[Themaintainers] Question from a journalist

[Evan Hepler-Smith]

Dear Lynn and all,

On your broader topic of the value of repetition rather than maintenance
specifically, worth checking out Winnie Wong,
<https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/V/bo15260849.html>*Van
Gogh on Demand: China and the Readymade
<https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/V/bo15260849.html>. *Pretty
cool treatment of the "factory imaginary" that both sets up novelty >
repetition hierarchy and situates certain kinds of work as low-status
repetition. It's nice because it digs into both of these processes: (1) how
work that might well be considered creative & novel or mechanical &
repetitive gets slotted into one category or the other, and (2) how this
opposition of creative & novel (more privileged) / mechanical & repetitive
(less privileged) gets established and reinforced and contested.

Evan


On Fri, Apr 19, 2019 at 9:21 AM Aaron Alcorn <AaronA at livingcomputers.org>
wrote:

> Hey Lynn,
>
>
>
> I was recently talking about a phenomenon known as solder migration with a
> computer engineer. In essence, repetitive use of computer equipment causes
> the metal in solder to ionize and migrate on circuitry, leading to system
> failure. It’s a years’ long process, but it is a real problem for legacy
> systems.
>
>
>
> I am happy to connect off-list to make the introduction if you think it
> would be helpful.
>
>
>
> --Aaron
>
>
>
>
>
> Aaron Alcorn, Ph.D.
>
> Curator | Living Computers: Museum + Labs
>
> D  206.342.2157
>
> M 206.247.0153
>
>
>
> www.livingcomputers.org <http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* themaintainers-bounces at lists.stevens.edu <
> themaintainers-bounces at lists.stevens.edu> *On Behalf Of *Lee Vinsel
> *Sent:* Friday, April 19, 2019 8:20 AM
> *To:* Lynn Berger <lynn at decorrespondent.nl>
> *Cc:* Themaintainers <themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [Themaintainers] Question from a journalist
>
>
>
> Hi, Lynn!!
>
>
>
> I'm sure others will have other examples, including examples that should
> be coming to my mind (it's Friday!), but what first comes to me are some
> examples that David Edgerton highlights in Shock of the Old of bicycle and
> radio repair sectors in, I think, Japan leading to the birth of new
> (innovative) industries there, including the much larger electronics
> industry. My copy of Shock is at home rather than here at my office, but I
> can get you a citation if needed.
>
>
>
> I'm very interested generally in repetition, or how I think about and
> teach it more often as . . .  human habit . . . as well as organizational
> routines. Both habits and routines are central to the
> history/sociology/economics of maintenance, I think.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Lee
>
>
>
> On Fri, Apr 19, 2019 at 5:25 AM Lynn Berger <lynn at decorrespondent.nl>
> wrote:
>
> Hello Maintainers!
>
>
>
> Short version: I'm a journalist working on a story about the value of
> repetition and why we usually overlook it because we're more interested in
> novelty. I draw a parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to
> maintenance and want to point out that this is silly, not least because
> maintenance is often a condition for innovation. And now I'm wondering: do
> the people on this list have some examples of when maintenance work led to
> new insights that led to innovation?
>
>
>
> Slightly longer version:
>
> My name is Lynn Berger and I've been on this list for some time. I have a
> PhD in communications from Columbia University (I studied 19th century
> photography and the law) but for the last six years I've been working as a
> journalist at De Correspondent, an online journalism platform based in
> Amsterdam. I cover technology and culture there; a few years ago I wrote a
> piece about the rediscovery of maintenance, with pride of place for the
> maintainers. (Those who read Dutch can find it here
> <https://decorrespondent.nl/6816/he-innovators-gamechangers-en-disrupters-vergeten-jullie-het-onderhoud-niet/227102304-f476506a>,
> and a short followup I wrote on repair, here
> <https://decorrespondent.nl/7414/waarom-het-recht-op-repareren-ons-allemaal-aangaat/247027066-a9e9bbdc>
> .)
>
>
>
> Currently I'm working on a story about the value of repetition and how we
> tend to overlook it because we're more interested in novelty. I draw a
> parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to maintenance and want to
> point out that this is missing the point, not least because maintenance is
> often a condition for innovation.
>
>
>
> And now I'm wondering: do the people on this list have some examples of
> when maintenance work led to new insights that led to innovation?
>
>
>
> I'd be grateful for a few good and concrete examples. And for your time,
> of course!
>
>
>
> Thank you in advance and keep up the good work (!)
>
> Lynn.
>
>
>
> Lynn Berger
>
> De Correspondent <http://www.decorrespondent.nl/lynnberger>
>
> Barentzplein 7BG
>
> 1013 NJ Amsterdam
>
> @LynnBerger1984 <https://twitter.com/LynnBerger1984>
>
> 06 24102193
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> --
>
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Science, Technology, and Society
>
> Virginia Tech
>
> leevinsel.com
> Twitter: @STS_News
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-- 
Evan Hepler-Smith
evan.heplersmith at gmail.com
339.203.1096
evanheplersmith.com
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