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The parts are sourced from a retailer. You're just pushing the "fix this for me" up one level and ignoring the entire inextricable chains of production. The se
by sudont 16y ago
The parts are sourced from a retailer. You're just pushing the "fix this for me" up one level and ignoring the entire inextricable chains of production.
The sense of control is a false one. Is there control in the availability of parts, or their manufacture?
- klochner 16y agoThat's a false dilemma - the choice isn't between full-service rentals and forging my own steel from ore I dig out of the ground. Increasing one's autonomy has value, whether or not you ever reach full autonomy.
- sudont 16y agoOh, it does, definitely. But it's more along the lines of being able to deal with increasingly large daily emergencies. Being able to forge steel would be an apocalypse-sized emergency. As an ego-booster, I'm not so sure. Since everything is so connected, why gloat? As someone who has actually built a car from scrap metal and a loose engine, I feel that there isn't much difference between putting a pre-made part in a car yourself, or having someone else do it. Everything's a tinkertoy.
- Dylanlacey 16y agoPushing things one level up is still a valid control metaphor. You're not a worse programmer because you use a 4th level abstraction instead of a 3rd level. Or, to put it another way, C programmers aren't "Better" at programming then I am just because they're C programmers and I use C# / Ruby / Others. (They're better because they're grumpier and they'll hit me with their beards if I don't please them)
- mey 16y agoThe better programmer is aware of the system are multiple abstraction levels and can determine where his/her priorities are and choose the right abstraction. Not everything is a nail, sometimes you should be in assembly, sometimes you should be in javascript. (Sometimes both)