
The Jason Bourne Aesthetic - akkartik
http://exple.tive.org/blarg/2015/09/20/bourne-aesthetic
======
JohnBooty
Understand that PCs were end-user fixable and upgradeable by _accident._

The intention was never for _you,_ the person who bought your computer, to be
able to pop a new CPU into your Compaq five years later.

Standardized, modular parts were always all about the OEMs, who were all
trying to build an industry by cloning the IBM PC. They could have a variety
of manufacturers making various components and as long as everybody followed
the standards, they could pick and choose parts to create SKUs for various
needs and then sell them to you, the end-user.

The fact that a twenty year-old me could spend a summer saving up for the
parts to build a brand-new Pentium II computer and then spend an exciting
weekend putting it all together was a side effect of all that.

A side effect many of us enjoy, obviously. And a side effect that developed
into a small industry of its own, with various companies (even Intel and AMD
at times) targeting the "enthusiast builder" community.

When you understand this, though, things like soldered-on memory and CPUs make
sense. The reasons why your 1988 Compaq had standardized IDE drives and memory
slots are utterly inapplicable to a 2015 MacBook.

I _hate_ the non-hackable place to which PC hardware is headed, but I don't
get angry at it.

Almost no other category of consumer good works in the modular way that we
nerds wish that everything would. Aside from the fact that they run on the
same gasoline you can't put Chevy stuff into a Ford; you can't even put Ford
F-150 stuff into a Ford Fusion. Your toaster oven, your ceiling fan, and your
lawn mower are the same way.

~~~
poopbutt
Yeah, I hear where you're coming from, but all of those parts are still
serviceable. If your starter goes on your Ford car, you might have to buy a
Ford starter (or a third party starter for a Ford car), but it can still be
fixed with a commonly accessible set of relatively inexpensive tools.

If the RAM in my Macbook gets cooked, either I can buy an entire new
motherboard, or a new laptop. It's throwing the baby out with the bath water,
and the truck/lawnmower example you've mentioned doesn't extend to that.

~~~
hub_
They are actually working on that. With DRM, DMCA, shitty software, etc. They
want you to go back to the vendor to make sure things are fixed. Repairable?
Only by authorized service dealers. At a monopolistic cost.

And in the US you can thank the EPA for helping with that.

~~~
ctdonath
If you want a 1kg notebook that's 100x the power of a room-sized $40,000,000
Cray 2 from back when, you'll have to leave off things like connectors,
removable covers, generalized internal interfaces, empty space (for varying-
sized components), beefier batteries (to run whatever you plug in), etc. Some
of us value compact over modular.

You want "repairable by user for cheap"? Such is eminently available, and will
decidedly not weigh 1kg.

~~~
dmschulman
You're right, my Thinkpad X201t weighs 2.89 lbs. That's 1.31kg, it's so
difficult to lug around but at least I can replace the hard drive, RAM,
keyboard, CPU fan, battery, and fundamentally keep it maintained until the
processor fails.

------
nulltype
I'm not sure I buy the contrast between old computers and macbooks. The
smallest replaceable part on a MacBook is the entire MacBook (excluding any
wired or wireless peripherals), but the smallest in a normal computer might be
the CPU. The CPU cannot be repaired except by replacing the entire thing. You
can't repair a CPU or a MacBook, so it seems the the only real difference is
how much it costs to replace the broken part.

I like to think that as moores law ends and computers stop being obsolete we
may get to a point where a computer could be passed down generations like a
solid dining room table. In that case maybe it makes more sense to be able to
repair it and people build them that way. Or maybe computers cost nothing and
it's like bequeathing a pez dispenser.

~~~
adrianN
The other difference is the rate at which the part fails. CPUs basically last
forever if you keep them sufficiently cooled. Batteries or screen backlights
or keyboards, not so much.

~~~
bronson
But CPU spring connectors don't last forever. If you want to ensure the CPU
stays reliable for a good long time (at today's clock rates), you're going to
have to solder it down.

~~~
detaro
source for that claim? Never heard of that, and outside of laptops or SFF
boards it's really unusual to solder CPUs in.

