finally, Wendell Berry's standards for technological innovation--truly as relevant now as they were in 1987 #othernetworks

[nicksilkey@hachyderm.io]

@loriemerson amazing - I tracked down the source. Thanks for this! ‍️️

Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer
Wendell Berry
New England Review and Bread Loaf Quarterly
Vol. 10, No. 1 (Autumn, 1987), pp. 112-113 (2 pages)
Published By: Middlebury College Publications

JSTOR: Access Check

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(www.jstor.org)

[scottytrees@mastodon.social]

@loriemerson yeah that’s a fantasy list that doesn’t exist anymore lol

[perhaps391@mastodon.social]

@loriemerson wow, current vibe-coded software tools fail almost every one of these standards.

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@loriemerson

I like to go to original sources, so here's a link via @Kottke.org...

https://classes.matthewjbrown.net/teaching-files/philtech/berry-computer.pdf

Nine Rules for Evaluating New Technology

In 1987, Wendell Berry wrote an essay called Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer. In it, he outlined his standards for adopting new technology in his work

kottke.org (kottke.org)

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@aakoskin @loriemerson

"Never post an image/screenshot if you can type the same in plain text."

For a simple list like the above. I agree.

I suspect that there is a "plain text penalty" for words/ideas without imagery in social media, but I'm not up on the trends, rules, or research in that domain.

[lxskllr@mastodon.world]

@nickrauchen @aakoskin @loriemerson

Might run out of characters. Default mastodon limit is 500. I've done text images to get around the limit.

[loriemerson@post.lurk.org]

@lxskllr @nickrauchen @aakoskin I am having trouble wrapping my head why the format of my post is worth anyone commenting on - the text is in the image. it's not elegant but I wanted to give a screenshot of the exact text I was reading from Harper's. surely there are more important things to discuss here, and in general, than policing precisely how people post

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@lxskllr @aakoskin @loriemerson

I think the char limit varies on #Mastodon depending on server, client, etc.

Something textual that is "long form" can be threaded, yes?

[lxskllr@mastodon.world]

@nickrauchen @aakoskin @loriemerson

It can, but threaded posts are kind of annoying imo. Sometimes it's better to have everything in one view.

I say that someone who does a minimum of one threaded post every day :^D

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@loriemerson @lxskllr @aakoskin

Speaking as a reader of your post, I'd rather have the text than a picture of the text. In this case I think all/most of the content was in the alt text, which is good but may be hidden for some (depends on the UI).

[nickrauchen@c.im]

@lxskllr @aakoskin @loriemerson

Threading in #Mastodon is pretty clunky I agree. I can't remember much about it, but in old-school #twitter there was an obvious "Continue" or "Next" button for threading. The server I'm currently on has a much larger char limit so it has not been an issue. The main reason I thread anything is for topics like travel logs that unfold over time.

Then there's just being kind to your readers... keep things simple, short, and concise. An ideal I am sometimes not able to achieve even with good intentions.

[falcennial@mastodon.social]

@loriemerson the Wendellian laws should be international law

[lxskllr@mastodon.world]

@nickrauchen @aakoskin @loriemerson

"Then there's just being kind to your readers... keep things simple, short, and concise"

That's what I like about my low character limit. It enforces brevity. It's also what I don't like about it. Double edged sword. Trying to work with limited resources is a good exercise, even if they can't always be adhered to 100%.

[frchazzz@mastodon.social]

@loriemerson Reading this makes me regret leaving behind my vintage copy of "The Unsettling of America" when I had to move. Berry is wonderful.