https://www.ifixit.com/News/58782/cables-pandemic-love-story
"These last two years made me appreciate some nearly forgotten things. Long dog
walks, board game night, reading an actual book: all pleasant rediscoveries in
rough times. Maybe the most significant re-acquaintance is something that never
should have gone away: wires.
I’d convinced myself over the past few years that wires were on the wane. I was
a willing booster of the wavelength-industrial complex. I’d buy a wireless
doorbell and congratulate myself on upgrading my home. I’d daydream about a
living room full of built-in, subtle wireless chargers.
One day, during the early pandemic, I walked past some lost or tossed AirPods
on the sidewalk. I pondered them for a couple of minutes, while my dog pondered
me. I know that true wireless headphones are mostly eco/repair nightmares.
Still, I considered my own Bluetooth buds, the kind with a wire between the
earpieces. Didn’t I deserve a no-cord future? (After all, you can swap AirPods
now, right?)
But I was wrong. Headphone cables, like too many useful cables, have been
unfairly maligned. Capitalism’s quest to fit a circuit board, battery, and
wireless chip into every conceivable durable good has blinded us to the
intrinsic value of certain things having fast, reliable connections that
require no charging, pairing, or shielding from interference.
Allow me to name and praise a few cables, these physical connections to which
I’ve become closer these past two years."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Steven Vaughan-Nichols wrote "I wish I’d written this."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
