I read a post about redundancy in modern electronics, and it made me think about a few things mechanical ...
I'm an old-fashioned engineer. We're well known (and often laughed at) for "approximating", sense-checking answers, and being cautious. Ever wondered why? Slide rules. No calculators, no computers, and we still designed skyscrapers, and bridges, and much of the built environment you see around you. Using slide rules. I still have mine, a Faber Castell Electro 111/98
I'm also a woodworker. You won't see me giving up my hand tools any time soon. even though I have power tools that will do the same job (sort of ... woodworkers will get this!) in a fraction of the time.
There is a real danger here. We're so reliant on electronics - and hence the makers - that if we don't have access to this, we will really struggle to craft the things we require in our daily lives.
I'm a retired computer programmer (and before that I was a carpenter, joiner and cabinet maker). I agree, Unless I'm in a hurry, I often prefer to plane timber down with a jack plane rather than pushing it through the planer thicknesser. Most crosscuts I'll do with a sharp handsaw rather than using a pull-over crosscut power saw.
