Eric Brende titled one chapter as; Pulling in the Reigns. This chapter covered their one weakness is conforming to Minimite ways. They successfully lived without any form of modern technology with one exception; the automobile. The Brendes decide to buy a horse, which they named Isabel, as their form of transportation. Along with it they purchased a wagon, a driving harness, a work harness, and a couple of saddles. Even after the total cost of purchasing these items, they were still ahead of what it would cost to drive their car.
It soon became time for the Brendes to leave their current residence, as this was part of the agreement Eric and Mary had set. It was very hard for them to leave, especially Mary. She had become more attached to the place and the people, the Millers, for example, than she ever thought she would. They spent plenty of time saying goodbyes to others, like the Joneses. Before the Brendes left, Mr. Miller said, "You'll do well wherever you go." This gave Eric and Mary a sense of confidence before their trip back to Boston.
Back in Boston, the Brendes tried getting back into the workforce. They did odd jobs foe awhile. They rented a small apartment and with little expenses. The Brendes did their neighbor's laundry and other jobs for him, which shows what they were willing to do for less expenses. It became harder for them to live without modern technology. They succumbed to the use of a telephone/cell phone, car, power tools, and a washer and dryer. Otherwise, they did not own a computer or television. Their children were indulgers of books.
Eric Brende said that technology itself is not a bad thing. People rely on it too much. He stated that we should let technology work for us, not us working for it. It indeed simplifies life, but he thinks it complicates it at the same time.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Quizzer 202 to End
What were the reasons that Brende ultimately gave up his car? What did they use that money for?
He gave it up because the insurance he would have needed to buy would have become too expensive for their need. They also felt it was time to get the full meaning of minimizing the use of technology and live like the others in the community. They chose to purchase a horse that could pull a buggy for them for their mode of transportation. The horse could be used for minor farming needs and obviously for the Eric and Mary’s primary transportation.
Why was Mary choosing to avoid riding on the horse buggy as the book goes on? What other time in her life did she have similar effects?
She learns that she is allergic to the horse and tries to avoid it at all costs. It put her in a very bad situation considering that it was their only way of mobility now that they don’t have a car. When she was a young girl her bedroom window was facing a horse farm and the wind would carry the dander into her room, she never fully put the pieces together that it was the horses that she was allergic to.
What jobs did Brende and Mary take when they went to live in Boston for a short period of time after their time at the Minimite Community?
Mary took another accounting job to make some income. Brende was actually a taxi driver for a while, and then switched to a rickshaw driver, and at the same time as these jobs they chose to start a Bed and Breakfast out of their house, while also making soap to sell or barter with others.
Did they choose to go back to the Minimite type of lifestyle or choose to go to the present day technologically driven one?
They tried to help start up a new type of minimal use of technology community but it ultimately didn’t work. They then moved into a new village that they could practice very little use of technology and use the techniques they learned from their time at the Minimite farmland. To this day they still stay away from technology like televisions, and computers. They try to come up with alternatives to every form of technology out there and see how far they can get from technology if it would be somewhat productive.
According to Brende what are the three reasons for moving toward a lifestyle of minimization?
1. “A modern automatic machine is no mere inert tool.” It takes a lot of time and money just to keep it working. It gobbles up energy. It costs a lot more money than it would to do a task yourself.
2. “Avoiding Usurpation”- takes away jobs that us humans should be doing.
3. “Recalling the need or end in view” subverts very purpose for which it was deployed. The unforeseen costs and problems may actually slow us down rather than speed up the task at hand.
He gave it up because the insurance he would have needed to buy would have become too expensive for their need. They also felt it was time to get the full meaning of minimizing the use of technology and live like the others in the community. They chose to purchase a horse that could pull a buggy for them for their mode of transportation. The horse could be used for minor farming needs and obviously for the Eric and Mary’s primary transportation.
Why was Mary choosing to avoid riding on the horse buggy as the book goes on? What other time in her life did she have similar effects?
She learns that she is allergic to the horse and tries to avoid it at all costs. It put her in a very bad situation considering that it was their only way of mobility now that they don’t have a car. When she was a young girl her bedroom window was facing a horse farm and the wind would carry the dander into her room, she never fully put the pieces together that it was the horses that she was allergic to.
What jobs did Brende and Mary take when they went to live in Boston for a short period of time after their time at the Minimite Community?
Mary took another accounting job to make some income. Brende was actually a taxi driver for a while, and then switched to a rickshaw driver, and at the same time as these jobs they chose to start a Bed and Breakfast out of their house, while also making soap to sell or barter with others.
