4 ms·

Low-Tech Magazine

tunnuz 4y ago
Again :D
- mstipetic 4y ago
  This must be the most reposted link that makes it to the front page on hacker news
  - nonrandomstring 4y ago
    > most reposted link I wonder why. What is the fascination with "low" tech? Why indeed is there a "low/high" distinction in technology? What does that even mean? Is there a mirror of high-low culture? Or by "hi-tech", which became a popular description in the mid 1970s, do we just mean at-scale industrial technology? In that case is "low tech" a counter culture, a populist movement, or loaded with anti-capitalist considerations? Is there really a case to answer that older technologies which are more efficient, humane and sustainable are pushed aside for lesser but more profitable forms, and that our notion of "progress" is distorted? Or is it all nostalgia and rose tinted glasses?
    - occz 4y ago
      Personally, I believe that the fascination stems from an appreciation of simplicity. Low-tech solutions are generally simpler than high-tech solutions, and as I've matured as a software engineer, my appreciation for simplicity has only grown stronger. I imagine that there are quite a few other software engineers here on HN who share this sentiment.
      - nonrandomstring 4y ago
        I like that too. Simplicity is its own dimension of quality. When I was young I revelled in complexity. Now I see it as an enemy of understanding, security and productive utility.
    - hammyhavoc 4y ago
      Because the website is solar-powered, mate.
kristjank 4y ago
I find it enlightening to revisit forgotten and supposedly inferior technology to learn and maybe improve efficiency or understanding. A lot of perfectly working solutions are replaced for the sake of novelty or vanity, especially in the consumer market. Maybe a parallel with the software world is apparent.
marban 4y ago
h4kor 4y ago
https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ This version runs entirely on solar power, and can be offline if the batteries run out.
dang 4y ago
It would be better to submit an interesting article than the home page of the publication—otherwise the only thing to discuss is the lowest common denominator of the articles (which is going to amount to little more than the phrase "low tech") and that is too generic to be interesting. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=denominator%20list%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor... Lots of previous discussions: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=comments%3E4%20lowtechmagazine.com&sort=byDate&type=story&storyText=none https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
- simonebrunozzi 4y ago
  Thanks for the suggestion. I agree. I will keep it in mind next time I submit something.
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  You're rather missing the point. The website runs on solar power. Do some reading about it. The website itself is a curio in and of itself.
  - dang 4y ago
    I believe you mean the version of it that is hosted at https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/. If that's the story here, then it's a dupe, since there have been two significant threads in the last year: Solar-powered, Self-hosted Low-tech Magazine - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985478 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985478 - July 2022 (27 comments) This website has 81% battery power remaining - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531145 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531145 - Dec 2021 (351 comments) ...as well as these previously: How to build a low-tech website? (2018) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29067118 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29067118 - Nov 2021 (216 comments) A website that runs on a solar-powered server in Barcelona - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20038619 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20038619 - May 2019 (103 comments) A solar-powered, self-hosted version of Low-Tech Magazine - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407847 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407847 - March 2019 (66 comments) How to Build a Low-Tech Website - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18075143 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18075143 - Sept 2018 (183 comments)
hcks 4y ago
One of the main goal of “low-tech” is efficiency, where “efficiency” means minimising the wasting of the processes / systems built. This appeals to most people as it is very intuitive. However, I argue that minimising wastefulness should not be the primary concern. This is especially visible in the limit, where the best (most “efficient”) system is the one that does nothing / doesn’t exist, and thus doesn’t waste anything. This seems as an irrelevant theoretical “gotcha” but is very apparent in practice. As people strive to make “efficient” systems, they often realise that it is indeed better to simply not do the thing in the first place.

Again :D

mstipetic 4y ago
This must be the most reposted link that makes it to the front page on hacker news
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > most reposted link I wonder why. What is the fascination with "low" tech? Why indeed is there a "low/high" distinction in technology? What does that even mean? Is there a mirror of high-low culture? Or by "hi-tech", which became a popular description in the mid 1970s, do we just mean at-scale industrial technology? In that case is "low tech" a counter culture, a populist movement, or loaded with anti-capitalist considerations? Is there really a case to answer that older technologies which are more efficient, humane and sustainable are pushed aside for lesser but more profitable forms, and that our notion of "progress" is distorted? Or is it all nostalgia and rose tinted glasses?
  - occz 4y ago
    Personally, I believe that the fascination stems from an appreciation of simplicity. Low-tech solutions are generally simpler than high-tech solutions, and as I've matured as a software engineer, my appreciation for simplicity has only grown stronger. I imagine that there are quite a few other software engineers here on HN who share this sentiment.
    - nonrandomstring 4y ago
      I like that too. Simplicity is its own dimension of quality. When I was young I revelled in complexity. Now I see it as an enemy of understanding, security and productive utility.
  - hammyhavoc 4y ago
    Because the website is solar-powered, mate.

I find it enlightening to revisit forgotten and supposedly inferior technology to learn and maybe improve efficiency or understanding. A lot of perfectly working solutions are replaced for the sake of novelty or vanity, especially in the consumer market. Maybe a parallel with the software world is apparent.

marban 4y ago

h4kor 4y ago

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ This version runs entirely on solar power, and can be offline if the batteries run out.

dang 4y ago

It would be better to submit an interesting article than the home page of the publication—otherwise the only thing to discuss is the lowest common denominator of the articles (which is going to amount to little more than the phrase "low tech") and that is too generic to be interesting. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=denominator%20list%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor... Lots of previous discussions: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=comments%3E4%20lowtechmagazine.com&sort=byDate&type=story&storyText=none https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

simonebrunozzi 4y ago
Thanks for the suggestion. I agree. I will keep it in mind next time I submit something.
hammyhavoc 4y ago
You're rather missing the point. The website runs on solar power. Do some reading about it. The website itself is a curio in and of itself.
- dang 4y ago
  I believe you mean the version of it that is hosted at https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/. If that's the story here, then it's a dupe, since there have been two significant threads in the last year: Solar-powered, Self-hosted Low-tech Magazine - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985478 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985478 - July 2022 (27 comments) This website has 81% battery power remaining - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531145 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531145 - Dec 2021 (351 comments) ...as well as these previously: How to build a low-tech website? (2018) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29067118 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29067118 - Nov 2021 (216 comments) A website that runs on a solar-powered server in Barcelona - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20038619 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20038619 - May 2019 (103 comments) A solar-powered, self-hosted version of Low-Tech Magazine - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407847 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407847 - March 2019 (66 comments) How to Build a Low-Tech Website - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18075143 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18075143 - Sept 2018 (183 comments)

hcks 4y ago

One of the main goal of “low-tech” is efficiency, where “efficiency” means minimising the wasting of the processes / systems built. This appeals to most people as it is very intuitive. However, I argue that minimising wastefulness should not be the primary concern. This is especially visible in the limit, where the best (most “efficient”) system is the one that does nothing / doesn’t exist, and thus doesn’t waste anything. This seems as an irrelevant theoretical “gotcha” but is very apparent in practice. As people strive to make “efficient” systems, they often realise that it is indeed better to simply not do the thing in the first place.