Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanity

Tenner wrote one of my favorite books, Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. Tenner's books remind me of Henry Petroski's books in a way -- engaging nonfiction. The most fascinating thing about Tenner's book is his description of the interplay between technology and technique: how humans evolve along with our technology to get maximum utility out of our inventions. There are numerous stories about how an advancement in technology wasn't used to its potential (or was even able to match the performance of the old technology) until humans' techniques changed as well. There are also some interesting sections about how/why "improvements" never took root (piano keyboards and typewriter keyboards, notably). Fantastic stuff about what would seem like mundane topics (shoes, chairs, bottle-feeding, keyboards, helmets, ...)

"Why Things Bite Back" stands as one of my favorite books, and is definitely the best single volume available on the unintended consequences of technology. I was, of course, eager to read Edward Tenner's "Our Own Devices," a volume more focused on the historical adaptations of a select few technologies and man's co-evolution with them. Tenner intentionally selected mundane technologies that get no more than a passing thought on a daily basis, and in several cases not only tracks historical adaptations of specific inventions and technologies (the history of the baby bottle, or eyeglasses, for instance), but also contrasts the diametrically opposed ends of the technological spectrum as it applies to what are similar design constructs (for instance posture chairs versus reclining chairs, and musical keyboards versus text keyboards.) The scope of Tenner's research is astounding, and makes seemingly mundane items interesting. Particularly strong are the chapters on the zori (a sandal), and eyeglasses. In the chapter on zoris, for example, Tenner documents the work of a Liberian craftsman, Saarenald T. S. Yaawaisan, who recycled old sandals into toy helicopters until he had acquired all the used sandals in Monrovia, at which point he began purchasing new sandals to make into toys. The story goes on to explain the subsequent problems with Monrovian sandal recycling vis-a-vis the release of dioxin into the environment. This illustrates the fanciful research Tenner put in to make this an eminently readable book. My favorite chapter, and one that will strike a chord with many readers is on the history of eyeglasses. Eyeglasses have a much longer and complex history than I had expected, and I found his insights correlating the rise of literacy with the rise in myopia interesting. Particularly interesting in the chapter are references to the visual range requirements needed for more primitive hunter-gatherers versus modern civilized man. Tenner correctly credits the work of behavioral biologist Jakob von Uexkull, and discusses his concepts of visual perception ("merkwelt") and related theories with great aplomb. Also discussed in this chapter is the role the Catholic church had in promoting the perception of eyeglasses (even during the Inquisition), and the role of aristocratic Europe in shaping public perception of correctable lenses. Specific technologies and manufacturing techniques (mainly European) are discussed, including those of famed presbyope (and cryptologist) Duke August the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, who promoted fine craftsmanship of lenses over cheaply made products from Florence. This book is extremely well researched, and is generally very absorbing for those interested in the history and implications of technology. Even though it is a bit longwinded at times, I give it five stars for eloquently describing the co-evolution of man and machine.

"Why Things Bite Back" stands as one of my favorite books, and is definitely the best single volume available on the unintended consequences of technology. I was, of course, eager to read Edward Tenner's "Our Own Devices," a volume more focused on the historical adaptations of a select few technologies and man's co-evolution with them. Tenner intentionally selected mundane technologies that get no more than a passing thought on a daily basis, and in several cases not only tracks historical adaptations of specific inventions and technologies (the history of the baby bottle, or eyeglasses, for instance), but also contrasts the diametrically opposed ends of the technological spectrum as it applies to what are similar design constructs (for instance posture chairs versus reclining chairs, and musical keyboards versus text keyboards.) The scope of Tenner's research is astounding, and makes seemingly mundane items interesting. Particularly strong are the chapters on the zori (a sandal), and eyeglasses. In the chapter on zoris, for example, Tenner documents the work of a Liberian craftsman, Saarenald T. S. Yaawaisan, who recycled old sandals into toy helicopters until he had acquired all the used sandals in Monrovia, at which point he began purchasing new sandals to make into toys. The story goes on to explain the subsequent problems with Monrovian sandal recycling vis-a-vis the release of dioxin into the environment. This illustrates the fanciful research Tenner put in to make this an eminently readable book. My favorite chapter, and one that will strike a chord with many readers is on the history of eyeglasses. Eyeglasses have a much longer and complex history than I had expected, and I found his insights correlating the rise of literacy with the rise in myopia interesting. Particularly interesting in the chapter are references to the visual range requirements needed for more primitive hunter-gatherers versus modern civilized man. Tenner correctly credits the work of behavioral biologist Jakob von Uexkull, and discusses his concepts of visual perception ("merkwelt") and related theories with great aplomb. Also discussed in this chapter is the role the Catholic church had in promoting the perception of eyeglasses (even during the Inquisition), and the role of aristocratic Europe in shaping public perception of correctable lenses. Specific technologies and manufacturing techniques (mainly European) are discussed, including those of famed presbyope (and cryptologist) Duke August the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, who promoted fine craftsmanship of lenses over cheaply made products from Florence. This book is extremely well researched, and is generally very absorbing for those interested in the history and implications of technology. Even though it is a bit longwinded at times, I give it five stars for eloquently describing the co-evolution of man and machine.

