Technology. It surrounds us. It is in all facets of our lives.
So is technology getting so complex that it becomes no longer useful? Especially when it comes to performing useful tasks around the home.
Here is a very simple example. Is it quicker to squeeze a glass of lemon juice by hand with a simple juicer, than use a kitchen appliance to do the same job?
I would contest that it is far quicker to juice by hand, if you take the following into consideration.
- Time take to manufacture the two tools – the appliance is a more complex and takes longer to make
- Cost and purchase of the tools – a hand juicer costs no more than a few dollars, whereby an appliance may cost well over $50.
- Materials consumed during use – an appliance relies on electricity, which may or may not be reliable.
- Time taken to clean after use – a hand juicer takes a lot less time to clean, and therefore less water.
- Designed obsolescence – appliances are designed to fail soon after warranty or do not readily have spare parts, so that you have to consume more.
- Detrimental effects of disposal – eWaste (electronic waste) has known to contaminate groundwater.
This is just a one of many hundreds that I could cite just from observing around my own home. It is clear and evident that a simple tool beats the more complex technology hands down. You may think that it is more convenient, but if you take everything into consideration, there are diminishing returns in time, materials, cost and waste.
Using the criteria that I have listed, can you think of other simple examples that you care to share? Can you think of any examples where the opposite is true?
Perhaps a popcorn maker is quicker than dirtying a saucepan and I would find it difficult to put things together without a power drill. There were appliances in my cupboard that I thought would be great but unfortunately are now landfill like a pie maker and donut maker. I now consider things more carefully before purchasing!
I hear you Lynn! I used to have a cupboard full of appliances like that, but when they broke, we never replaced them.
Gav x
hi Gavin
I think that macrobiotic thinking also says that by doing things like food preparation manually you are putting some of your soul into it and this is a benefit. tangible or not
there’s also figures floating around that indicate that we are actually doing more ‘ work’ despite all the labour saving devices like electric juicers. this us partly because of the factors you mentioned with putting the item together, pulling it apart etc
my current pet hate is coffee ‘pod’ machines. I am not a coffee drinker but placing a plastic capsule of chocolate mix into my sisters pod machine then drinking what came out did not excite me at all. tasteless drink, lukewarm and a plastic capsule to dispose of
my 2 spoonfuls of powdered mix into a mug with full cream milk and 2 minutes in the microwave achieved a much tastier and hotter result.
but microwaves- another item of technology that probably is never used to full advantage. mine heats the aforementioned hot chocolates for my daily breakfast drink and also occasionally heats dinner. don’t think I have ever done much else with it
Claire in Kalorama
Ditto on the coffee pod machines Claire. We have them at work and they make the worst cuppa around. And don’t get me started on the waste, however I have read that you can buy reusable pods which you fill up, but still you have to purchase the machine.
What is wrong with a simple coffee plunger? I love mine.
Gav x
I saw this and thought I would share it. peak oil and peak prices for food. I am so glad we bought a house with a largish garden. Yes the house isn’t stylish and there isn’t a straight wall in the place, but I have just wandered in with thunder and lightning over head (no rain), from my 2nd hand green house laden down with cucumbers. grown in our own garden. for free. I am hoping to barter with a lady at work with chickens. for 6 eggs! lol
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jul/21/philip-clarke-tesco-farmers-interview-jay-rayner
I am hoping at some point our garden looks a little like yours. one cucumber at a time! lol
I love my rice cooker. we don’t have many gadgets my kitchen is still 1930s in size. I have to open the cupboard opposite to push the door of the dishwasher down! ho hum.
do you use coffee grinds on your garden? I have found a coffee shop that will let me take 2 buckets a week away. is this of use to me?
Hi Sol, yes used coffee grounds are great in the garden. Best processed via a worm farm first though, although some plants (acid loving) can tolerate it better than others. Check out this post for more info about my addiction to coffee grounds https://www.greeningofgavin.com/2012/01/coffee-addiction.html
Gav x
Thanks! I have a worm farm on my list as a possible present for all my family to club together to buy me! I worry they wont get it as they don’t think of it as a ‘real’ present.
I know it’s a little stretch from the discussion of kitchen appliances (though I do totally agree with the comment regarding coffee pods; ordinary coffee and needless packaging!) but the thing that really gets me are those leaf blowers. I frequently see people blowing leaves away on windy days that just blow back in minutes. This is a great example where we’ve been sold an image of ‘convenience’ but actually have to do more work. A rake and shovel is at least as easy and doesn’t consume petrol. Who knows maybe the leaves could then be used on the garden rather than washed into the stormwater next time it rains.
