My plan for this week was to dive into cyberdecks to explore as a hobby. Or see if this is just a short lived hyper-fixation that I can use to fuel my writing endeavors. What I discovered was cyberdecks as a commentary on our relationship with technology.

Yesterday's post1 kept churning in my mind while browsing r/cyberDeck. As I reviewed the top posts of all time, I noticed a trend. Chunky and tactile2 were hits. Sure you can describe the majority of cyber decks this way but these were designed almost as the goal is inconvenience.

Black, chunky portable computer with a screen that slides over a keyboard, sitting on a workbench. A handle on either side of the keyboard and a strap attached to those handles.

Analog, friction-maxxing, dumb devices. These trends have popped up in the last few years, all venn-diagramming into point, slowing down.

I overlooked this. I saw it just as a weird, crafty practice like carving wood. Now I see a reaction to the overstimulated world of today.

Perhaps the mind craves the dopamine of the digital life but also feels the illness from the speed of the devices that deliver this rush.

The solution? Build a bottleneck that turn a stream into a drip.

There are times in humanity where ideas are just waiting to be born. It's easy to see when it's a new invention. Cyberdecks aren't new but the idea of a cultural practice of PC crafting is relatively new. Maybe the revolutionary idea being born is the middle ground. Modern technology and more humanity.

Making things easier, removing friction, etc. often means removing as much of the human touch as possible. Removing ourselves. Becoming spectators of our culture. I think we are saying no without even realizing it.

Maybe I'm reaching. Regardless, the rise of cyberdecks is telling us something. Let's pay attention.