The Low-Tech Times

Marketing author Seth Godin recently asked:

What do you do when you read Kevin Kelly?

If you haven’t read his book turned into a blog, time to catch up.

I admit I was not already familiar with Kevin Kelly’s writing so I checked it out.  Ten years ago, he wrote a book about the future saying:

We now live in a new economy created by shrinking computers and expanding communications…

…If past economic transformations are any guide, those who play by the new rules will prosper, while those who ignore them will not.

Sure, even I agree with that to some extent.  When I moved out of the city a few years ago, I was surprised how many businesses still did not have web sites.   I suppose the old-fashioned yellow pages still work, but if they want more business, companies should realize that many people search for businesses online these days.

Another section of Kevin Kelly’s book reads:

There are 10 trillion objects manufactured in the world each year and the day will come when each one of them will carry a flake of silicon…

…Soon, all manufactured objects, from sneakers to drill presses to lamp shades to cans of soda, will contain a tiny sliver of embedded thought.

This section struck me as outrageous.  While I do not doubt that some shoes will have computer chips, it is ridiculous that shirt buttons, lamp shades, etc. should need computer chips to record and/or transmit data.  While an elite runner might want his mileage, route elevation, and heart rate tracked, most people are just fine knowing whether or not the exercised or not.

Too many data points and metrics will only lead to information overload and loss of productivity as people track and manage inane data.

I think it is wise to question whether something is better just because it is newer.   Sometimes the status quo really is better.  I am happy to be able to buy high quality, hand-built furniture rather than computerized factory made junk imported from the other side of he world.  And I’m quite pleased the wooden chair I’m sitting in uses no electricity and contains exactly zero microchips.