Future Technology Quality may reflect past glories.Written by malcolm james pugh
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As long as your credit is good it will be an effortless electronic environment, always assuming zero credit/banking errors, which may gradually become more and more hard to actually prove has happened as Net becomes unassailable and infallible seeming. Computers are not good at self regulation. The race to supply this panacea is currently attempting a wireless supplantment of hard wired technology. I am not at all convinced that security and interference aspects of these items and strategy have been fully thought through and addressed, especially in light of plethora of new gadgets which all use various similar frequencies. We will address these issues in next missive from Mars. I leave you with a sobering thought. We can now use many times better fabrics, papers, materials and manufacturing processes than we ever could say late last century. Yet things from that era, like cookers, fridges, books, vintage cars, tape recorders, LPs, reel to reel tapes, model trains for example are still working (in many instances BETTER than their modern counterparts). If we are so advanced then why do we deliberately manufacture things which are not meant to survive for even a fraction of durability of these old items, when we have better materials, better tools, better knowledge, and better tolerances. We are a million times better at selling, and what we sell falls apart in no time, and no one seems to care, notice or even question such a trade in of quality and reliability and style for shoddy, unreliable unremarkable rubbish. A friend of mine is in printing, and challenge there and here in all aspects of modern manufacturing, is to put back quality, trust, and reliability and promote value of true worth over transient gloss. It would appear sales industry has become so perfected at what it does people have lost sight of actual quality of what they buy, and how long it is likely to last. We seem to prize short term gain over long term pride and craftsmanship; we outsource all our manufacturing to offshore and far east enterprises purely on basis of short term cost and at real cost of long term inability to produce from within our own lands and dependency on others abroad, what price then low cost when they are sole capable producers? Once you have thrown out basement and foundations it is hard to rebuild your house. If incentive were not solely focussed on style over substance and cheapness over craftsmanship, If advertising actually pushed us responsibly to think that quality is a virtue in itself worth paying for, and you DO in end get EXACTLY what you pay for, then maybe Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Royal Doulton, Wedgwood and Hornby would not be outsourcing to China or mass producing what were classic marques and designs in grotesque parodies of their former selves, under new managements using old famous names but not reflecting old hand made craftsmanship, pride and years of reliability. We also seem to stifle ourselves with rules that do not seem to apply to our competitors and then let them walk all over us on price. Take my printing friends trade; we try to use sustainable or recycled sources, wheras competition is happily chopping down virgin forests and bleaching paper. Multiply that by all call centres, toy manufacturing and base manufactured products in far east and China , where basic wage is infinitesimally small for huge undercutting of west and how can we compete, we of fair wage for all and minimum wage per hour ? China and East think in centuries, we think in days in comparison. In centuries though we will have no manufacturing base left. Does no-one see irreparable damage being done by losing brands such as Royal Doulton, or all lace and cotton industry or steel and shipbuilding? Everything is being sacrificed on altar of expediency and lowest possible cost price versus maximised profits. Surely someone should see a gap in market for quality and reliability in hand made articles made with pride by master craftsmen, or classic books bound in age old style and antique charm. we are truly brilliant at advertising, so why not let goods match spiel and create a niche market for connoisseurs if you like , an upper level style AND substance branding for those with discernment and a little more disposable income thoughtfully employed and not frittered. Better one Dickens than twenty Mills and Boon. It is possible quality may re emerge and make a comeback and substance may yet win out over gloss and style, as everything is cyclic in long run. We await future, but my bet is book and magnetic tape will eventually be seen to be better than .doc and cd. Surely a hand bound First edition of Dickens is a little above a computer print out? Surely an original reel to reel of Dark Side of Moon through a Ferrograph is a different planet to a bland and frequency challenged CD. Look on EBay at second hand prices of LPs Reel to Reels First editions . Then look at second hand prices of CDs and talking book cassettes. If resale value of quality is there why is sale value eroded and derided in favour of mass produced inferior brands? Recently an original DSOM sold for 305 pounds plus postage, CD sells for four quid. I digressed into quality field to outline another possible avenue for future, QUALITY MAY RESURFACE. We may yet see a renaissance of hand made goods, ideally suited to internet sales and perhaps have new searches like “Quality Quest” and “Antique Admiration” new websites like “Handmade Hardbacks” and “Solidwood Style”. As stressed before world at large is strangely cyclic, so it is possible markets may cry out for goods once more that do what they say they will for a long time, are craftsman made, individual, reliable and do not depreciate or fall apart overnight. Given small workshops from home could become a cottage industry once more, whole sum of its parts, what better way to re promote an old idea than via internet? Just as Opera and Classical music is resurgent, so too quality goods may reinvent themselves. I hope so. http://www.stiffsteiffs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
ex programmer
| | First Date Tips and TricksWritten by Marisa Pellegrino
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your date picks up tab, offer to pay next time. By all means, call your date if you say you’re going to call! If you didn’t have a good time then be courteous, and don’t promise to get in touch when you really have no intention of doing so. Be polite; turn off your cell phone and stop wandering eyes. There is nothing ruder than taking a casual call from a friend or ogling waitress at next table while your date is attempting to hold your attention. While talking about past relationships almost always comes up in conversation, don’t start telling your date every last detail; they are not your therapist! And believe me, chivalry is not dead; women do appreciate it, just don’t overdo it boys. In this world of women’s independence, many are taking it upon themselves to ask man out. And why not?! It shows confidence and is a turn-on for many men. Keep in mind though, confidence is sexy, arrogance is a turn off.Many people will have a different answer when you ask them their opinion on whether or not a kiss is acceptable on first date. Maybe all you want to do is hold hands or snuggle and save kiss for another date. It all depends on chemistry between you and whether or not it feels right. And if it does, then go for it. Of course, if date isn’t going well, feel free to end date early with everyone’s favorite backup “emergency” phone call from a friend. Chances are if you’re not having a good time, neither is your date! Hopefully, this has broadened your outlook on world of “first dates”. The whole point of a first date is to figure out if you want to get to know person better. Remember, when it comes to dating and tips, just follow your instinct and no matter outcome, have fun, enjoy yourself, and relax.
Marisa Pellegrino is freelance journalist and a writer for a Montreal radio show called Passion, a program about dating, relationships, and sex. She is also the writer/webmaster for Dating Ideas (www.dating-idea.com) a website with advice about dating and relationships.
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