The Problem With DIY Videos

The phenomenon of shared information dates back as far as communication. But the problem is that the dawn of time involved humans who A) Had something to say. B) Had already determined the value of their information because there was no one to share it with for months or years.

Today is an era of instant information and that has several drawbacks, the chief one being that the information has not been tested and has no follow-up and has no spirit of scientific approach attached to it. The second big drawback is that everyone wants something that will increase their quality of life but there is no such thing and they already know it. Nicaraguan coffee country involves a mud house with mud walls and a cotton hammock and no light, Cows, fireflies, chickens, pigs, corn, beans, milk. Their quality of life was fucking fantastic. Nothing could improve their quality of life beside some medicine for fever. No DIY video would make any sense to them because it was all additional complications and effort to create something that would require more maintenance and resources. A poor person needs a truck, right? Well, give a poor person a truck and they will eventually sell it to pay for the gasoline. Then they are left with gasoline and no truck. No, humanity needs less, fewer, simpler things. You want a hot shower? You want air conditioning on your aircraft carrier? You want 3D movies with buttered popcorn and self-serve soda fountains and reclining chairs? These things are not designed to make you happy. I have seen the alternative and I've seen the path of materialism and I know the results. We're deluding ourselves with excessive inventions, complicating our lives with digital eco-spheres, digi-spheres, to maintain, investing time in virtual creations that increase our quality of life for about 20 seconds before the same dull discontent returns. DDIY should stand for Don't Do It Yourself. As in, Stop! Don't invent any more shit. We have invented some crazy crap and none of it helps anything we're only burying ourselves in our own waste and destroying defenseless nations for their resources to fuel our useless contraptions. Don't Do It Yourself. GBOLYDF. Get By On Less, You Discontented Fuck.

For more lecturing, read on.

Ramblings of Old Man

Here's some unformed thoughts as I approach the midway point of re-roofing a neglected garage. Again, do not take my advice on any kind of construction project. There is some reward in attempting this kind of home maintenance but the minutiae of modern products and the disparity of opinions makes for a painful entrance into trade work like carpentry and roofing and electrical. The specialized skills and finesse and tools are gained over decades, not by watching ten minute videos. But the same disparity in approach makes it easier to simply attempt it oneself. I could re-roof this garage 3 times wrong and one time right and still save money over paying a contractor to do it. So, the effort is barely within the realm of my muscles and back so why not attempt it? It's not a failure to call someone more experienced but paying someone else definitely doesn't mean you will get a good product well assembled. It only means you can blame someone else. Home maintenance was once straight forward, maybe not easy, but straight forward. Now it involves major research and experience. But there is a process to home repair and maybe that's what I'm aiming at. Find a problem, research the problem and possible solutions. Assemble tools and material and attempt a repair. It's all scientific method....theory and hypothesis and experiment.