Down to the nuts and bolts

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/down-to-the-nuts-and-bolts-20091104-hwfq.html

Knowing technology well enough to be able to repair it is a lost art, writes
Patricia Maunder.

'WE NEED a return to individual integrity, self-reliance and old-fashioned
gumption," wrote Robert Pirsig in 1974's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance. This seminal book is ostensibly about a motorcycle road trip but
the narrative is primarily a framework for his philosophical reflections,
centering on the view that modern "man is separated from what he does".

Pirsig's prime example is the road-tripper who intentionally remained ignorant
of how to maintain or repair his motorcycle, then became angry if it broke down.

When Zen was published, society had, according to its author, become divided
into Romantics (creative people "living in the moment") and Classicists
(practical, logical types). He argued that quality of life could only be
achieved by straddling these attitudes: Classicists should embrace "irrational"
notions such as intuition and Romantics meaningfully engage with the technology
they use.

How relevant are Pirsig's views 35 years on?

Because of the "sheer technical sophistication of modern sports bikes, along
with the need for specialist diagnostic equipment ... I don't service my
motorbike any more", says Andy Gelme, a motorcyclist of 25 years and a fan of
Pirsig.

A distributed systems engineer, Mr Gelme adds that many common devices, from
computers to mobiles, "are too complex for any one person to completely
understand, from the base hardware to the complete stack of software". However,
that doesn't mean we should throw up our hands in despair or wash them of
personal responsibility.

Arguably, there is still a need for "old-fashioned gumption" — a need to retain
some mastery over tools we rely on and to explore others' potential.

Mr Gelme still performs basic checks on aspects of his bike not dependent on
specialised knowledge or equipment, such as tyres and fluids — "as should every
bike rider, for their own safety and ease of mind", he says. This "ease of mind"
goes deep, even more so in this technological age than for Pirsig's Luddite
motorcyclist, whose frustration resulted from feeling powerless.

Training people re-entering the workforce has shown Veechi Curtis how
"technology can either be empowering or an impediment, depending on their
attitude to it", she says. An author of numerous books about small business and
accounting software, including Dummies guides, Curtis says that when technology
becomes a barrier, "it can be very disempowering because people aren't really
understanding what's going on in their business".

Of course, the most common tools in our business and personal lives have
user-friendly interfaces, enabling the least tech-savvy to use them. An
unfortunate side-effect of this, Mr Gelme says, is that "general users of
technology have no idea about how an appliance really works, which means they
may not know how to use it most effectively or repair it".

He adds: "Hiding the internal operation with an intuitive interface is
compounded by the manufacturer's natural tendencies to protect their product
from competitors and to increase sales by ensuring broken appliances have to be
replaced, not repaired." This is achieved mainly through proprietary software.

Mr Gelme argues that society's almost enforced predilection for discarding
broken things is no longer acceptable, given our limited resources and the
environmental repercussions. Furthermore, he believes manufacturers should not
"lock you out of your own possessions", preventing their repair or other
interventions to fully utilise their potential.

Enter the hackers. No, not malicious geeks who break into computer systems —
"true" hackers refer to them as "crackers". The word's original meaning, which
persists among the cognoscenti, is people "who hack together technologies and
systems to build cool things", Con Zymaris says.

"Hackers are the people that built the personal computer and the internet," says
Mr Zymaris, whose company, Cybersource, assists businesses to migrate from
proprietary software to open-source alternatives.

"These are examples of users who produced benefits, spectacular, world-changing
benefits, through gaining an understanding of the technologies at their disposal
and extending them in new and interesting ways."

In recent years, hackers with diverse skills and interests, from electronics to
performance art, have banded together to form "hackerspaces". By sharing
knowledge, equipment and physical spaces, they can overcome the barriers of
complexity in many products.

Hackers show Pirsig's "old-fashioned gumption" in action and also demonstrate
Romantic and Classical thinking in tandem — new technology is the result of
creativity and intuition, not just logic and reason.

Arguably, these two perspectives are increasingly coming together. As technology
goes mainstream, creative people such as musicians and digital artists embrace
it and good design becomes important to products' usability and appeal.

The author of Click Here, Rich Evans, an internet development and online
marketing consultant, says that when Zen was written, technology was "quite
ugly". Computers, for example, were "brown boxes" with "horrible, glowing green
screens". The internet, he says, was the first instance "in a very long time, of
design and technology coming back together", as its success is as much dependent
on form as function.

Evans points to "one school of thought that Apple's not a technology company;
they're a design company". The success of offerings such as the iPod is due to
the fact that "it's a nicely designed product that's easy to use", he says.

