Hackers' Pub

Syntax	Description	Examples
`"` keyword `"`	Finds the string within quotes, including spaces. Case-insensitive. (Escape quotes inside with `\"`)	`"Hackers' Pub"`
`from:` handle	Finds content written by the specified user.	`from:hongminhee` `from:hongminhee@hollo.social`
`lang:` ISO 639-1	Finds content written in the specified language.	`lang:en`
`#` tag	Finds content with the specified tag. Case-insensitive.	`#HackersPub`
condition condition	Finds content that satisfies both conditions on either side of the space (logical AND).	`"Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
condition `OR` condition	Finds content that satisfies at least one of the conditions on either side of the OR operator (logical OR).	`#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
`(` condition `)`	Combines the operators within the parentheses first.	`(#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" OR "Hackers Pub") lang:en`

Raghav Agrawal @impactology@mastodon.social

1/18/2026, 9:36:59 AM

Public

What We Misunderstand About Pre-Industrial Craftsmanship by Vic Tesolin

https://victesolin.substack.com/p/what-we-misunderstand-about-pre-industrial

"Craft has always been about problem solving. Tools are just solutions with handles"

"The problem starts when personal preference gets dressed up as moral superiority"

From a woodworker

They Would Absolutely Use Modern Tools

This one really bothers me.

The idea that pre-industrial craftsmen would reject modern tools to
preserve some imagined purity.

Nonsense.

If a thickness planer showed up in 1780, they would have lined up for it.
The hand tool versus power tool divide is a modern invention. It is a
marketing story. Not a historical one.

Craft has always been about problem solving. Tools are just solutions
with handles.

Why This Matters

Romanticizing the past creates impossible standards for the present. It
makes beginners feel slow when they are actually just learning. It
makes people feel guilty for using machines. It turns tools into identity
markers instead of solutions.

In the end, if the joy of woodworking for you is using antique tools and
historical techniques, that’s great. Truly. If that’s what lights the fuse,
lean into it. Use the old tools. Follow the old methods. Build the bench,
wear the apron, learn the history. None of that is the problem.

The problem starts when personal preference gets dressed up as moral
superiority.

Nicole Parsons @Npars01@mstdn.social

1/18/2026, 9:54:00 AM

Public

@impactologyRaghav Agrawal

The basis of comparison matters though

AI for example is used to devalue human expertise. Wage suppression is part of it, but also valuation & performance

We used to be compared to other people with the better education, connections, people skills, personality, sexual attraction, wealth etc

Now, on top of that humans are being compared & evaluated based on a machine or algorithm

Something that works 24×7 without food, water, sleep, distractions, boredom, or human contact

If you have a fediverse account, you can quote this note from your own instance. Search https://mstdn.social/users/Npars01/statuses/115915491964608639 on your instance and quote it. (Note that quoting is not supported in Mastodon.)