Tech Is Rust

We re-watched Veronica Mars about a month ago. I think that's actually a pretty good show. I'd say it's alt-media adjacent and is loaded with astrology symbolism, which I barely understand even after years of reading about that shit. 

It's relatively critical of The Beast system even though it is a product of the Beast. One of the things that's interesting about it is it's a time capsule of early 2000's technology. That was when people were just starting to be sucked into an alternate universe of screens and smartphones, but in the Veronica Mars days, they were still in a primitive, developing form. They really haven't changed much--screen resolution and processor speeds have increased, but people are still just doing the same stuff with them they were 20 years ago.

There's some inherent problem with technology that I've only begun to sniff out in my graying hair days. I think I would never have smelled it without encountering the ideas of a guy like Masanobu Fukuoka. I had a very clear thought in the early hours this morning--tech is basically a form of rust.

Almost every problem that's got a technology solution isn't really solved. It's replaced with more than one technology problem. For example, brushless motors have mostly replaced brushed motors in power tools. Also "cordless" lithium ion powered tools have almost completely replaced handheld power tools.

Brushless motors with lithium ion batteries opened up a whole new industry. All the problems associated with the older generation of tools, e.g. power cords and the need to replace brushes after years of frequent use, was replaced with a different set of problems. Now instead of replacing a brush, you have to replace failed $200 battery packs every year or two, or if the power electronics in the tool fails, which is a common problem, you replace the whole tool. The batteries are also more dangerous to property than almost any other widely used technology today. They can explode and catch on fire even when not in use, which is rare, but does happen.

The replacement of one set of problems with a different, larger set of problems also results in a bunch of make-work activity and resource depletion. Charging the batteries wastes power. The batteries self discharge. The batteries can easily overheat. The batteries require a management system (computer). To generate lots of power and torque requires large batteries that are easily as bulky as a cord, and ultimately, the tools are significantly slower and less powerful than a corded counterpart. 

 Technological advancement is really a misnomer. Technological expansion is a better description. It absorbs human life time and the resources of the earth as it expands.