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I think a lot about "steel saucepans with copper bottoms". I read this article by Le Guin at a time in my life to make a real impression on me > We have been s
by sharkjacobs 3y ago
I think a lot about "steel saucepans with copper bottoms". I read this article by Le Guin at a time in my life to make a real impression on me
> We have been so desensitized by a hundred and fifty years of ceaselessly expanding technical prowess that we think nothing less complex and showy than a computer or a jet bomber deserves to be called “technology” at all. As if linen were the same thing as flax — as if paper, ink, wheels, knives, clocks, chairs, aspirin pills, were natural objects, born with us like our teeth and fingers — as if steel saucepans with copper bottoms and fleece vests spun from recycled glass grew on trees, and we just picked them when they were ripe...
- fs_tab 3y agoLink for those interested: https://www.ursulakleguin.com/a-rant-about-technology https://www.ursulakleguin.com/a-rant-about-technology
- lanstin 3y agoNice read, she is such a clear thinker.
- thadk 3y agoWhen I first saw this quote, I tried looking up "fleece vests spun from recycled glass" but didn't find anything. Anyone know what this reference is about?
- alephnerd 3y agoMaybe Le Guine meant (plastic) bottles and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Yarn? That is also super complex for something that we take for granted
- ZeroGravitas 3y agoYou get recycled glass spun into fibreglass for insulation. But as far as I'm aware it is not used in clothing. You also get fleece jackets made from recycled PET plastic bottles. Possibly the two have been conflated.
- sekai 3y ago> I think a lot about "steel saucepans with copper bottoms". I read this article by Le Guin at a time in my life to make a real impression on me Same for me but with sewing machines. Relevant Veritasium video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQYuyHNLPTQ&ab_channel=Veritasium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQYuyHNLPTQ&ab_channel=Verit...
- perilunar 3y agoI've seen people argue on this site that "technology" only means new technology, and that even cars aren't 'tech'.