Why Things Bite Back ranks near the top of my list of favorite nonfiction reads of the last decade, so I was thrilled when Our Own Devices came out. Edward Tenner did not disappoint! Our Own Devices concerns how the human body and technology have coevolved. There is a strong emphasis on how technique has changed [walking, writing, etc.] over time as the technology has changed. Some of his examples are what you'd expect from a book like this [e.g. the typewriter/computer keyboard], but others are a surprise [e.g. the zori, bottle-feeding]. Of course, I most closely related to the chapter on eyeglasses because I'm extremely myopic AND I read a lot. As with Why Things Bite back, Our Own Devices will make you think about our very complex relationship with technology. The book should interest folks who like to read about technology, history, and physiology. I highly recommend Our Own Devices.

We live with technology all around us, and we ignore it most of the time, unless it goes wrong. Most of the time, our gadgets go fairly close to right, and we don't have to think much about tending them, and we almost never think about how they are tending, and changing, us. Technologies created by people create different sorts of people. In _Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology_ (Knopf), Edward Tenner has considered simple technologies, some so simple and ungadgety that we might not even think of them as technologies: bottle feeding of infants, footwear, chairs, keyboards, eyeglasses and helmets. His book is full of fun; Tenner has a host of obscure yet relevant facts that he has obvious pleasure in presenting. He writes, "This book is about the changes we have made in ourselves: how everyday things affect how we use our bodies." He has examples drawn from many disciplines in addition to the main ones, like the importance of styles of lacing of shoes or the effect of Taiwanese bowlers taking advantage of light bowling balls with lots of spin on them. There is a huge range of information within these pages.One of the themes of the book is that the technique of use is an essential complement to the technology involved. Baby bottles, for instance, involve a technique that must be successfully learned by mother and infant. They also allow fathers a nurturing role denied by nature. Tenner does not get into polemics about the bottle versus nursing controversy (nor does he do so for any of the controversial technologies he explores). We are physically affected by our technologies. There are millions of people who live literally on the Earth, doing without shoes; of course we evolved to get around without shoes originally. There is a movement to promote barefoot hiking, but there is always a self-fulfilling problem to overcome: shoes cause our feet to be so sensitive and vulnerable that we need shoes to protect them. In Japan, many grow up wearing _geta_ (two-piece clogs), which means that their gaits are measurably different from those who wear, say, ordinary sandals, and may be the reason Japan has very few world-class runners. It was in 1853 that an inventor set up a chair with movable parts and a system of springs that would allow rocking, although the chair rested on a pedestal supported by casters. The chair was no longer static; "This was the beginning of a new technique of sitting." Extensive studies have been done in the water to show exactly what position a body in complete rest takes (although previous evaluation of sleeping positions gave the same information), with chairs engineered to ensure that position. Piano innards have changed because of insistence of composers, especially Beethoven, on more complicated and louder performances, but although there have been improvements in the keyboard itself, no superstar has promoted them and none caught on.The examples come thick and fast throughout the book's c