Hand work

Is there anything more basic to human beings than the pleasure they receive from working with their hands--and here we are not referring to text-messaging, but to basic mechanical processes, that is, doing things without electrical power or batteries.

Woodworking - (Weekend Edition Sunday, 1/6/02 - 2:54) · "Essayist Tim Brookes experiences a flashback to his youth while working with a piece of fine wood."

Manual typewriters. Start with these two pieces: "QWERTY Love: Typewriters Endure In A Digital Age" (2 March 2009) and "Click, Clack, Ding! A Look Back at the Typewriter" (17 August 2007). Then, if you want, there this piece on the closing of the last factory (26 April 2011) in the world making manual typewriters, this series of photos of these great machine, and, finally, a brief article on a possble connection between manual typewriters and writing.

Baking by Senses and Memories. (Morning Edition, 11/20/06 - 4:18) · “I believe baking is the best way for me to express love for my people in the present, and honor the people of my past, all in one batch.” Doing Things the Slow Way (9/23/2011) - "As Leah Oilan] began baking challah from her grandmother's recipe, Leah Ollman learned that bread-making can’t be rushed. She says her weekly ritual has become a time dense with consciousness, and an act of resistance against a culture of hurry-up convenience."

Musings

1. Here is a series of short pieces linked by a common concern: the value of doing work the old-fashioned way, that is, by hand. Which of the pieces do you find most interesting and why?
2. Describe a mechanical tool (that is, a tool that works without electricity or batteries) you have used, or perhaps still use. Do others still use this tool? Why? Why not? Don't overlook such simple tools as a pencil, a hammer, a basketball, or a bicycle, and even something as fancy as a stove or oven (a gas one) or outdoor smoker.
3. Describe an activity you enjoy doing where you get your hands dirty.
4. Have a knack for comedy? If so you might want to take a different approach and describe some new, highfalutin gadget (mechanical or electronic) that, despite all the hype, you find (perhaps with a little exaggeration) vastly over-rated, if not totally worthless. Need an idea: Just look at all the unused stuff in a typical garage! Need another idea, here's an web site, AsSeenOnTv.com that helps you find every valuable (or worthless) gadget you have seen advertised on late-night TV.