The Modern Luddite

Wellcome luddites

The Modern Luddite — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:01:51 +0000

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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Make your own food part one - bread

The Modern Luddite — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:14:33 +0000

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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Cheap household cleaning products

The Modern Luddite — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:04:18 +0000

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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Ridiculously efficient refrigeration

The Modern Luddite — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:02:01 +0000

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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Community orchards are great

The Modern Luddite — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:30:13 +0000

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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Opting out of the money economy

The Modern Luddite — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 16:22:52 +0000

Some interesting thoughts about opting out of the money economy, courtesy of WiseBread.

The money economy? Yep, there are other types. Bartering, the “gift economy”, and more. Not for everyone, but definitely some interesting tips, and thought-provoking writing.

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Virgin train toilets going down the pan

The Modern Luddite — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:40:42 +0000

This blog is about practical tips and personal stories on living with a reduced reliance on expensive and time-wasting technology. It’s not generally a place for comment and opinion. However a couple of days ago, I spotted a brief “news” story from which I think we can all learn a small but valuable lesson. According to London’s Metro “paper” (it’s not really a “newspaper”, more a collection of adverts peppered with tiny articles):

“Virgin Rail is to refit all toilets on its £600million fleet of super trains - because passengers keep getting locked in… Many passengers have had strangers walk in on them after failing to lock the doors properly. A Virgin spokesman said: ‘We are looking at a refit of signage and buttons.’”

Now just hang on a second. I’m sure most people reading this will have experience of train toilets. They fall into two categories: (1) those with a simple mechanical lock on the door that everyone can understand and use; and (2) those with a ludicrous system of levers and buttons that nobody understands, and with a sliding door that takes forever to close, leaving you blinking sheepishly at people seated outside as you wait to be sealed in.

How on Earth can there possibly be a reason to design, build and install toilet doors that nobody understands? How can people seriously think that “refitting the signage” will help? The solution to this non-problem is to take the Luddite approach: put the fancy, expensive gizmos in the bin, and use a sliding bolt like everyone else.

Virgin Trains clearly need to get in touch with their inner Modern Luddite. Bless.

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Television, drug of the nation

The Modern Luddite — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:47:54 +0000

Why don’t you just switch off your TV set and go out and do something less boring instead? Sound advice from a hideous, erm, TV show of the seventies. Lord knows the average number of hours people sit in front of the TV, developing back-aches and mushy brains. The question is, do you really need that TV time? What does it do for you? Does it actually, genuinely entertain you? Does it really help you relax? Probably not as much as reading a book, or trying 15 minutes of meditation, or phoning a friend, or writing a letter to your gran, or learning a musical instrument, or going OUTSIDE, or…. anything!

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The latte factor

The Modern Luddite — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:38:42 +0000

The “latte factor” refers to the cumulative cost of purchasing coffee from high-street vendors. Every morning you visit Pret, Starbucks, or Costa for your tall-skinny-mocha-frappucino, you fork out a little. Maybe £1 or £2, maybe more? But if you’re like me, that’s every morning, and quite often at lunch time as well. So maybe that’s £4 per day. And that’s £20 per week, if you only do it on weekdays! Of course it doesn’t stop there. Think of the amount you spend on sandwiches at lunchtime. Maybe another £5 per day? On top of that coffee, that’s going to add up to £40-£50 per week! That’s a silly amount of cash, and that’s the latte factor. So how can you reduce it?

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Microwave ovens: good or bad?

The Modern Luddite — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 01:14:17 +0000

I’ve often wondered what is the most efficient way of heating up food, microwave or conventional oven? And what about heating water, which is most efficient: microwave; electric kettle; or stove? Which uses the least power, and hence saves the most cash?

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