Critical Condition

We have made too many combination products, so now people expect everything to do so many things.  Our phones are computers and GPS and camera/camcorder/audio recorders.

I had a customer the other day looking at the Sony Dash (which I still don’t understand it’s main purpose) asked me if it was a GPS navigator as well as internet browser/overpriced alarm clock.  It’s $170 and it uses wifi to view the internet.  How much would it cost if it was GPS too?  A lot more.

Nobody acknowledges the limitations of these combination products.  Point and shoot and SLR cameras with video have no zoom or focus tracking for the most part, sound is shitty on them too.  That’s why a video camera is a better option if thats what you want to do.

You can’t have everything.  Mountain bikes are not as good on roads.  Running shoes are no good on trails.  Winter clothes aren’t comfortable at the beach.

Why do we expect one stop solution.  I can’t buy a computer or guitar at Shop N Save, and I am fine with that.  Relying on one thing for many actions decreases quality I believe.  Wal Mart sucks for most things unless you want cheaply made crap.

I just think it’s strange how people have gotten away from specialization.  I guess it’s suburbanization.  We hate to travel more than ten miles in one day let alone go two or three places instead of one under the illusion of saving time.  Trade three small shops with small parking lots and small check out lines for one huge shop where there’s 20 lanes to check out but 2 open, and you walk 8 times as far from start to finish.  I think it’s the same time frame, and the people are a lot nicer and more helpful at specialized shops.

I would on the other hand like to see more ridiculous combinations.  Electric razor/mp3 player.  TV/Microwave.  Camera/Bottle Opener.  Tooth Brush/Nose Hair Trimmer.

Not too far off from Refrigerator/TV

An Humanist Fantasy

Politics, religion, and money each exert control over society in a unique way. These mechanisms for social control work interdependently, and throughout history the dominant face of power has continually shifted. Whether religion dictates government and economics (Theocracy), a political ideal guides religious and monetary policy (Communism), or money controls government and religion (Monarchy, or the current American Imperial plutocracy) wars are perpetrated and human rights violated to extend the reach of those in power.

This power structure is not, by design, conducive to the holistic (mental, physical, and spiritual) advancement of the individual or community. It serves to divide humanity, rather than unite.

Red vs. Blue

The partisan political system segments the populous and secures opposing, rigid schools of thought. In addition, the trend of government incrementally decreasing the privacy rights of its’ citizenry in reaction to obvious security risks doubly encourages an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. These negative emotions severely hinder any attempt at progressive thought or action.

Save the Dogma for the Dogs

Most religious institutions offer hope and salvation in exchange for adherence to a moral code, while promising punishment for deviance. Though the moral standard is generally one of altruism and respect for life, it is prescribed rather than developed individually through introspect, empathy and compassion – the foundations of spiritual growth. The idea that one religion is ‘true’ while all others are false – an idea which is at the core of most faiths – drastically divides and embitters humanity.

Money Owns Us

The Global economy based on ever increasing debt, consumption, and scarcity of and demand for essential commodities stifles all three aspects of human growth. This system creates an enormous gap in the standards of living between producers and consumers, perpetuating poverty and ensuring servitude.

These Ideas are for Idealists

An ideal proposal to ensure the sustainability and advancement of a holistically healthy society would require a drastic paradigm shift: the re-design of global culture. The principal concept is an economic system based not on debt (money, credit and barter), but rather communal access to Earth’s available natural and technological resources. In a society lacking the profit-based business model, the basic needs of all individuals could easily be met, and exceeded, establishing an equal and increasingly high standard of living for all. Since humanity began forming civilizations, Utopian social planners have imagined countless ‘perfect’ socioeconomic systems, yet have never developed an acceptable catalyst for such drastic social change. Plans like this are destined to remain conceptual, unable to be implemented.

Can I Borrow Some Change?

Promoting social change from with the current system of control necessitates a progressive form of Social Democracy, similar to the Nordic model. The fundamentals of this system are:

1. A ‘mixed’ economy – subsidized heath care and education, and private enterprise regulated to protect the interests of the workers and consumers.
2. A sustainable system of social security to counteract poverty.
3. Insuring (rather than simply advocating) freedom, equality, social justice, and solidarity in accordance to the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.