Why we crave healthier computing

Computers have become a burden because they leave users to answer an growing set of setup questions, and the author argues that people now crave tools that limit those choices to support healthier work. The author traces this from electro-mechanical machines like the Jacquard machine through ENIAC, personal computers, networking and smartphones, noting that each stage added questions such as "How should I collaborate with others?" and "When will I use this computer?" Upfront interventions, such as hardware with built-in limits, are presented as more durable than ongoing ones like airplane mode, which can be easily reversed. Examples include the Light Phone, reMarkable and the Daylight Tablet, which the author has used for the last month.