By Nadim Nyker
Gone are the days of flat beer and getting lost on a coastal road trip. And as wanderlusty as the latter sounds, our appraisal for its imminent extinction comes with good reason; there’s just no time for it anymore. With Google Maps, the majority of the world have left Garmin stranded, now aiming their sales at soccer moms and retirees. And thanks to a mechanical decanter in an everyday can of Guinness, known as a “floating widget” (which looks like a plastic ball that allows the depressurized nitrogen in the can to oxygenate and bubble out the can), it’s almost as good as having beer on tap.
Technology and the analogue way of life are on a small spectrum. This is seen as beard growth is now directly proportionate to Instagram followers. Indeed, we live in a time where the tale of a good beer, beard, boots and lumberjack-like-manliness comes on the back of the sticker of almost every craft beer. That’s because old-school is cool: taking the time and appreciation to plant your own food, brew your own beer or learn an instrument is now looked at as a modern day necessity in order to live life to the fullest.
99 Fiat Uno. Credit: Nadim Nyker
Although in today’s age, the brute enjoyment one finds when changing a tire on their ’99 Fiat Uno is becoming harder to find. This is because things are smoother, fine-tuned and digitally done and in the process we are digitally saving the world. Look at the bottom of the range Kia Picanto, it now tells you when to change gears, to slow down and reminds you of your fuel efficiency.
So how does one find the right balance between the new shift to the do-it-yourself way of doing things and the indolence that technology brings with it? In doing so, one becomes a digital craftsman- a connoisseur whom finds the right mix between the old school and new school, the couch sitter and the Pokemon Go-getter. 2016 is the year for the digital craftsman to hone; high tech is no longer geeky and the Mustang is no longer a V8 guzzler. It is a year where we can print our own food, and use an app to control our record players.
The digital age does not mean the dumbing down of the beloved, old school life traits, rather, a digital craftsman identifies and combines these two luxuries. It’s time to wake up, innovate and embrace the irony of the digital vinyl player. So get out your chamois and iPhone the next time you wash that old 99er because no matter what you do, there’s probably an app to help.
Yours truly,
T.D.C
The Digital Craftsman 