Smart consumers consider multiple factors when deciding whether to buy a particular product. Is it affordable? Is the quality good? How long will it last? Can I return it if I don’t like it? Are there any special discounts available? It therefore seems peculiar that one aspect of purchasing products is completely absent from our decision-making process: How will I dispose of this when it’s no longer of any use to me? [Read more…]
The Two Sides of Elon Musk
Every generation has its inventor-heroes. They inspire us and better our lives by giving us exciting new tools for helping to cope with various aspects of the human condition. The inventor du jour who has seemingly stepped into the chasm left vacant by Steve Jobs is a 43-year old South African-born Canadian-American named Elon Musk. [Read more…]
This Election, Please, Just Stay Home
Election season is upon us. It’s awful, I know. The recycle bin fills up twice as fast from unconvincing direct mail ads by the ream. Awkward tension develops amongst neighbors with rival candidates campaign signs staked in their front yards. And the most abhorrent form of human communication ever devised, the political bumper sticker, rubs your nose in the random ideologies of fellow drivers.
About this time, various influential individuals, interest groups, and non-profits spring up to clamor about the importance of voting. A public shaming in the form of radio, TV, and print ads takes place to discourage anyone from even thinking the thought of not voting. Celebrities on gilded soapboxes admonish the entire population about the need to vote.
“Vote or Die” went one get-out-the-vote campaign some years ago. That seems a little extreme, doesn’t it? But even without the stark alternative of dying, is voting a necessary and moral thing for all people to do? I’m not so sure. [Read more…]
The War On Skinny Women
I’m confused. When I turn on the TV or read the newspaper, I hear about a society that sets unrealistic physical standards for women. Magazines and clothing brands are routinely boycotted for using photos of models that have been airbrushed too much. Even the most recent winner of The Biggest Loser has been criticized for losing too much weight and apparently setting a bad example for women. [Read more…]