Of course, inventing the internet or designing the iPod is out of most people's
league but a basic mastery of essential tools is possible. This may require
consulting manuals (Pirsig wrote computer manuals and advocated their use and
clear presentation). Increasingly, helpful online forums and wikis are other
options, whatever "art of maintenance" is being attempted.

A co-founder of Melbourne HackerSpace, and an advocate of Pirsig's view that
"the real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself"', Mr Gelme
concludes that "being able to understand, repair and, best of all, customise
technology to suit new purposes provides a better quality of life. It empowers
people to innovate and helps them avoid feelings of powerlessness.

"Everyone should insist on open standards for all infrastructure and, whenever
possible, open-source design and good documentation for all appliances,
equipment and tools, so that we can repair and re-use them as much as possible."

--

- KRudd at his finest.

"The Labour Party is corrupt beyond redemption!"
- Labour hasbeen Mark Latham in a moment of honest clarity.

"This is the recession we had to have!"
- Paul Keating explaining why he gave Australia another Labour recession.

"Silly old bugger!"
- Well known ACTU pisspot and sometime Labour prime minister Bob Hawke
responding to a pensioner who dared ask for more.

"By 1990, no child will live in poverty"
- Bob Hawke again, desperate to win another election.

"A billion trees ..."
- Borke, pissed as a newt again.

"Well may we say 'God save the Queen' because nothing will save the governor
general!"
- Egotistical shithead and pompous fuckwit E.G. Whitlam whining about his
appointee for Governor General John Kerr.

"SHUT THE **** UP YOU DUMB ****!"
- FlangesBum on learning the truth about Labour's economic capabilities.

"I don't care what you fuckers think!"
- KRudd the KRude at his finest again.

"We'll just change it all when we get in."
- Garrett the carrott

 

Dr. Sir John Howard, AC, WSCMoF" <""noujwas\"@yahoo.com . wrote

Yes, it makes more sense to replace most of it than to repair it.

And then the world moved on with PCs most obviously.

That had happened a hell of a long time before that.

Hordes of them arent capable of doing either.

Not very.

And hordes arent stupid enough to bother with a motorbike at all.

There is no need when they are so trivially replaceable for
peanuts and the technology keeps moving on so dramatically.

Its different with technology like cutlery that has stopped advancing
much, but then it doesnt need any real maintenance except being
tossed in the dishwasher when its been used etc.

And you dont need to bother with a decently designed laptop.

Its only the dregs that need any 'training'

Must be one of those rocket scientist stupids.

Hardly anyone bothers with shit like that anymore.

They dont need to. Just like they dont need to know how
an internal combustion engine works for a car to be useful.

If its been designed properly, that will be obvious.

There are always plenty who can.

And the nett result works fine for normal work, otherwise it wont sell.

Utterly mindless silly stuff. Only a terminal fuckwit hobbles
along on a 386SX running DOS today for those reasons.

Or even hobbles along with a T200 phone when a decent
cordless phone leaves it for dead convenience wise.

Or is stupid enough to try a long trip in a Morris Minor etc.

You're always free to never buy any product done like that.

Stolen from someone else and you're so stupid you didnt even notice.

Only fools bother.

**** all have done anything like that.

New technology always was.

Wanker, actualy.

Pig ignorant lie.

Wota fucking wanker...

Pigs arse it was. The PC did that in spades.

Mindlessly silly.

You'll end up completely blind if you dont watch out.

Must be one of those rocket scientist wankers.

And properly designed stuff doesnt need a manual, its intuitive to use.

Wota fucking wanker...

Then there's the real world...

Then there's the real world...

 

I did, and I'm sorry. Pirsig should never have been released from the
asylum, but I suppose he had to make room for Miss Maunder who
obviously hasn't read Pirsig's book.

Theo

 

What do you want? Page number references where he says he was/is
totally mentally unstable? IMHO, having read the book twice, once on
release and again a couple of years ago, the man had a mental
breakdown and rambled on about it in a book which had nothing to do
with motorcycles or, in my limited understanding of the subject, Zen.
His 'trip' was escapism from his own mind and from the portion of the
world he had previously lived in.

Just because it has the word Motorcycle in the title and was lauded by
self-appraised critics who have probably never even sat on a bicycle
doesn't mean I, or anybody else, can't see the book for the drivel it
really was. But hey, that's just my opinion, he may be the guru on the
rusty 250 Honda you were searching for.

Theo

 

That would put a lot of panelbeaters out of business for a start.

PCs have always been too complicated for the average, untrained person to repair.

Yes, and the two groups are known by different names today. Beauty and geek
being one of many.

I suspect you'll find they are just as relevant now as then.

But some are.

That depends. A motorbike engine isn't replaceable for peanuts and you probably
can't replace it with a new model without replacing more of the bike.

