In Praise of Mike Montiero
But while someone can certainly make the case that an AK-47, or any other kind of gun or rifle is designed, nothing whose primary purpose is to take away life can be said to be designed well. And that attempting to separate an object from its function in order to appreciate it for purely aesthetic reasons, or to be impressed by its minimal elegance, is a coward’s way of justifying the death they’ve designed into the world, and the money with which they’re lining their pockets.
I work where I work because I made the choice to design more ethical things. I largely have Mike Monteiro (mostly this book, this podcast, and his twitter account) to thank for getting me off my ass.
That's not to say where I used to work made guns or anything. It was fine. But before my current job, and before I really starting taking Montiero's advice to heart, I didn't particularly care what I made. I did whatever the job asked of me. And that sucked, and I sucked. And now it's better. So, thanks Mike.
And to get back to the article I linked to, I've heard this "well-designed gun" argument from lots of people, and it never felt right. It always seemed like a removed and inhumane way of looking at an object whose purpose is to remove humanity.
