The home computing revolutions of the 70s, 80s, and 90s put power in the masses' hands, but a threshold was crossed where increasing computing power no longer translated to increased autonomy. In 1973, Ivan Illich's essay 'Energy and Equity' argued that above a certain per capita wattage, energy yields negative returns and grows at the expense of equity. He applied this to traffic speed: beyond a certain velocity, vehicles create remoteness they alone can shrink, concentrating horsepower among a few. The UK introduced speed limits in 1974 to ration fuel, and politically determined limits on vehicle capability are now accepted.

In computing, however, restrictions focus on data processing rather than limiting machine power. Imagine a maximum hard drive size, CPU clock frequency, or network speed. Could Meta or Anthropic be built on Amigas and Acorn Archimedes? The e-bike offers a model: the electrically assisted pedal cycle (EPAC) cuts out at 15 mph [25 km/h], a legal choice slotting it into bicycle infrastructure. Illich observed that everywhere, after vehicles broke the 15 mph barrier, time scarcity related to traffic grew. The e-bike increases access without increasing others' 'time-lack.'

Caolan asks: could we make space for a restrained class of computer? A 'bicycle for the mind' defined by energy restraint, attracting fewer laws and offering 'low-energy, convivial modernity'? Where governments have constrained technology to stymie autonomy loss to big tech, collateral damage includes community infrastructure unable to meet demands.