So what's wrong with washing it by hand?

Dummies do.

But they do need to know basic maintenance like adding petrol, oil, air,
checking tyres, brakes, etc.

Like Windows Vista?

But if it gets the job done? An old bike still gets you from A to B.

Does that include all the noise and interference?

Why not?

Who are you addressing?

You seem to have an issue with wanking.

--

- KRudd at his finest.

"The Labour Party is corrupt beyond redemption!"
- Labour hasbeen Mark Latham in a moment of honest clarity.

"This is the recession we had to have!"
- Paul Keating explaining why he gave Australia another Labour recession.

"Silly old bugger!"
- Well known ACTU pisspot and sometime Labour prime minister Bob Hawke
responding to a pensioner who dared ask for more.

"By 1990, no child will live in poverty"
- Bob Hawke again, desperate to win another election.

"A billion trees ..."
- Borke, pissed as a newt again.

"Well may we say 'God save the Queen' because nothing will save the governor
general!"
- Egotistical shithead and pompous fuckwit E.G. Whitlam whining about his
appointee for Governor General John Kerr.

"SHUT THE **** UP YOU DUMB ****!"
- FlangesBum on learning the truth about Labour's economic capabilities.

"I don't care what you fuckers think!"
- KRudd the KRude at his finest again.

"We'll just change it all when we get in."
- Garrett the carrott

 

He wasn't totally mentally unstable. He had a breakdown due to concentrating on
a philosophical problem for too long.

The book was actually his examination of some aspects of the philosophical
problem he was delving into. That would become clearer if you've read his second
book "Lila: An Enquire Into Morals".

--

- KRudd at his finest.

"The Labour Party is corrupt beyond redemption!"
- Labour hasbeen Mark Latham in a moment of honest clarity.

"This is the recession we had to have!"
- Paul Keating explaining why he gave Australia another Labour recession.

"Silly old bugger!"
- Well known ACTU pisspot and sometime Labour prime minister Bob Hawke
responding to a pensioner who dared ask for more.

"By 1990, no child will live in poverty"
- Bob Hawke again, desperate to win another election.

"A billion trees ..."
- Borke, pissed as a newt again.

"Well may we say 'God save the Queen' because nothing will save the governor
general!"
- Egotistical shithead and pompous fuckwit E.G. Whitlam whining about his
appointee for Governor General John Kerr.

"SHUT THE **** UP YOU DUMB ****!"
- FlangesBum on learning the truth about Labour's economic capabilities.

"I don't care what you fuckers think!"
- KRudd the KRude at his finest again.

"We'll just change it all when we get in."
- Garrett the carrott

 

I don't think you're right about the bike, Gerry - I've always understood
he was on a Honda CB350. It was his friends (John(?) and Sylvia(?)) who
were on the Beemer.

That aside, while I disagree with almost everything Theo has to say about
the book, I read it a few times soon after it was published, but when I
tried to re-read it a couple of years ago, I couldn't - stylistically at
least, it hasn't aged well at all. So I got rid of our copy, which is why
I can't refresh my memory on his friend's names.

 

Since when does a panel beater do other than replace it???

You might pull the floorpan straight but any damaged panels / parts are
replaced with aftermarket or recycled or new as a last resort.

Oh sure there are the 1% who build rods and stuff but the remaining 99%
are doing high volume insurance work

 

Dr. Sir John Howard, AC, WSCMoF" <""noujwas\"@yahoo.com . wrote

Nope, thats just part of the non most.

Yes, but so have motorbikes, and it aint about training either.

Its much more complicated than that binary stuff.

Nope, significantly less so now.

Certainly PC repair has been added to motorbike and car repair,
but PCs dont fail that often and repair is pretty easy to do.

Sure. And certainly a lot more are stupid enough to ride push bikes now.

Not much rocket science needed for them tho.

Presumably quite a few do their jet skis etc and other
stuff like chainsaws and whipper snippers now too.

Thats not a tool we rely on, thats a toy.

True, but most dont do that sort of work, and most never did.

Too much farting around. I dont wash the clothes by hand either.

Sure, a few do.

Thats not maintenance and most dont do anything
more than petrol and the washer fill up.

Yes, its obvious enough to all but fools, specially stuff
like the popup when you plug in a USB stick or card etc.

It doesnt on the fucked UI alone.

PCs advance a hell of a lot faster than pushbikes.

No noise or interference on mine.

Too much farting around with a fucked body anyway.

I'd do it with a beetle, and have done too, but not with a Morris Minor etc.

That fool Zymaris.

So many wankers about, like those wankers.

