers were
overwhelmed. After I got my little tasks done, I rescued a tall Takara Grand
Touring bike from being cannibalized and then showed a couple of fellows how to
go about overhauling wheel bearings.
I came away from there with a sense of satisfaction and a new restoration
project in the back of the pickup. It took the edge of having learned the day
before that a friend had passed away last month.
Chris
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
- Hunter S. Thompson
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