[Themaintainers] Question from a journalist

Fri Apr 19 14:08:20 EDT 2019

A related idea would be about how replication studies are neglected in the
sciences and social sciences because new findings are more exciting.

On Fri, Apr 19, 2019 at 10:32 AM Evan Hepler-Smith <
evan.heplersmith at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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*______________________________*
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Doctoral alumna
UCLA Department of Urban Planning
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