I am reading “Simplexity,” the 2008 book by J. Kluger. He writes:"Electronic devices … have gone mad.
Without the benefit of the examples, this does not ring true to me. Devices get more complex, internally; but, I do not see device interfaces getting more complex. Even over a decade ago, people used to be befuddled about setting their VCRs to tape a show.
Consider old point-and-shoot cameras. They had a very basic fixed-focus and little control of aperture. Most people bought more complex SLRs when they could afford it. Then, as more complexity was automated, point-and-shoots are back with a vengeance, producing very good photos, while being very simple to use. With a phone camera, you can shoot, and email, and post to an album without even remembering where you kept that damn cord.
Navigating a file-directory, renaming files, and so on was far more complicated in DOS than in early Windows. Now, with drag-and-drop, it is simpler than ever.
Perhaps some exmples from the author would clarify the types of things he is looking at.
What he does not analyze, at least in the chapter I am reading, is the effect all this may have on the minds of our push-button youngsters.
I think it is a feature of every generation to think the next generation is not being exposed to all sorts of knowledge. There was a time when 80% of the population knew all sorts about farming; today, that’s a tiny percentage. A vast majority of people today do not know how to sew. Forget needle and thread, they have never even used an electric sewing machine! How many westerners have driven a (more complex) manual-transmission vehicle?
Yes, there is value in knowing these things. It grounds other, more abstract, knowledge. It is analogous to tying concepts back to reality. For instance, in our area, middle-schoolers do a shop class where they learn to make some simple things. Something along those lines would be a good lesson. We ought to select a few good examples and teach those to kids. At the same time, we do not want kids to waste their time learning all the things our great-grandparents knew.
Added: People who are specializing in some field, ought to learn more of its history than generalists. So, for instance, a carpenter who uses only electric drills may not need to learn about manual drills, but he may benefit from some other techniques used by a previous generation of carpenters. The same is true in almost every field.
Finally, it is sometimes appropriate to seek out texture (call it complexity) and manual-work as entertainment. Someone might do something “by hand” for the fun of it. For instance, someone might get fun from buying lumber, sawing it down, drawing out plans, et. to build a fence even though you can get them pre-assembled from Home-Depot — often cheaper than you could do it yourself.