Fastenating « Analogue Digital

Feb

2010

Fastenating

Here’s a collection of interesting jua kali methods of temporary and permanent joining and fastening. Imported screws and nails are often too expensive to use regularly, which leads to some creative workarounds.

Welding

The far and out dominant mode of joining in these parts is electric arc welding. Owning a welding machine has become a right of passage for opening a business in metalwork.

Soldering

Heating up a rod with a flame to use for soldering parts of a kerosene lamp.

Cement

Applying a metallic cement.

Grill

A latch used to lock in the vertical position of a grill.

Grill

An upgraded version found in a nicer part of town. Mostly furniture is sold here, so wire is used more often than sheet metal.

Chair

No screws to piece together this chair. Pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and are sealed with glue.

Umbrella

A nail used to keep up an umbrella.

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Analogue Digital explores how human systems interact with digital ones: how interfaces affect our relationship with the world, how craft culture and modern technology are colliding in unprecedented ways, and how to reach those who have yet to cross the digital divide.

I'm Steve Daniels. I study the transformative impact of technology on individuals and societies. I am the founder of the Better World by Design conference at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design and a founding partner of Revolution x Design, a Providence-based research center that uses design to address meaningful, real-world problems. Currently, I work at IBM Research, where I study mobile social computing in emerging markets.

I am particularly interested in how people create, adapt, and use technology in resource-constrained environments, which I have written about in my book Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Economy, which you can read here.

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