 

You certainly did. I would never want to see anyone locked up for
life. In the case of Pirsig I feel that because he was part of the
inteligensia and because of the stigma atached to mental illness and
breakdown he was allowed to go out and "heal himself" with solitude
rather than be given the help he appeared, to me, to desperately need.
On a couple of occassions he stopped in the shade of a tree for a
whole day. That may seem very Zen but he just didn't know what to do
next.

Are you serious or just being racist. The Dutch had one of the first
European governments to have a parliament.

Of course not, your impressions are obviously different. That doesn't
necessarily make mine invalid, or your's incorrect.

Geez you're a tight-arsed wanker Gerry. Unpucker those cheeks.

I thought you said you read the book several times? It was a small
Honda, as evidenced by several occassions where he was forced to stop
because of headwinds causing the bike to overheat.

How very racist of you.

On ya bike....

Theo

 

I found the book to be mostly loony blathering when I read it the single
time about a quarter century ago but yes; the friend had the BMW. (And
it was said friend and said BMW that were generally the butt of the
analogies)

 

I don't want to buy into the above conversation - but I do want to mention
the book. I read it many many years ago and didn't get it, I suspect. I
didn't enjoy it, at least, but I can't actually remember why. (It was a long
time ago and I was very young).

I tried again, more recently, seeing as it's supposedly a bit of an iconic
read for motorcyclists - and couldn't even get a quarter of the way
through - and this time I know why. I found the style of the narrative so
alienating for some reason that I simply couldn't engage with it, and
therefore couldn't keep going with it. I felt as if the story was pushing
me away, and I gave up the fight. I must admit, now I no longer have to
read/teach for a living, I don't persevere with things that don't engage
me - life's too short to read stuff I don't enjoy - but perhaps one day I'll
be in the right frame of mind to attempt ZATAOMM again. After reading the
comments from Theo and Gerry above, perhaps I need to have a fresh look at
it...

betty

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:35:43 +1100

I dunno about that.

It is mentioned a lot by people who don't ride bikes, presumably
because it has motorcycle in the title and so they hope they have
found common ground.

Dunno too many riders who think it worthwhile.

Yeah. I can't remember much about it, I vaguely recall thinking both
"no shit Sherlock" and "stop whining and do something vaguely
interesting dammit" and I can't even recall if I finished it.

I was just getting into bikes and thought it had something to do with
them, but it didn't. I went back to trying to understand Haynes.

But then some people liked the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant so there
is a market for books about whiny incompetent blowhards.

Zebee

 

<snigger>

betty

 

You must have read another book, Theo. There was plenty of motorcycle
references in it.
Hammo

 

Nah, what I'm talking about really and truly is the Reader Response school
of Literary Criticism (undoubtedly an unfashionable school in these days of
Post-Marxist-Post-Feminist-Postmodern Criticism, but anyway...) I still
reckon a reader's response to a text is a perfectly valid response, and all
those things you mentioned - values, judgements, etc, come into it. I felt
totally alienated by the narrative voice, and, had I been a student of
literature at the time, I would've slogged through it and dissected it and
annotated all the points of alienation.... the tone, particular scenes, the
characters etc etc - but as a common-or-garden reader, I just said "erk, I
can't be bothered with this"

I still love you Gerry ;-) And I still intend to have another go at ZATAOMM
one day.... Just not yet....

betty

 

I suppose you enjoy endless dissertations on Proust.

 

Thanks for the link, very interesting. Pirsig's bike was a Honda
Superhawk CB77, 1964 model. I was wrong.

People who have never read (or people who have read and misunderstood)
the book could benefit from reading this:

http://honda305.com/pirsig/index.htm

and click on the 'Literary Analysis' link.

Particularly this bit:

" ... this is NOT a book about motorcycles and the discussion of it
belongs on some literary part of the Internet. If you feel inclined to
read more about philosophy - this is a good beginner’s book. If you want
to read about motorcycle maintenance, look elsewhere. ... "

 

When I finally buy another HD to park next to my Triumph I will find my
inner peace...

Yeah, verily, though I happily and willingly delve into the bowels of a
simple Harley, I do likewise for the infinite complexity of electronicry
on a British EFI bike.

I can sit and stare at both, taking in the beauty of the lines for
hours. The Trump, the best of British design, like an E-type Jag or a
Spitfire. The Harley, Pavarotti, Peterbilt, P-47 Thunderbolt. Heavy.
Basic. Effective. Made to go the distance.

And at 130ks* on either, when I have the time to go somewhere far away,
I leave the bonds of responsibility to others behind and I find Nirvana.

Man, my haaands are HUGE!...

*(Subject to regional variation.)

 

It's a book on philosophy. If you don't find it interesting you won't
read it.

Kind of like computer manuals...