Returning to Analog
This weekend I went to a secondhand store that specializes in books, movies, CDs, DVDs, you name it. The mission: find a tape deck and some tapes, and oh boy did I hit the jackpot. What you see in the image above is a tape deck I found for $27, along with some blank tapes and a John Denver Christmas cassette.
I've been obsessed with analog mediums for over a decade now. Pretty much all my hobbies have been done "the hard way" simply because I loved the process. A few examples:
Archery - Used a wooden longbow since I was a kid and upgraded to a Bear recurve when I got older. Don't really do any hunting or practice shooting these days, but I always enjoyed the challenge of traditional archery over modern bows and equipment. (fun fact: I was an archery tech for 4 years)
Photography - Started on a Canon AE-1 from eBay with some crappy fuji film, developed it at home, and scanned it. The results were not amazing but it was something I did end to end, and I loved it.
Notes - I've tried over and over to use digital systems from Apple Notes to Obsidian, but I always kept coming back to hand written note taking. I currently have a simple system with Field Notes + bullet journal style entries. The more I write by hand, the more I remember it.
Music - Of course like any other kid I grew up on CDs, and slowly moved to iTunes and iPods. Around 10 years ago I started collecting vinyls and listened to them occasionally, but now more than ever I appreciate them and started listening to them more. Cassette tapes are my new obsession, especially with the ability to record tapes from devices like my record player.
Reading - Could never get into eBooks or audio books. I love a physical book, especially the prints from the 90s that fit in your back pocket. Today while picking up my tape deck I also got copies of Snow Crash, 1984, and Animal Farm that all fit that style. Nothing feels better in the hand and I love how portable they are.
Driving: Stick shift / manual transmission or bust ✊
Even in my digital life I love finding and using tech that is more granular, manual, and well rooted. Terminal based tooling, linux, hell I'm even considering getting a PicoCalc so I can program in Basic on the move. Blogs and RSS feeds over social media also falls into this camp in my opinion.
Why though? Is because of nostalgia? Or perhaps because I'm a millennial and probably have too many hipster tendencies? Perhaps both of those are true, but if I were to summarize it into a few points it would be:
Learning how to do something 1-2 generations old helps you learn more about the subject
With most analog mediums you actually own that medium, rather than a license to use it
Slowing down and enjoying the process is fun and more enjoyable
So many parts of our lives have been automated that we start to lose the enjoyment of them. When it takes work and effort the results mean more to us. Taking the time to learn how to do photography and getting just the right photo is way more satisfying than prompting AI to make something similar. Humans are wired to create, to build, to explore, to work, to cherish.
I'm sure it's not the case for everyone, but I know for me, when I saw that tape spin and heard John Denver singing Christmas carols, I enjoyed it way more than if I had just pulled it up on a streaming service.
I felt alive.
I felt human.