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   Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Tuesday, 11-Feb-2025 19:55:50 JST Stephen Farrugia

   Video Dispatch #9: Mechanism Lust

   How it works is not what it is for

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bwuE6EvOs4

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     Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Tuesday, 11-Feb-2025 19:55:49 JST Stephen Farrugia

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     A mechanism which delivers its function perfectly can seem more powerful than it actually is. Its origin purpose is seen as one of many possible purposes because we hold the mechanism higher than it deserves to be.
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     Rich Felker repeated this.
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     Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Tuesday, 11-Feb-2025 19:55:49 JST Stephen Farrugia

     in reply to

     When criticism of a product's usefulness is challenged with "you don't understand how it works" that person is assuming the skill and energy that went into making the mechanism comes out of it as usefulness.
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     Stephen Farrugia (fasterandworse@hci.social)'s status on Tuesday, 11-Feb-2025 19:55:50 JST Stephen Farrugia

     in reply to

     The gist: Elegant mechanisms tend to mislead us into believing they are more useful than the purpose that necessitated their invention. This can create entire industries based on anticipated potential that just isn't there.
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