~~~
jacquesm
Contacts are a source of trouble, especially in devices that are subjected to
vibration. That's why they're sometimes soldered down. For stationary devices
this is much less of a concern, the long term killer there is contact
oxidization. Since CPU contacts are made of gold this is not usually a source
of concern. Even circuit boards made in the 70's with regular sockets still
function fine today, the 'bad' parts are usually electrolytic capacitors (they
dry out) and tantalum ones (they like to change into miniature fireworks).

~~~
bronson
I got a great score on an exotic DMM from the 80s where the only problem was a
weak ROM socket. Machine pin sockets might be OK (if you're always inserting a
brand new IC) but dual wipe definitely wears out.

Gold plating only works for expensive parts, and only if you have the same
plating on both parts. The 10u gold alloys on flashy audio equipment looks
great but they aren't likely to be any more reliable than tin. A gold socket
can't save a tin balled CPU:
[http://www.te.com/documentation/whitepapers/pdf/p316-90.pdf](http://www.te.com/documentation/whitepapers/pdf/p316-90.pdf)

------
noonespecial
_" The world is seven billion people swimming in a boiling froth of water,
oil, guns, steel, race, sex, language, wisdom, secrets, hate, love, pain and
TCP/IP."_

Yep. There's my quote of the week.

~~~
bjt
Mine:

> More to the point, this is why the soi-disant-designer snob ... comes across
> as such a douchebag. It’s not “minimalist” if you buy a new one every two
> years; it’s conspicuous consumption with chamfered edges.

~~~
fyolnish
Weren't we also buying a new laptop every 2 years back when they had removable
batteries?

~~~
technomancy
I'm still rocking my 2009 Thinkpad after passing on my 2007 model (too heavy
for my tastes) to my kids.

~~~
tinco
I'm still using my mid 2009 macbook. The battery is not _that_ unremovable,
it's just screwed in. I upgraded to 8gb ram and SSD as most have. Thanks to
Apples move to super weak hardware you can't buy a new one that's better for
the same price.

------
ucaetano
It is interesting to compare Bond with Smiley. While Bond is whom the salesman
aspired to be, Smiley is whom he would actually become.

The expense account is a reptile fund over drafted by senior management for
spurious expenses, he travels, but to cold and boring places, usually on a
budget and staying out of sight in cramped hotels and safe houses.

Instead of sleeping with beautiful women, he spends most of his time working,
and being cheated on by his detached wife.

And when he actually makes it to the top, he just finds himself overburden
with political machinations, stakeholder management, and longing for the time
when he'd actually get something done.

~~~
sago
I watched a fascinating interview with a former MI6 manager. This was probably
about 10 years ago. The interviewer made some comment about the men she had to
manage: the agents. She said, effectively 'men?'.

The Grey Man principle is a good one, as far as it goes, except maybe the
gender.

Fictional spies are interesting reflections of social angst, but I think we're
about ready now for a fictional Valerie Plame.

~~~
doppelganger27
What does gender truly have to do with the "Grey Man" idea? The core idea as I
see it is to blend in with your surroundings, be "boring grey" instead
standing out. Sure, "Grey Man" has the word "Man" in it, but I think the
operative word in it is "Grey."

Also, where was the interview you watched?

~~~
sago
Oh, I wasn't trying to make a massive point on gender, beyond pointing to the
fact that fictional spies tend to be male. My interpretation of 'grey man' is
not so much blending in, as not being the kind of person one would expect to
be a spy. A person who 'looks like they can handle themselves' is probably
less useful than an inconspicuous office intern. It would be interesting to
see a fictional spy that was believable in that way.

I'm trying to remember where. It was a TV program in the UK, and I think the
interview took place in an unused london underground station, I think. Sorry.
...

[edit 1:] Was it some kind of show where they trained people to be spies for
the camera? I seem to also remember footage of someone having to plant a
letter in their mother's handbag without being seen by them. Sorry for not
being helpful. Like I said I wasn't trying to make a significant point: the
discussion of spies just reminded me.

[edit 2:] Can't find a YT clip of that bit, but the show was 'Spymaster', or
'Spy'. I hope I'm not remembering it too wrongly.

------
robochat42
Well then we're all Bob Howard from the Laundry. The unassuming backroom guy
who knows his way around a computer yet surprisingly can hold it together when
confronted with gibbering Lovecraftian monsters from beyond the void. Has an
iphone that can kill demons, the senior management are keen to push him up the
ladder and has a wife who is clearly out of his league.

