Entrance 9/25

 Exit Slip

One stopping point for me in this excerpt was the introduction of the term backsourcing. I found it interesting that the author defines it as the process of re-claiming what we outsource when factories took over the production of goods, especially food. However, I think the motivation behind backsourcing feels a bit dated, even though the excerpt is only about a decade old. The author highlights that as oil becomes too scarce or expensive, we will be forced to rethink how we meet our needs. While this was a strong concern at the time, today electric cars and renewable energy are becoming more common, meaning gas prices may not be the same limiting factor the author suggests. Still, I think the core idea of backsourcing and taking responsibility for some of our own production remains valuable similar to still learning how to do math without a calculator.

In terms of the videos, I was particularly intrigued by the rope-making one, since I work with ropes all the time at the swimming pool—we use lane ropes to divide swimming lanes, and there’s also a rope swing. Up until now, I had only ever encountered ropes as finished products, and even the physics of how they hold together never came up during my undergraduate studies. Watching the process gave me a new appreciation for something I had always taken for granted. I suppose this is a fitting reminder after I called the motivation behind backsourcing outdated earlier—maybe I spoke too soon! To be honest, I’m not very confident in my ability to make any of these crafts in class, given my non-existent background in sewing and related skills, but I will do my best!

Comments

  1. Susan GerofskySeptember 25, 2025 at 7:11 AM

    Thanks Henry! Interesting connections with math and calculators, and With ropes at the swimming pool. We will try some of these hand crafts today in class, and no worries— you can do them!

    ReplyDelete

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