Nice one Paul. Add leaf blowers to the list! My trusty leaf rack is just the best tool, and light on the back as well!
Gav
Not exactly on topic but I saw something very curious indeed yesterday. An old fellow raking the leaves OFF of his garden then bagging them up and putting them in the bin. He preferred the exposed-topsoil look, it seemed. Isn’t that just madness? I wonder if he does the same in summer, when the mulch is well and truly doing its thing – keeping the moisture in.
And why did he do it? So his garden looked as sharp as a tack; clinically so.
I recently hand reamed 30kgs of oranges for bottling. It probably took a little longer but then again. I would have had to peel all the oranges and then halve or quarter for an electronic juicer whereas the hand reamer means I halved each orange and had the skins remaining. Cleaning up took a mere minute, including wiping down the bench and washing to chopping board and knife.
One appliance we have which mostly I appreciate is our dishwasher. It is more economical on water (I believe) and does save time but then again, hand washing the dishes, staring out across the hill and admiring all the hard work we’ve put into our garden is satisfying and pleasant, something I miss with loading the dishwasher. And inevitably, I still need to hand wash some of the dishes anyway.
Yes but you do have your Thermomix which i am lusting over.
Good one Jessie, that is a mass of juice! I salute you.
Gav x
When juicing 5o Limes for freezing the juicer attachment is a must but a single Lime needs only a hand juicer and not even that just cut in half and build your muscles.
Fully in agreement with Paul on leaf blowers. It is just as fast with a rake and you get some exercise.
Lyn is right we all need to think carefully when acquiring gear and I agree with Clare on coffee ‘pod’ machines, although we have a espresso coffee machine which we can’t live without. Is it that we have to be frugal with our sins?
I’m an atheist when it comes to ‘peak oil’. What looked a certainty in the 1990’s fell apart when the price rose. As the price went up all sorts of unobtainable sources become viable such as tar sands in Canada and deep drilling. That is not to say that I’m advocating either consumption or risky exploitation. We still need to move away from oil and coal but not because we think we may run out. Finding better, safer and cleaner sources of energy is still the priority just as is minimising our footprint in terms of the gadgets we acquire.
Finally with so much to do when you try to be self sufficient there is that complex balance between getting it all done and the type of tools needed. We have been trying to address this and made some poor acquisition decisions before finding a better way. All we can do is learn from our mistakes.
Gavin, you raised a good issue.
Cheers. You make a good point about finding a balance. I do the same with power tools. Only buy stuff that will last the distance.
Gav
It’s a lot easier to think of examples to fit your first question than your second. The only things I can think of are the heating appliances – stovetop, oven, kettle and microwave. When the alternative is lighting a fire with wood, charcoal or coal, I’m pretty sure, after you consider the effort that goes into obtaining the fuel, and once most of the heat is lost to the environment, that the appliance is more efficient.
True Steph, but you know what they say about heating with wood. It heats you twice. Once when chopping it, and again when you burn it. Good value if you can find a truly sustainable source.
Gav x
feither to the wood thingy. I moved up to Kalorama on Mt Dandenong almost 3 years ago
I have a slow combustion wood heater that I have used each winter I have been here
I source all the firewood free of charge.collected mainly from green waste collections and when friends tell me about wood in nature strips. I pile it all in the car boot and stash in on my block. I only burn logs and branches not things like fence palings
I don t even know if the ducted heating here works. though it was one ‘gadget’ I strongly enjoyed when living in middle suburbia
Claire in Kalorama
Well done Claire. Collecting wood that would otherwise go to waste is an excellent second use. Most of that sort of stuff goes into landfill.
Gav x
Recently we needed to buy a new kettle – the old Breville carked it. We bought a stove top one. I love it.
– It takes the same amount of time if not less to boil.
– It uses less electricity – our stove top is much more energy efficient than the element in an electric kettle.
– It has few moving parts, therefore, is less likely to break. Plus no electrical bits to break.
– The whistle – oh how I love it – reminds me of my grandma’s place when I was a little boy.
Hi Pavel – Nice blog by the way. I too love our stovetop kettle. It is so refreshing to hear the whistle instead of the dull thud of the electric kettle switch. It has a touch of nostalgia to it!
Gav
I have a cold press juicer which is invaluable (to me) for making really fresh smoothies from spinach, kale, cukes, mangoes, tomatoes, blueberries etc., I don’t see myself getting tired of it anytime soon and clean up is a breeze. I have also been guilty of buying an ‘ice cream maker’ which sits gathering dust in my closet. A friend recently told me you can make fresh ice cream via plastic sandwich bags which I think I will also pass on.