The Modern Luddite

This website will document my adventures as I endeavour to reduce my dependency on technology. For a little more information, try reading about the Modern Luddite. All the information on this site is organised in the following categories:

• clothing
• communication
• entertainment
• exercise
• food and drink
• grooming (you know, washing and stuff)
• house and home
• transport
• website (announcements about the site)
• and uncategorised for anything that doesn’t fit in any of the above.

There are two more categories under which most articles will also be filed:

• tried and trusted for strategies that I have actually adopted, and
• untested for things I have yet to try.

You should see some of these on the right of the screen too. If a category doesn’t appear on the right then I haven’t written anything in it yet; why not get in touch and let me know your own tips? At the time of writing, there’s very little in any of them, so try coming back later. Thanks!

This front page will always contain the latest articles, which you should be able to read below. For other articles, check the category list. Each article is given a rating out of 10, its "freedom factor". This rates how much the article will help free you from the shackles of time-consuming and money-wasting technology. Of course it’s all subjective, so if you disagree, write a comment. Also remember that a "freedom factor" of "10 out of 10" would probably entail living in a cave and eating nothing but grass, so nothing here is likely to qualify for such a high score. Or maybe it will? The "freedom factors" will appear on the right too. As with the categories, only "freedom factors" that have supporting articles will be listed.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Sleep and Dreaming exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. After checking out the exhibition, we took the opportunity to explore the rest of the Collection. Up a spiral staircase we went, tucked into a corner in the Sleep exhibition, and discovered the Medicine Now exhibition, where artists have created works with inspiration from medical concepts. A fair amount of interactivity is encouraged, so you can scribble on postcards which are pinned to the wall. All lovely stuff.

Midway through the room is a cabinet that I found intriguing. The cabinet contained, among other things, a hedge-trimmer and a TV showing some sort of informercial for exercise bikes. It’s an hilarious juxtaposition, illustrating the bizarre problem many people in the western world face: we invest in labour-saving gadgets, only to find ourselves getting out of
shape from lack of exercise. And so we have to pony up extra cash for a gym membership. What a waste of time and money! My daily journey into work takes the same amount of time by bike as it does by the Underground.

There are so many ways that being a modern luddite can save time and money by shunning labour-saving devices and getting things done using a little muscle-power. For instance, if I cycled to and from work every day, my bike would pay for itself in saved tube fares within a few months - even sooner if I’d chosen a cheaper bike! Plus I’d benefit from the exercise - provided I avoid all the maniacal drivers.

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It’s almost a shame that this blog doesn’t have a slightly broader scope; maybe “how granny used to do it” or something. Maybe that would attract the wrong crowd, though. Anyway, there’s something truly Luddite-ish about this particular article, and it’s thoroughly practical and healthy with it. So even if it doesn’t save money or time, and consequently can’t really score very high here, it definitely captures the mood of the blog.
A little something came to my attention a while ago regarding bread. Have you heard of the Chorleywood Bread Process? It was developed in 1961 as a way of making use of British-grown grain, which had a lower protein content than imported grain. The short version of the story is that by judicious application of high-speed mechanical mixers, and the addition of more fat and salt, the fermentation process was greatly reduced, allowing for rapid production of bread. Unfortunately this bread had more fat and salt, and less protein and flavour, than bread made by previous processes.

So it’s a little surprising (or is it?) to find that bread made by the Chorleywood process accounts for approximately 80% of the bread in the UK.

I was checking out one of my favourite clothing companies, Howies, when I had a look at their Doh Boy doll. And there, tucked away, is a wonderfully simple recipe describing how to make your own bread. Now, there are such things as bread-making machines, and they’re probably no bad thing. But this particular recipe is about kneading and bashing a big lump floured dough that you make with your own hands.

Delicious.

There’s a lot to be said for the Slow Food Movement.

Incidentally, I’m thinking of writing more about making and growing your own food. My cooking is basic at the best of times, so I’ll have to hunt around for inspiration. Feel free to leave a comment with suggestions.

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Over at The Good Human there’s a post listing some cheap alternatives to standard cleaning products that you’d use around the home. They’ve got all the usual chores covered, from cleaning the oven and the fridge, to polishing wood floors and unblocking the bath plug.

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A long time ago, a friend of mine emailed me about a chap in Australia who started wondering why all domestic refrigerators are vertically constructed. You may have spotted the obvious side-effect of this design if you’ve ever opened the fridge while in bare feet: all the cold air falls out. Consequently the fridge fills up with warm air, which it has to cool again when the door is closed. This wastes plenty of electricity.

So this clever chap decided to buy an old chest freezer, and convert it into a refrigerator. Chest freezers have the door mounted in the top, so when opened, the cold air inside remains relatively undisturbed. He was amazed at the reduction in energy consumption; it dropped from approximately 1 kilo-Watt hour per day to nearly 0.1 kWh per day. That’s a 90% reduction in energy - and expense.

He’s even offering the service to people in Australia if they don’t feel they could do the handiwork themselves.

Even if this doesn’t directly loosen the shackles of technological dependence, it certainly makes them a lot more comfortable.

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A friend recently took me to Springfield Park community orchard in Hackney, London. What a great place! The gates are left unlocked, and anyone can pop in to tend the trees or pick apples. There are plenty of other community orchards around the country; try this Google search of all council and local Government websites for community orchards. There are plenty throughout the country.
Hacking down weeds and walking home with a bag of apples is a great way to get some fresh air. If you have children, they may just enjoy it too.

Some photos of the Springfield Park orchard:

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