Change comes to all things. I have only been in this hobby for ten years. That isn’t a long time in the play of life. Yet I have seen a lot of changes. The anti-tobacco movement is here to stay; smokers are being taxed, segregated and slandered. Favorite pipe tobaccos and pipe brands are slowly beginning to disappear. We have lost numerous B&M shops. We have lost great publications like the Ephemeris, great blogs like A Passion for Pipes, and we almost lost the Smokers Forums. For a niche hobby as small as ours, every little loss ripples through the community, leaving a giant empty hole behind. Sometimes it seems like the hobby is dying. Other times, however, I see a renewed interest in pipes and tobaccos all over the place. Pipe shows continue to be successful. Forum memberships continue to rise. P&T Magazine has a growing number of subscribers. Pipe related blogs are springing up all over the Internet. There has also been a great influx of new pipe carvers, both hobby and professional. I don’t think our hobby is dying - it is only changing. Our negative or positive outlook is what can make it seem like it is dying or thriving.
The biggest change for our hobby has been the Internet. Before the Internet, the only way to look at, research or buy a pipe was at the local B&M, pipe shows, or mail order catalogs. To acquire information about a specific pipe or tobacco required dedication, research and physical footwork. These days, all one has to do is boot up the computer for an endless supply of research tools, blogs, commentaries, pipe makers, retailers, forums and so on and so forth. What makes this the golden age of pipes? Information at our fingertips! Many talented artisans all over the world are creating amazing new pipe shapes and sculptures. New sophisticated blends are being created as old ones pass away. The news of a new pipe maker or tobacco blend travels through cyberspace with mind-boggling speed. It is one thing to create, and quite another to show the world the creation. Traveling to the pipe shows is not an option for many artisans. Without the Internet, their pipes would go unnoticed and unsold. The craft would slowly suffocate from a lack of knowledge of their wares.
We live in an interconnected, computerized world that is based on getting information fast. We want faster broadband speeds, blackberries, mobiles, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, PayPal and on and on the list could go. It has changed the way we live life. Once we grow accustomed to this now normal pace and way of life, can we ever go back? For those with broadband, would you ever be willing to go back to dial-up? Do any of us really want to stand in line at (fill in the blank) if we could do the same thing in the comfort of our own home? I must admit that I am an Internet junkie. It has made me a hermit. I do all my communicating, purchasing, selling, banking and much more online. I even sold my car since it was so rarely needed. Yes, the Internet and communication technology has certainly changed the way we live our life. Can our hobby survive without it?
The biggest change for our hobby has been the Internet. Before the Internet, the only way to look at, research or buy a pipe was at the local B&M, pipe shows, or mail order catalogs. To acquire information about a specific pipe or tobacco required dedication, research and physical footwork. These days, all one has to do is boot up the computer for an endless supply of research tools, blogs, commentaries, pipe makers, retailers, forums and so on and so forth. What makes this the golden age of pipes? Information at our fingertips! Many talented artisans all over the world are creating amazing new pipe shapes and sculptures. New sophisticated blends are being created as old ones pass away. The news of a new pipe maker or tobacco blend travels through cyberspace with mind-boggling speed. It is one thing to create, and quite another to show the world the creation. Traveling to the pipe shows is not an option for many artisans. Without the Internet, their pipes would go unnoticed and unsold. The craft would slowly suffocate from a lack of knowledge of their wares.
We live in an interconnected, computerized world that is based on getting information fast. We want faster broadband speeds, blackberries, mobiles, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, PayPal and on and on the list could go. It has changed the way we live life. Once we grow accustomed to this now normal pace and way of life, can we ever go back? For those with broadband, would you ever be willing to go back to dial-up? Do any of us really want to stand in line at (fill in the blank) if we could do the same thing in the comfort of our own home? I must admit that I am an Internet junkie. It has made me a hermit. I do all my communicating, purchasing, selling, banking and much more online. I even sold my car since it was so rarely needed. Yes, the Internet and communication technology has certainly changed the way we live our life. Can our hobby survive without it?
