sunset's gemlog

Trying to do more with less

There was a time where I obsessively followed roadmaps, extrapolated SPEC results, and tried to get my hands on the latest electronic toys (or even pre-release samples of them.) There's a certain appeal, after all, to "this is the latest and best" - CPUs, phones, core IP, laptops, whatever.

Capital likes to see this. They also put significant effort into making it seem "clean" - that the resource extraction, labor exploitation, and e-waste dumping are distant and easy to ignore. The tame tech media often participates in this. In late November, workers at Hon Hai's plant in Shenzhen - who, due to the PRC's harsh zero-COVID policies, are required to live at their jobsite - protested against living and working conditions, including a COVID outbreak inside of the bubble. The protest was violently put down by police. The tech media duly noted it, but only for a moment - soon it was forgotten, and a return to breathless speculation about Apple's incoming AR/VR headset and the performance characteristics of the M2 Max resumed.

This is, of course, not unique to Apple - though I think they deserve a degree of the blame for smartphones (and perhaps computers in general) becoming a status symbol in need of constant churn. The problem, however, applies to the whole industry, and to the larger culture the industry has a symbiotic relationship with. We've collectively decided that buying new high-integration, high-ecological-impact, electronics every year or every two years is fine and good, as long as we don't actually have to bear (or even see) the consequences.

With that in mind, and with some self-reflection, I've decided I'm going to do my best to follow three rules going forward.

Don't Buy Stuff

I'm going to try to reflect very carefully on the question of "do I need this?" before buying any electronics. "But it has a better camera" or "it's 20% faster than last year" don't count. "It has massive energy reduction" might - but frankly, efficiency improvements have been largely erased by the irresistable march of Wirth's Law anyway. A PC that consumed a loaded 250W seven years ago likely has been replaced by a PC that consumes a similar amount today - but is nominally faster, but in ways that provide limited noticeable difference to the user. Improvements in lithography and microarchitecture are systematically wiped away by regressions in software.

Buy As Little As Possible

I'm going to try to buy things that are upgradeable, not things that will go in the bin in three years. I love that my Framework will get upgrades - though I see no need to for ADL or MTL - with no chassis swap. I also love that I can keep running the old board. Electronics that are glued-together, heavily integrated, and have a finite lifespan end up as e-waste.

Buy Secondhand (and Share)

Buying what exists - even though it creates a little bit of value that incentivizes buying new - is better than creating demand for new things. Letting things be used after they're no longer "commercially competitive" is a good thing. Sharing alike, in a spirit of conviviality, helps.