Roadcarvin

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Magazine Sections
      • The Front Page
      • Blogs
      • Events
      • News and reviews
      • Photography Equipment
      • Photos - All-time popular
      • Photos - Latest additions
      • Photos - Recent popular
      • Recent popular pages
      • What's New
    • All-Time Popular Content
    • Recent Additions
    • Recent Popular Content
  • Motorcycle Equipment
    • Motorcycle Equipment Reviews and News
  • Photo Gallery
    • Browse the Photo Gallery
    • All-time popular photos
    • Recent additions
    • Recent popular photos
  • Polls
    • Roadcarvin Magazine Polls
  • Roadcarvin
    • Contact Us
    • Site map
    • About Roadcarvin Magazine
      • About us
      • Advertise on Roadcarvin
      • Photo Hot Linking Guide
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
Home blogs Michael Curry's blog

Create and be happy

This article on The New Atlantis website talks about the loss of craftsmanship, and what it means to work with your hands (as, for instance, when you build something, repair a motorcycle, etc.) and produce something tangible vs. the more typical, 'information economy' intangible stuff such as software.

Given the intrinsic richness of manual work, cognitively, socially, and in its broader psychic appeal, the question becomes why it has suffered such a devaluation in recent years as a component of education. The economic rationale so often offered, namely that manual work is somehow going to disappear, is questionable if not preposterous, so it is in the murky realm of culture that we must look to understand these things. To this end, perhaps we need to consider the origins of shop class, so that we can better understand its demise.

Advertisements - Story Continues Below

Roadcarvin.com does not review or endorse the advertisers appearing above.

I know that in my software development career spanning almost 30 years, I've observed a definite absence of the kind of satisfaction I get when I restore or repair a motorcycle or car. I can point to the newly-restored car or motorcycle, and say "I made that" or "I did that" - and most people can take it in and appreciate it. Over the years, producing software for various markets and purposes, the nearest I've come to feeling that kind of satisfaction is when I worked at Electronic Arts and developed consumer games - people knew what you were talking about - but the satisfaction was not as deep for me, because: a car or motorcycle, being a tangible object, has intrinsic value - whereas software does not - it needs to have a computer to run on, and its useful lifetime is typically short (often less than five years). Most non-techies can't really appreciate it.

Link: http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/13/crawford.htm

Author: Michael Curry /// submitted on December 16, 2006 - 10:09am.
Filed Under
  • craftsmanship
  • Links
  • mental health
  • repair
  • Michael Curry's blog

Current Poll

Recent Comments

way to go harley you… I am not agree with you... I… Buell Motorcycles.… May be the biggest flop in… I'm just no fan of it, no… New 2011 Vivid Black FXDWG… trade in…

About the author

Michael Curry's picture

Author Name
Michael Curry

Author Bio

Michael has been riding street motorcycles since 1975. He's owned and ridden everything from Hondas to Harleys with a preference for spirited sport-touring riding.

Michael is a Roadcarvin.com co-founder and serves as chief editor, scribe, staff photographer, and other things.

View full user profile

Feeds and Subscriptions

Syndicate content
more

Featured Photo

BUB Streamliner Nose

Nose of the record setting Bub Streamliner motocycle.

Latest Photo

2011 IMS - Harley Girls
Harley-Davison girls at the 2011 IMS show in San Mateo, California.

Subscribe by e-mail

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Add to Google
Locations of visitors to this page

What's New

Our latest articles

2011 IMS - Harley Girls

2011-2012 International Motorcycle Show Schedule

The Progressive International Motorcycle Shows kicks off the season this weekend in San Mateo, California November 18th - 20th.

Read the rest »
CargoLoc 84060 Motorcycle/ATV Cargo Net 15 inch by 15 inch by 6 hooks

Must-have gear: Bungee cargo net with adjustable ABS plastic hooks

I've used these on my bikes for years. I keep a couple under the seat, in the storage compartment of the rear cowl.

Most cheap ...

Read the rest »
Captain America - 1942 Harley Davidson WLA Liberator

Captain America Rides A 1942 Harley Davidson WLA Liberator

TWO AMERICAN ICONS REUNITE TO SALUTE THE FORCES OF GOOD Harley-Davidson® and Marvel Studio’s Captain America Join Forces to Defend Freedom

On July 22, Marvel Studios releases ...

Read the rest »
More new stuff »

Popular Articles

What other people are reading right now

Harley-Davidson V-Rod VRXSE - front

Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson

Buddy Stubbs opened his dealership in 1966 after he retired from a motorcycle racing and stunt career - Buddy did stunt work in the the 1973 Movie Electa Glide in Blue.

This is the dealership's third location and the new facility is almost 48,000 square feet, including a motorcycle museum ...

Read the rest »
2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide - Big Sur - Front

2009 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide - First Ride

The 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, part of the 2009 Harley-Davidson Touring lineup is new from the ground up.

This lean and mean bagger features a lowered rear suspension and a smoked mini-wind screen. There are attractive styling features on the Street Glide, and the Black Pearl bike I rode ...

Read the rest »
2009 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide - Highway One Cruise

2010 Harley-Davidson Model Information - Rumors and Gossip

2011 Models Announced

7/27/2010 update: H-D announces three new models for 2011.

It's that time of year again: collecting the latest information about the upcoming 2010 Harley-Davidson models.

7/25/2009 update: H-D announces 9 new models for 2010.

Read the rest »
More popular articles »
Many photos on this site were taken with a Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 50D, or other other Canon digital cameras.

Site Map

Use (accessing site content) indicates acceptance of our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use - Roadcarvin Info and Credits

Roadcarvin™ Magazine Contents Copyright © 2005-2013 Michael Curry's Exodus Development, and 3D Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication or reproduction prohibited.