Analog vs. digital? Try manual vs. automatic!

No, I’m not talking about vehicle transmissions.

For me this started years ago when I met someone, a very noble person, who told me that she washes all her clothing by hand.  She is one of the closest beings to an angel whom I’ve ever met and her telling me that made a strong impression on me.

Not long afterwards I began to wash some of my clothes by hand and eventually arrived at the point where I wash everything by hand except for undergarments which I like to take to wash & fold to have them extra clean.  The type of handwash laundry soap I use is gentle but too gentle for undergarments.

This was a step I had taken towards going manual.  Riding a bicycle is also a major step towards going manual.  I believe that going manual is beneficial for a person and definitely for Earth.

Sometimes one hears about the distinction between digital vs. analog, often in the context that analog is superior to digital.  But I want to say that a more important distinction is between automatic vs. manual.  Everything one can do to go manual in their life is a benefit.

I’m writing this post today because I’m excited about another progression in the manual direction that recently happened: a really cool wind-up head lamp.  Basically its a headlamp similar to kind that one takes camping or keeps for emergencies except that it has a crank that charges it.  It only cost about $10 and is very well-made.  It feels solid and the surface has a kind of high-quality rubbery texture that one would expect on a high-end head lamp.

Winding the crank for a couple minutes is enough to create light for a long time.  Last night I tested it before I went to bed and fell asleep before the light actually got dim.  When I awoke about 6 hours later the light was actually still illuminated but very dim.  I wound the crank for a couple minutes and recharged it and it was back to being bright.

I can see where something like this could be extremely valuable in a serious emergency where there would be no electricity for an extended period and relying on batteries would not be practical.  Beyond that, its just so extremely cool to have this little wind-up light and I really love it.

Maybe next I can consider getting a dynamo that would be capable of running small appliances.  Things like this might seem frivolous but then in certain situations they could easily become extremely valuable.

For me this little wind-up light is like a first step towards trying to make my home more eco-friendly.  I never really had a place that was enough of a home but now at this studio I would like to maybe get some solar panels and other things.