
In Amish Country, the Future Is Calling - linkmotif
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/business/amish-technology.html
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djchung23
I have a lot of respect for the Amish, I think they are true hackers. It's
pretty amazing the things they build with the resources they have.

Of course I love technology, the internet, etc and couldn't imagine my life
without all that, but yes I am addicted to my phone and being able to look up
anything whenever I want. This is extremely powerful, but this quote gives me
something to think about as I type this at my desk job:

“If you can just look it up on the internet, you’re not thinking,” said Levi,
another woodworker. “The more people rely on technology, the more we want to
sit behind a desk. But you can’t build a house sitting behind a desk.”

~~~
1_2__4
It's hard to invest much interest in the opinion of someone on a subject
they've literally devoted their lives to knowing as little about as possible,
to such a degree they live a life entirely isolated from it.

~~~
KGIII
It's not that they don't know about it, it's that they opt to selectively use
it. The largest reason to avoid tech is because it removes from family values
that they hold dear. This is why, when they go home, they probably don't bring
their cell phone into the house.

Err... Many of them have a phone house, though some use a privy. They leave
their phone in there, be it landline or mobile.

In fact, one of my most bizarre experiences was spending a year or two
regularly conversing with a couple of Amish people. Why was that strange? It
was on IRC. They were both away at college and, during that time, made free
use of certain tech, because it didn't diminish their concept of family.

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leggomylibro
I kind of wonder why there aren't neo-luddite communities literally re-
inventing the wheel, these days.

The Amish seem to pride themselves on their ascetic use of technology - it
sounds like they believe in the discipline, patience, and lack of distractions
that come with a disdain for tools which have not yet been refined by a long
history of use.

Why does nobody take that attitude with the production of say, bipolar
transistors instead of wood stoves? Why don't we have any community-run film
deposition machines? Throw together a cruelty-free hand-milled pressure
chamber, a bespoke hand-wound HV transformer, an artisanal gluten-free vacuum
pump, and you've got yourself a stew!

I don't think Jeri Ellsworth counts as a prophet quite yet, but I might read
that sort of holy book. The article mentions the Amish's occasional use of
personal solar cells and batteries for household electricity despite a
prohibition of connecting public utilities to a house; wouldn't it be more
kosher to make the solar panels and batteries yourselves? We ARE getting to
the point where 'electricity' is a tried-and-true, fundamental human tool. Why
is say, a metal-air battery particularly different from a saw or a hammer or a
match?

~~~
GregBuchholz
What is so special about transistors? There are many non-linear active devices
that are relatively unexplored due to the local maximum of transistors. How
about homemade flame triodes or magnetic amplifiers or memristor.. I think you
are going to love these guys:

[http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/](http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/)

[http://ludens.cl/Electron/Electron.html](http://ludens.cl/Electron/Electron.html)

~~~
leggomylibro
Just an example; film deposition is useful for all kinds of things, including
producing solar cells, but a single BJT or FET seemed like a fairly simple
starting point.

Thanks for the links!

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mixmastamyk
When I was a teenager, I thought folks like the Amish were "crazy."

After growing up in the modern world under constant surveillance, housing
prices out of reach, taxes for wars abroad I don't want, and "Equihacks" I
find myself yearning for the days of old.

(Would keep the antibiotics of course.)

~~~
gozur88
I'm not convinced the Amish could survive without the rest of the US. For one
thing, they refuse to serve in the military.

For another, they don't pay much in taxes. My relatives in PA get red in the
face whenever you bring up the Amish, because in that area the county relies
heavily on taxes levied on your electric bill. The first thing the Amish do
when they move into the neighborhood is rip out the electric.

The other thing is there are dozens of sects people lump together as The
Amish, and they all have different doctrine. Sometimes very different.

~~~
in_cahoots
The idea that the Amish survive off others' electric bill tax sounds more like
a urban legend than fact. Let's be optimistic and assume the average household
pays $500 / month in electricity and has a 10% tax rate; that's $50/ month /
household divided by the entire state of Pennsylvania. Even if Pennsylvania is
50% Amish that's $25 / month in 'free' money for each Amish household. Hardly
enough money to run a community off of.

~~~
gozur88
Two things. One, you've mischaracterized what I said. I said the county relies
heavily on these taxes, not that the Amish "survive off" other people.

Two, $50/month is a lot of money in rural PA.

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dogruck
Summary: Amish people are regular folk like everyone else.

In my experience, outsiders get too hung up on perceived conflicts with the
Amish community.

~~~
OneTimePaddy
People want to convince themselves that there life choices are the only valid
choices and realistic options. So if some other group lives a kind of idylic
life- a search for the dark, evil spots of that lifestyle begins, to restore
the damaged worldview.

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jackcosgrove
I keep hearing about this version of the singularity future where people lead
intentional lives and eschew technology to produce handmade goods, as a way to
find meaning in a world in which everything is automated. It seems the Amish
are already there.

~~~
Pulcinella
I'm not sure good it is to fine meaning in physical objects, no matter how
artisanal or handcrafted they are, personally.

~~~
meric
Sometimes I look at the objects my father bought for me before he died - a toy
train, a film camera - stuff I can get for $10 at a store, but they mean a lot
more to me than that.

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Chiba-City
I roughly frame mobile PC's as libraries, letter carriers and proof assistants
saving trees in books and car hours. I live in DC near the National Cathedral,
don't drive and cook my food at home from scratch. These guys are smart. I
admire the Anabaptist "Punk" DIY ethic. The music Punks were too loud. Live
music is not Lo-Fi.