------
JulianMorrison
This might be an interesting reply:
[https://www.fairphone.com/phone/](https://www.fairphone.com/phone/) \- it's
not exactly a clunky brick, and it's completely modular and user-serviceable
(at the level of modules, anyhow). Apple didn't pare down the openness, they
designed it out. They've been actively hostile to user servicing since the
toaster mac (that you couldn't even open without a proprietary tool).

~~~
rsync
Thanks very much for sharing this link - I had not heard of the fairphone
before.

Predictably huge at 5+ inches screen diagonal, but I guess that's to be
expected these days.

------
jevgeni
I can see the point.

My hobby is photography. I love my Nikon D5300 to bits, but after a year of
usage two buttons are stuck and the eyecup needs replacing. And then there are
people using twin reflex cameras from the 50s and they run like butter...

~~~
leonroy
Having had one of these old cameras I can tell you they are not immune from
the ravages of age! They do need a good service periodically!

~~~
jevgeni
Thank you for the advice. I kind of reckoned one would need to. I'm about to
buy one and currently looking, if there are shops that do repairs, if need be.

------
legulere
Modularity has advantages (repairability, upgradability, switching out
manufacturers) and also disadvantages (cost, design constraints).

The way I'm seeing it technological advance is changing how big those are. I
still remember how soldered on cpus were seen as a problem with laptops. I
don't know anyone who ever upgraded their cpu (might be that it was more
common earlier). Laptop batteries today are way better than what they used to
be. They used to hold maybe 2 or 3 years before having unusable usage times.
The development in RAM is stagnating.

And of course Apple now is so big that they can just dictate proprietary
connectors.

------
unexistance
seems interesting, gonna save for later reading, BUT the hook for me,
Bond/Bourne relation to the salaryman at their respective time...

awesome stuff, so far :)

------
rsync
I really, really miss the days when there was more than one manufacturer of
computers.

I think it was in 2002/2003 when I was last in the market for a non-apple
device and there was a _lot_ of interesting competition ... thinkpads, sony
vaio, HP ... Dell had some great laptops ... there was actually a reason to
scroll through gizmodo/engadget and look at new products coming out.

Now there's only one.[1]

I really do think that the macbook air is the final evolution of the laptop
computer. Yes, I do wish I could pull the battery and yes I do miss PCMCIA and
yes I cannot use a laptop with a _single_ port[2] but the 13" MBA that I
bought in late 2008 lasted _7 years_ of hard use and three battery swap-outs
(done by apple, of course).[3]

I don't really understand why other manufacturers can't make a MBA ... I'd
like to see some minor competition along the very, very final bits of design
latitude you can have in this thoroughly distilled form factor ... but for
whatever reason Dell/HP/Sony/Lenovo refuse to _just make their laptops out of
metal for god 's sake_.

I wonder if this is where we are going with high end cars ? I notice the exact
same inability to function on the part of all the incumbent car manufacturers.
It's how many years since the Prius came out and how many years since the
Tesla roadster and Porsche _just announced_ an all electric car and _of
course_ it's a concept car?[4] BMW has a brand new 7 series with the
predictably lame hybrid option mated to some little lawnmower engine. Just
concept cars and half-assed hybrids over and over again. Meanwhile, Tesla has
a dual-motor, AWD supercar for sale.

There used to be more than one maker of high end four door luxury cars ...

[1] Well, actually there's two - apple for laptops/desktops and supermicro
(god bless them) for anything that goes in a rack.

[2] New macbook 12" with the single combined USB/power.

[3] Actually it still works now, but I get a new 11" MBA.

[4] [http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/15/autos/porsche-debuts-
first-e...](http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/15/autos/porsche-debuts-first-
electric-car-mission-e/index.html)

~~~
edison_carter
> I don't really understand why other manufacturers can't make a MBA...

Lenovo's Carbon X1 is that machine for me. I carried an Air (running Debian)
for a couple of years. I've since replaced it with a Carbon X1, and there's
nothing I miss about the Air. The Carbon is simply fantastic.

~~~
rsync
Thanks. I have heard the Carbon X1 mentioned many times, of course, and I will
take a look at it again.

------
joe563323
Interesting and thought provoking comparison b/w James Bond and Jason Bourne.

~~~
lemevi
It's mostly nonsense. You can invent comparisons like this, which are really
just half-baked and not very convincing attempts at social science
deconstruction, between any number of things and it may appear to be just as
thought provoking.

