Movement Inc. Official Home Page
I could not help but admire the beauty and simplicity of an old jeep.
Kerala has a tonne of them. And some of them are very well maintained. Good coat of paint. Neatly upholstered. And the bottom has a healthy coat of rubber paint. The transmission does take some wrestling but it remains reliable. And the engine can’t sing on highways but it can yell when riding up a hill.
What caught my eye was the simple lines. The bonnet, for example, is literally a rectangle with two folds and a projection towards either side as a feature and to add a little rigidity. It has literal hinges and locks like an old fashioned door to pop it open. It’s stupidly simple and repairable. I am guessing this simplicity was necessitated by the speediest machines available to cut, notch, fold and weld a sheet. Same goes for the grill and headlights. And other parts too.
I am not arguing this is better or more elegant design. That’s subjective. The gaps between panels are quite substantial. But the simplicity of the lines and construction really do appeal to me.
It lends itself to easier repair and maintenance. Be it the wiring, beating out dents or just changing a part. The simplicity of construction has its pros. And cons. I am sure newer cars are much safer. And hold up better when they are in an accident. And a lighter steering is definitely more accessible.
My big question is this. From how this chap is constructed to a modern day Thar with all its bells and whistles, a bunch of parts, features and widgets were added in. Some of it absolutely crucial and essential. Not just nice to have. Our lives would be much worse and more unsafe without it.
Other features are about convenience. Nice to have but inessential. A zillion settings on AC’s and lights for example.
And some things are just plain noise. Things done for the sake of vanity, tech for the sake of it or braggadocio. Drive modes, electronics when easier to repair or maintain mechanical parts could have done the trick. Elaborate, large screens. Some people like it and use it. But it is far from essential.
And this is applicable to gym equipment too. As sophistication increases, it is possible to over engineer, over-design or add over-kill features that do nothing to improve the basic experience of lifting. Sometimes it takes away from the lift. And it’s harder to repair and shows its age in obvious ways. The lift feels worse when parts warp or sag, bearings wear down, screens stop working or little parts that are hard to replace are lost.
The key with sophisticated build quality, features or tech is Ian Malcolm’s pithy take in Jurassic Park: Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should.
Sometimes simpler beats latest and greatest in getting the job done. Granted every person’s description of what the job is will be different.