reason – Page 3

Here’s something manufacturers and industrial designers need to think more about: backlash on planned obsolescence.

September 8, 2016 — leslie dean brown

If there’s one thing in this world that I can’t stand, it’s companies like Microsoft and Apple…

Who seem to make things go obsolete well before their time. And no one can tell them not to. They just keep getting away with it. Why? Probably because they make a lot of money getting away with it. That’s why.

But there are no laws to stop them getting away with it. And what this materials scientist thinks right now is “by fucken oath there should be [laws to stop them getting away with it]”. That is coming from an ex materials scientist. Right.

I think you all know what I am talking about. I’m talking about ‘old’ printers that don’t work with newer computers simply because the ‘drivers’ have ‘issues’ with the “operating system”. I’m talking about new software that won’t run on old hardware. I’m also talking about new hardware that won’t run old software. I’m talking about Apple’s proprietry connectors.

Let me tell you a little anecdote. I can even remember my dad saying about 15 or 20 years ago way back when I was a kid that Apple (you know, Macintosh it was once called) forced you to use their special cables and connectors, and thus were able to charge a premium.

At the time, I took what he said with a pinch of salt. I thought “well it’s their computer system, I suppose they would want to do that. Who can blame them?”. But now, fast forward twenty-odd years and my old man is dead [RIP, he died last year] and what he said to me in the 1990’s is looking even wiser now than it did when he said it all those years ago. Because it just so happens to be true. This man, my father, would be 90 years old if he were alive today. He was old but he knew something that I didn’t. That something is called ‘wisdom’ and all early adopters from what I’ve seen tend to suffer from a severe lack of it.

Back in the day, we used things called serial ports and parrallel ports to plug in our printers. So they got the information from one cable and they got their power from another completely separate cable. The thing is, they were slow. Really slow. But when USB came along, all those printers and mice and things became much less useful. The same thing happened to compact discs when Apple decided not to include a CD drives on their latest desktops.

People will always need to buy new peripherals to work with new plugs on their new computer system. That is now happening with USB-C connectors. Do you want to know what I think? I think USB C can go and get fucked, that’s what I think. All of my stuff (two external hard drives, external sound card for microphone, graphics tablet, mouse, wireless solar keyboard, external webcam, flash drives, the entire bloody lot is USB2 now isn’t it?). USB2 and it is plenty good enough. I’m sticking with it.

Yes, I’m talking about Apple ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack on it’s newest smartphone. Now, keep in mind that I don’t even own an Apple iphone. In fact I have never owned an Apple iphone. And here I am, compelled to write a blog article about how narky it makes me feel. Because knowing what I know, I probably won’t ever own an Apple iphone. I’m writing this from an imac retina. I don’t own an ipad. And right now, that is the way it is going to stay. After buying just one Apple product, I’m fast becoming anti-Apple. And the headphone jack decision is my last straw. It is the catalyst to me becoming “anti-Apple”.

So I’m going to just say it here in black and white. I’m going to share with all you strangers the reason it makes me so narky. Because this is my blog, my little ‘space’ and I can say pretty much whatever the hell I want. Right? There’s this thing called “free speech” in the West that not enough people take advantage of… this is vida enigmática… [Read more…]

Takayna, the book and film.

August 6, 2016 — leslie dean brown

Help make this Pozible, donate today!

I have just pledged $35, because I love books and it looks like a great design! I think it’s a great way to inspire people to protect this wonderful area.

There is only one week to go on this campaign. I hope some of my connections can also contribute.

I have shared this video with my whole network! I have also pledged $35. And yet I am unemployed. So if I can do that, then so can most people.

Here is a direct link to this crowdfunding campaign: https://www.pozible.com/project/takayna-tarkine-book-film

(for some reason the hyperlink isn’t ‘active’ even though it should be, please highlight the link, copy & paste into another browser window, I have been trying for ages to fix the link with no luck so far… I have also added a link to the pozible campaign in the youtube comments section)

What I think about jet racing in the year 2016…

June 12, 2016 — leslie dean brown

I’m sure you can do it honey. I’m sure you can. I once went to a drag race at Eastern Creek. Yes. And I think this would have been cool too. In about the year 1988.