I am sure that the generation that watched James Bond in the 1960's trusted
their employers more than action movie watchers of the last decade but Bourne
stories are about government conspiracies and the first book was written even
before Iran Contra deals were known and president Reagan took office.

~~~
devbug
There were no government conspiracies prior to Iran-Contra affair?

~~~
lemevi
No, not saying that. Pentagon Papers and Watergate come to mind.

------
JSeymourATL
> He can’t trust his employer, who demanded ultimate loyalty and gave nothing
> in return.

Jason Bourne, Independent Contractor & Free Agent.

------
triangleman
Can today's Thinkpads still hang with the best of them? (typed on a recently-
upgraded late 2006 MBP)

~~~
hyperion2010
I'm on my 3rd thinkpad. First one was a T30 that I got 12 years ago. I used it
for 4 years and my mother for 4 years after that. I still have it and it still
runs but it is now made out of parts from two T30s, the original, whose screen
died, and another that had a bad hard drive. My T60p I used for 4 years and
then my mother for 4 more years, it had to have its cpu fan replaced once
about 6 years into its life, otherwise it is sitting here next to me in
perfect working order.

I'm 3 years into a first gen X1 Carbon, it runs perfectly. The only annoyance
is that I can't get at the battery to replace it. I'd be a bit happier if it
had a 2560x1440 screen since then there would really be no need for an upgrade
ever again, but as it stands I expect to be able to use it for at least
another 5 years.

Build quality on the newer T series feels like shit to me, but I haven't spent
enough time with them to be able to judge and they are so new we don't really
have any data yet.

edit: seeing the link to the potential retro thinkpad, that I would get
without a second thought

~~~
voltagex_
I'm on the 3443CTO revision of the X1 Carbon. The "carbon" part of it is
starting to fall apart, the palmrest creaks and I really should have bought it
a week later when the i7 with 8GB of RAM was available - 4GB and an i5 feels
restrictive (what a sad statement on current software optimisation)

Oh, and you can only get ~6 hours of battery out of it with very particular
settings and a specific power management driver in Windows 8. Otherwise it's
3-4 hours at best.

------
mud_dauber
I regret that I have but one upvote to give.

------
benihana
That was a lot of words to say Apple is wrong about design and I'm right and I
wish someone would realize this and build something that suits me exactly.

~~~
hawleyal
But it was written well and entertaining.

------
curiousjorge

        They took everything he had, and promised that if he gave 
        himself up to the System, in return the System would take 
        care of him.
    
        It turned out to be a lie.
    
        We’re all Jason Bourne now.
    

I read this with a tongue in cheek but walked away with a profound sense of
camaraderie and Tyler Durdene feels.

This last few setences. WOW. As a Jason Bourne fan, I can now be him.

------
hawleyal
Besides the point, but there are quite a few typos in this piece.

------
SignMeTheHELLUp
This is the most pretentious article I remember reading in recent history but
it seems the author has a few interesting points. Can anyone do a tl;dr in
plain english?

~~~
21echoes
Design as crafty/minimalism/apple's aesthetic is irresponsible in that it
refuses to acknowledge that things can break. Design which pays attention to
the reality of a thing's environment and usage patterns, and which does not
prompt conspicuous consumption of every brand new version after even the
slightest failure of the old, is better.

~~~
arrrg
Nah, it’s just realistic about the extent to which most users will want to
repair their devices …

~~~
technomancy
Well, let's call that out then--folks should be honest that they buy un-
repairable hardware at least partly because they enjoy having an excuse to get
the latest model two years down the line.

~~~
arrrg
I don’t think two years is the average life time of a current MacBook. I would
guess maybe three, four years, maybe even longer. Most problems will crop up
during the first year and be fixed on warranty.

Mechanically the devices are very solid and will survive for many years.

The biggest issue is the battery, really, and probably the power supply, both
of which are costly (maybe 25% or so more than a replacement battery for
another laptop, plus you have to bring in the MacBook to get it replaced, you
can’t do it yourself), but can be replaced. Most people will just not do that,
though, and live with diminished battery life and fraying power supply cables.

I think you are stuck in your filter bubble if you think people want to buy a
new one quickly. Many will live happily with a current MacBook for many years.
A decade ago the situation was a bit different (and performance crummy), but
nowadays the speed is there.