Did they choose to go back to the Minimite type of lifestyle or choose to go to the present day technologically driven one?
They tried to help start up a new type of minimal use of technology community but it ultimately didn’t work. They then moved into a new village that they could practice very little use of technology and use the techniques they learned from their time at the Minimite farmland. To this day they still stay away from technology like televisions, and computers. They try to come up with alternatives to every form of technology out there and see how far they can get from technology if it would be somewhat productive.
According to Brende what are the three reasons for moving toward a lifestyle of minimization?
1. “A modern automatic machine is no mere inert tool.” It takes a lot of time and money just to keep it working. It gobbles up energy. It costs a lot more money than it would to do a task yourself.
2. “Avoiding Usurpation”- takes away jobs that us humans should be doing.
3. “Recalling the need or end in view” subverts very purpose for which it was deployed. The unforeseen costs and problems may actually slow us down rather than speed up the task at hand.
Interviews and Video
Here are links to two interviews with Eric Brende.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA421058.html
http://oldarchive.godspy.com/life/Better-Off-Flipping-The-Switch-On-Technology-by-Eric-Brende.cfm.html
Two links to video of Eric Brende.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxumsox8jWc
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=eric+brende&emb=0&aq=f#
Vocab. pg.202-234
Gallivant (p202): to wander about, seeking pleasure or diversion
Tantamount (p203): equivalent in effect or value
Peruse (p203): to read through with thoroughness or care
Kibitzing (p203): to look on and offer unwanted, usually meddlesome advice to others
Coquettishly (p205): a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt
Equine (p206): of, relating to, or characteristic of a horse
Consortium (p207): any association, partnership, or union
Emanates (p217): To come or send forth, as from a source
Agronomic (p218): Application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management and crop production
Artifice (p221): trickery; guile; craftiness
Tantamount (p203): equivalent in effect or value
Peruse (p203): to read through with thoroughness or care
Kibitzing (p203): to look on and offer unwanted, usually meddlesome advice to others
Coquettishly (p205): a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt
Equine (p206): of, relating to, or characteristic of a horse
Consortium (p207): any association, partnership, or union
Emanates (p217): To come or send forth, as from a source
Agronomic (p218): Application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management and crop production
Artifice (p221): trickery; guile; craftiness
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Journal 4
We have learned a lot about the Minimite subculture of people and the way they lead their lives. The culture is based off minimizing the amount of technology used and finding alternatives to everything involving technology. Brende tries to convey the message that life without most technology is more fulfilling and synchronized. From this book we learn how they got around the use of things like refrigerators, running water, telephones and many other everyday things for all of us. It seemed very interesting that they went to some depths as they did. For example during the child birth they chose not to have any medical care before or during the birth, and they didn’t even have a telephone to use if they needed to get emergency care. From reading this book, it has showed us the experiences that Brende went through and that it is possible to get away from a lot of technology that literally seems to run us rather than the other way around.
We felt his methods for discovering his information were valid and the best way of developing an opinion of a culture and researching them as well. He put himself right into the culture and relied on the others to show him their methods and techniques for the culture. The best way to learn about a certain group of people is to get to know them and put yourself in their situation. Brende definitely does this by living in the community and really getting to know everyone else in the community. There is nothing that seems to be unethical in his way of researching the culture, it isn’t like he is offending the people he is researching, and it is very useful information that he is retrieving. This type of research is much more meaningful than someone who would just research by books rather than experience like Brende. His method of research is strictly living in the culture, he doesn’t do any research except for taking notes on the culture, and doesn’t seem to offend anyone.
Toward the beginning of the epilogue, Brende states that “Technology undoubtedly has, and will always have, some role in making life easier or better, so one shouldn’t exclude it… Technology serves us, not we technology.” Brende then goes on to say, “…it is better to find a non-technological solution than a technological one, or failing that, a less technological solution than a more technological one.” There are three reasons for this. First, “it demands care and maintenance.” Second, to “avoiding usurpation,” and third, “recalling the need or end in view.” He states how Ivan Illich once pointed out “…when hidden costs, labors, and time are added in, leave us moving no faster, and possibly less fast, than we were one hundred years ago in horse-drawn vehicles.”