Hello! What about the environment? Have you EVER stopped to think about the environment? Did your parents even teach you about that? Clearly they haven’t. This is what worries me. It really does. Not teaching another generation about the importance of sustainability.

What’s that all about? It seems everyone just wants to have as much fun as we want today. Because the Earth will be fucked within 200 hundred years anyway… so why bother doing anything about it now? Well I’m going to do something about it today, by criticising the hell out of this bullshit.

So it just seems to me that all of this it’s a total waste of oxygen. It’s a waste fuel. How much flaming CO₂ does that thing even produce I wonder? And for what? For you to be somewhere that you don’t even need to be quicker than someone else? Whatever for? Just so you can feel better about yourself? So you feel ‘superior’? Because it’s pretty clear to be that you have some kind of female version of an inferiority complex. But my message doesn’t just apply to women racecar drivers. It applies to all drag racers. Male, female, trandgender, whatever. [Read more…]

Is a revolution forthcoming?

June 2, 2016 — leslie dean brown

You know, I keep seeing lots ostentatious displays of wealth online lately. Like this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this.

Practically every diamond record has been broken – this year alone (2016). It’s literally been one in every colour. Every single one of them being worth way more than $10M. What’s scary is not that they are worth that much. It’s that there are so many people secretly bidding for them…

And I’m just wondering how much more people are going to take… before they go on some kind of revolution. That’s half of what this blog is about by the way, starting some kind of revolution.

And I’m not alone. What I would like to know is, have any of billionaires today read articles like these?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/americas-new-economic-guillotine-is-dead-ahead-2013-10-16
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dalearcher/2013/09/04/could-americas-wealth-gap-lead-to-a-revolt/
http://bigthink.com/praxis/why-do-americans-tolerate-extreme-wealth-inequality
https://www.quora.com/Was-the-French-Revolution-caused-primarily-by-income-inequality
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2011/12/does-inequality-lead-to-revolution/
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/us-income-inequality-its-worse-today-than-it-was-in-1774/262537/
https://kisworldhistory.wikispaces.com/Distribution+of+Wealth

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you’re young and you don’t want to contribute to the huge gap inequality, don’t buy from big corporations. Most of the big corporations are headed by billionaires. That is the main reason why the older and wiser people are always telling youngsters to avoid the big brands, buy locally and support the littler businesses.

I think it might actually pay the ultra rich to be a little more conservative and donate a little more to charity. Because people today are more stressed than ever before. And no one is ever really immune to a lynch mob. Not even the ultra rich.

Because we live in the age of information. These days, people can find out things within seconds. And I for one think that the general social acceptance of extreme wealth is fast coming to an end. People used to look up to rich people. Wealth used to be something to aspire to. Not so any more. Now if you post a photo of your maybach limousines in every colour, you are likely to cop a lot of flack for it. Do that in the wrong place, and something is bound to happen eventually.

Now I’m not actually jealous of the ultra rich. Because richness too brings stress. Rather, I have empathy for the poor.

I don’t know about other people, but I am personally done working for the ultra rich. There is no way I would want to get a mortgage. Because I believe banks are charging way too much interest. And there is no way that I would want to rent. Because real estate agents are also charging too much. And I’m basically done working nine–to–five. I mean why would I want to? I see it as a form of modern slavery. I’d rather live with my family… and just do whatever it is that I want to do (illustration).

Well Ill leave it at that today. Meh.

Can journalists stop using the term “dole bludgers” please?

May 23, 2016 — leslie dean brown

I wasn’t planning on writing about personal issues on this blog, but I couldn’t help notice the headlines in the paper a few weeks ago…

I resent the term “dole bludger” being thrown around willy-nilly. I’m talking about this article, which appeared last month as a front page news headline. Really, this is not at all a politically correct phrase. It’s *absolutely* derogatory and offensive and I begin to fume with anger whenever I see supposedly “unbiased journalism” articles continually referring to this terminology in national papers such as the Telegraph and the Herald.

This is not a term that should be thrown around lightly. It’s *not* the 1980’s anymore. Since when did this term become acceptable to use in the national media?

I think this is a sorely outdated term and it *completely* isolates & alienates the thousands of people on legitimate welfare who ARE genuinely trying to seek employment (or self-employment). [Read more…]