As I get further into instrument building, I’m spending more and more time reading these crappy-looking deeply technical web sites published by baby boomers. Somebody about 15-25 years older than me will have a web site full of barely-formatted HTML, with lots of broken links everywhere, and absolutely jam packed with helpful information.
For years I would roll my eyes when I saw these, because they were a disorganized mess with barely any thought given to presentation. But lately I’ve come to realize that these pages are the fulfillment of the hopeful promise we had in the early days of the Internet. They’re connecting experts with people who want to learn from them, without the steep requirement of finding an editor and publisher and making a book. Yeah, it’s a horrid mess, but these people are focused on making things, not writing books.
- One about bicycle repair
- One about making uilleann pipe reeds
- Another one about making whistles
- Another one about making flutes
The thing I’m increasingly finding remarkable is that these people not only make stuff, write up guides for making stuff, and keep a web site running for the guides about making stuff, but many of them also run a small business selling the stuff they make. I don’t know how they can do it.
The thing I’m finding everyone seems to have in common is a desire to share information as broadly as possible. Even the people selling things are freely giving away detailed instructions about how to make them. That’s inspiring, this boomer legacy is something I hope I and those younger than me can carry forward.