Enoch’s Thoughts

June 21, 2010

Advertising, the Indian Ocean, and My Attic

Filed under: Uncategorized — etblog @ 7:04 pm

Admittedly, it’s an odd train of thought that draws a connection between advertising and my attic via the Indian Ocean. But, as I stated in January, I’m peculiar.

Advertising

Among the many thoughtful presences and presentsez I received for Father’s Day was a book from Becca, Made By Hand – Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World, by Mark Frauenfelder. Mark is editor-in-chief of Make magazine, a contemporary guide to doing things yourself. Historically, Americans have been self-reliant and inventive, but our culture seems to have shifted away from these virtues. In the first chapter of his book, Mark blames this shift on a guy named Edward Bernays, who is Sigmund Freud’s nephew. As Mark puts it, “Bernays used his famous uncle’s ideas about the drives and desires surging below the surface of our rational, fact-based consciousness to brainwash millions of people into becoming consumers instead of makers and fixers.” I hate to just keep quoting verbatim, but the word “brainwash” is a strong accusation, and I think Mark defends its use well. He says that Bernays did this by”persuading people to buy products and proposals through tantalizing depictions of fantasy worlds that stoked their unconscious urges, instincts, and … impulses. His campaigns sidestepped rational thought, appealing to the subconscious parts of the mind — the parts immune to logical argument.” And, to the companies who hired him, the best part of this trick was that “no matter how much stuff people bought, they never felt satisfied.”

I’ve always been suspicious of advertising. Now I have a better idea why – because so much of it circumvents logic and goes right to the soft, emotional underbelly. But how does this relate to my train of thought? Here’s one more quote. “In Bernay’s time, advertisers had to convince people that homemade clothing was shameful, home-canned food was unsanitary, and old cars symbols of failure.”

Now, don’t expect me to start making my own clothes any time soon, but I resonate with the notion that making and fixing are still noble virtues. I was delighted Wednesday night when Ben (with me offering advice by phone) successfully diagnosed and repaired his air conditioning system. I think he was pretty pleased, too. In fact, all of my family members show similar appreciation for, and tendencies toward, making and fixing.

The Indian Ocean

The story of the 16-year-old girl who tried to sail around the world has elicited lots of conversation. Before continuing with my original train of thought, I’ll offer two modest comments. (1) From reading Joshua Slocumb’s circa 1900 account of his own Sailing Alone Around the World, I concluded that, in addition to his prodigious skill and experience, significant amounts of good fortune and/or divine intervention were critical to his success. And (2), from watching my own children grow up, I conclude that the subtle but important powers of maturity and wisdom come slowly to youth.

In an attempt to understand a little more about Abby Sunderland before rendering a premature assessment, I took a look at some earlier entries in her blog, back before she had achieved notoriety by getting in trouble then getting rescued. I was quite impressed by her approach to the venture, and by her calm and logical approach to the string of problems she documents. Her problems on one particular day included the loss of the hydraulics on her main auto-pilot (a critical system for a solo sailor), and the loss of the display screen on her back-up auto-pilot. She seemed to have a sound plan for finding and repairing the hydraulic leak as soon as the wind abated enough for her to lash the tiller to enable her to troubleshoot the mechanisms.

I also ran across notes from another adventurer, Reid Stowe, who set sail with his female companion nearly three years ago to try to sail non-stop as long as possible without docking or replenishing supplies. After 300 days, his companion felt the need to leave the voyage due to morning sickness. (Perhaps they forgot something important when they provisioned the boat?) Even with that unexpectant (pun intended) change of plans, they still managed to set records for the longest non-stop voyage for a female and for a couple. Reid continued the sail on his own, remaining at sea a total of 1152 days without docking or replenishing supplies, breaking several additional solo records.

Two things impressed me right off the bat about his journey. First, he is nearly as old as I am. Not that I feel in the least bit old, but that was encouraging. And second, he clearly had to make and fix lots of stuff during his voyage. There’s a picture on his blog of him repairing a torn sail. He was light-hearted enough that he cut the patch in the shape of a heart. What a softie!

I’ve concluded, with a bare minimum of research, that boating, sailing in particular, lends itself to making and fixing in a great degree, perhaps more so than any other form of transportation. Unlike flying, you can stop sailing without the certainty of disastrous results. Depending on the boat, there are plenty of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and electronic devices to break, not to mention lines and sails and anchoring equipment. While there arguably exist aquatic versions of AAA such as SeaTow, they are not nearly as convenient, nor as economical as the automotive equivalent. And a well-equipped boat can sustain one’s existence for quite a long time while one ponders and mulls potential repair options. The previously referenced Patrick O’Brian stories, based on factual tales from British naval lore, include multiple stories of ships’ crews spending months on an island while the carpenter and boatswain build and repair parts that enable them to sail back to civilization. Sailing offers a rich tradition of make and fix stories.

My Attic

I should clarify that my attic is not a boat, nor do I hope it ever becomes one. But for several years now I’ve been pondering a “make or fix” idea for improving the summertime cooling efficiency of my residence. The modest house I share with my patient spouse features gable vents at the ends of the attic, and, as of the last roofing job, a ridge vent running the length of the roofline. It also has a thermostatically-controlled vent fan on one of the gable vents that pre-dates the ridge vent. During the summer, this vent fan typically runs for 3-4 hours every hot night. This is clearly not an efficient solution. My suspicion was that it was simply sucking relatively cool air backwards through the ridge vent, then blowing it back outside, rather than moving the heated air out of the attic.

Last weekend I implemented a proof-of-concept version of my plan. I cut a large circle out of the soffit overhanging the front side of the house, and bolted on a vent fan in reverse, so it would pressurize the attic space. I chose the front side of the house because it faces easterly, so the air is cooler during the hot afternoon. The idea was that, by pressurizing the attic space, hot air would be forced out through any and all available openings, presumably being replaced by the cooler outside air.

The first night I tried it, the gable vent fan turned itself off less than two hours after I turned on the pressurizing fan. It felt like a success. The next day, I ordered a digital thermometer with a wireless “outside” sensor. When it arrived on Thursday, I tried another test. My main concern was that the pressurized air would be finding its way into the cooled part of the house, through the attic fan louvers, or through the pull-down attic stairs.

This experiment also seemed to confirm that my idea may be viable. The pressure fan reduced the attic temperature about 10 degrees in two hours, while raising the temperature of the hall (where the attic fan and stairs are located) less than a degree.

My analysis is not perfect – I should really take into account other variables such as the outside air temperature and the impact of clouds. And I should try recording experimental data both with and without the use of the pressure fan. But for now, I’m convinced enough that I plan to move forward to the next phase, which is re-locating the ugly fan bolted to the outside of my front soffit to a more palatable location. My wife is indeed patient, but even she has her limits.

I have other examples of the make and fix mentality, some perhaps more impressive, most considerably less so. But I do enjoy the pleasure of making and fixing, in a nautical setting or not. I encourage you to join the movement. Follow the paths set by Mark, Abby, Reid, and even your humble scribe. Find a project to make or fix and attack it fearlessly. Let me know if you need help!

1 Comment »

  1. I thought about buying a new car charger for my cell phone today, but remembered this piece, so I read it again. Inspiration. I think all I need is some electrical tape. Hope I meet with success :=)

    Comment by Dana Humphry — August 11, 2010 @ 11:43 pm

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