Brende also says “…technology still has an important place. In our experience, it has come in handy in three main areas.” The first being bodily labor. Brende mentions that it doesn’t make sense to save labor when labor provides the exercise that we need and the time spent with family and neighbors. The second is transportation, and the third is communication. When Brende is talking about communication, he mentions that there really isn’t a need for a phone in a small town. He would rather send the message face-to-face. He also mentions that occasionally, “TV viewing can also become the basis of a mild social experience.”
In the last paragraph of the book Brende says, “There really is no end to the possible uses of technology, nor are there limits to finding a way around it; but in all cases it must serve our needs, not the reverse, and we must determine these needs before considering the needs for technology.”
The final conclusion Brende draws which is the last sentence of the book, “By switching off the electric light, I think we see a bit better,” is analogous to the point that the less we use technology, the better off we are mentally, and physically.
Going into and getting involved with a culture in the way Brende did is the best way to discover the amount of information Brende has. Interviewing a few people who are involved with the culture and observing them in their culture rather than getting involved is a possible way of getting information, but the amount of information gathered this way is limited. Reading books or articles about more specific topics and combining them together to get an idea on what the life of a certain culture is like. For example, instead of Brende living with and getting involved with the culture, he could have read up on what it is like to live without certain luxuries such as a refrigerator. He could then read up on how to grow and make his own food for a year. He would then combine all of his findings to get an idea of how the Amish or Mennonites live. This method wouldn’t be nearly as accurate as Brende’s method. Brende’s method is really the best method in finding the information he wanted. Brende did a great job of developing research and the fact that he actually lived as a part of the community made the book a lot more interesting and fulfilling to read. Rather than just reading about people who were already part of the culture.
We felt his methods for discovering his information were valid and the best way of developing an opinion of a culture and researching them as well. He put himself right into the culture and relied on the others to show him their methods and techniques for the culture. The best way to learn about a certain group of people is to get to know them and put yourself in their situation. Brende definitely does this by living in the community and really getting to know everyone else in the community. There is nothing that seems to be unethical in his way of researching the culture, it isn’t like he is offending the people he is researching, and it is very useful information that he is retrieving. This type of research is much more meaningful than someone who would just research by books rather than experience like Brende. His method of research is strictly living in the culture, he doesn’t do any research except for taking notes on the culture, and doesn’t seem to offend anyone.
Toward the beginning of the epilogue, Brende states that “Technology undoubtedly has, and will always have, some role in making life easier or better, so one shouldn’t exclude it… Technology serves us, not we technology.” Brende then goes on to say, “…it is better to find a non-technological solution than a technological one, or failing that, a less technological solution than a more technological one.” There are three reasons for this. First, “it demands care and maintenance.” Second, to “avoiding usurpation,” and third, “recalling the need or end in view.” He states how Ivan Illich once pointed out “…when hidden costs, labors, and time are added in, leave us moving no faster, and possibly less fast, than we were one hundred years ago in horse-drawn vehicles.”
Brende also says “…technology still has an important place. In our experience, it has come in handy in three main areas.” The first being bodily labor. Brende mentions that it doesn’t make sense to save labor when labor provides the exercise that we need and the time spent with family and neighbors. The second is transportation, and the third is communication. When Brende is talking about communication, he mentions that there really isn’t a need for a phone in a small town. He would rather send the message face-to-face. He also mentions that occasionally, “TV viewing can also become the basis of a mild social experience.”
In the last paragraph of the book Brende says, “There really is no end to the possible uses of technology, nor are there limits to finding a way around it; but in all cases it must serve our needs, not the reverse, and we must determine these needs before considering the needs for technology.”
The final conclusion Brende draws which is the last sentence of the book, “By switching off the electric light, I think we see a bit better,” is analogous to the point that the less we use technology, the better off we are mentally, and physically.
Going into and getting involved with a culture in the way Brende did is the best way to discover the amount of information Brende has. Interviewing a few people who are involved with the culture and observing them in their culture rather than getting involved is a possible way of getting information, but the amount of information gathered this way is limited. Reading books or articles about more specific topics and combining them together to get an idea on what the life of a certain culture is like. For example, instead of Brende living with and getting involved with the culture, he could have read up on what it is like to live without certain luxuries such as a refrigerator. He could then read up on how to grow and make his own food for a year. He would then combine all of his findings to get an idea of how the Amish or Mennonites live. This method wouldn’t be nearly as accurate as Brende’s method. Brende’s method is really the best method in finding the information he wanted. Brende did a great job of developing research and the fact that he actually lived as a part of the community made the book a lot more interesting and fulfilling to read. Rather than just reading about people who were already part of the culture.
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