My Luddite Ways

Let’s start with my first computer-action of the morning. I was uploading 35 MB of photos for another post… and I found myself thinking about my first summer job. I was hired for a summer to work at a nuclear plant, but, y’know, as a high school student, I didn’t really have any immediately relevant skills. So I got handed the task of inventory-ing all of the computers at the plant. And I remember standing back with one of the engineers who had just received a new computer, and we shook our heads… and the conversation went something like, “Wow. That’s a doozy of a hard-drive.” “Yeah, but what am I ever going to do with 35 Megs of memory?” Yup. I really am that old.

Then I happened upon the Freshly-Pressed list of 11 Things that (Inexplicably) Continue to Exist, and I thought, “Wow. I still use almost half of those things.” So, without further ado (or consideration), here is a partial list of other inexplicable things that I still use:

1. A phone that is not only in my house, but is actually attached to the wall!

This has pride of place after the blackout in 2003, during which I was unable to contact my family because we didn’t have a phone that worked when the power was out. Despite what it looks like, we do not actually take phone messages in ancient runes; that’s just a hobby. Oh, yeah. There’s a pencil in this photo, also.

2. A clothesline:

Which requires 2b)

For the truly urban among you, this is a clothespeg. It clips things to other things, most notably clothes to the line.

3. A mixing bowl.

This one currently contains the first stages of what will undoubtedly become a most excellent oatmeal bread. (The big white thing next to it is a stove. I hear that those are also obsolete in many cultures.)

4. Wooden blocks:

The child in this photo is currently (like, right this minute, not contemporaneously with the photo) playing with one of those calculators that was accused of being inexplicable in the original post. Sorry. Make that two calculators. We sometimes teach physics in our spare time working lives. Oh, yes. I also sewed the pants.

5. Knitting needles:

leading to 5b)

Hand-knit socks:

And to top it all off, here is 6) the garden:

which requires hand tools, a wheelbarrow:

and, because of our thing about the lawn, the piece de resistance:

The Scythe!

I think that the scythe deserves a name of its very own. Any ideas? Also, someday I will explain. Now is not that day.