>Planned Obsolescence

>

50-year old prescient ruminations on the dangers of pursuing style over substance:

“To comprehend the strategic mapping going on behind all the commotion about styling, we need first of all to understand the shell game Detroit plays with the public. The body shell is crucial to obsolescence planning.”
– Vance Packard, “The Waste Makers” (1960)

If the transportation of Things (Industrial Age) has evolved into the transportation of Ideas (Information Age) then the parallels are even more timely. And if Cupertino and Redmond (and even San Rafael) don’t care whether or not they’re running headlong into becoming the Detroit of the Information Age? Well, then I doubt it’ll take 50 years to get there.

Long term success requires a rigorous focus on:

– Style of (not over) Substance
– “Hypercentralization” of Function
– The Compelling Advantage of “Implementability”
– Predictable Efficiency
– Ubiquity of Access

And yes – as an avid Mac user the Style:Substance Irony Ratio(TM) has my spider senses tingling. Especially when the launch of a new color of iPod/iPhone/iMac/iEtc is considered by some as a cultural event worthy of standing in line. In other places, people stand in line for, well – food.

More to follow. Need to head to the Apple store for an overpriced, white audio cable…

Planned Obsolescence

50-year old prescient ruminations on the dangers of pursuing style over substance:

“To comprehend the strategic mapping going on behind all the commotion about styling, we need first of all to understand the shell game Detroit plays with the public. The body shell is crucial to obsolescence planning.”
– Vance Packard, “The Waste Makers” (1960)

If the transportation of Things (Industrial Age) has evolved into the transportation of Ideas (Information Age) then the parallels are even more timely. And if Cupertino and Redmond (and even San Rafael) don’t care whether or not they’re running headlong into becoming the Detroit of the Information Age? Well, then I doubt it’ll take 50 years to get there.

Long term success requires a rigorous focus on:

– Style of (not over) Substance
– “Hypercentralization” of Function
– The Compelling Advantage of “Implementability”
– Predictable Efficiency
– Ubiquity of Access

And yes – as an avid Mac user the Style:Substance Irony Ratio(TM) has my spider senses tingling. Especially when the launch of a new color of iPod/iPhone/iMac/iEtc is considered by some as a cultural event worthy of standing in line. In other places, people stand in line for, well – food.

More to follow. Need to head to the Apple store for an overpriced, white audio cable…

>While Supplies Last

>
All profits shall to go to the benefit and treatment of substance abusing leprechauns (not to be confused with Hobbits…sorry Guy).
– And by “treatment” I mean beer.
– And by “leprechauns” I mean persons wearing this T-shirt.
– And by “benefit” I mean The 1st Annual Meeting of “The Order of the Drunken Leprechaun” at AU 2009.

More to follow. 🙂

More colors and styles available! Act fast!

While Supplies Last

All profits shall to go to the benefit and treatment of substance abusing leprechauns (not to be confused with Hobbits…sorry Guy).
– And by “treatment” I mean beer.
– And by “leprechauns” I mean persons wearing this T-shirt.
– And by “benefit” I mean The 1st Annual Meeting of “The Order of the Drunken Leprechaun” at AU 2009.

More to follow. 🙂

More colors and styles available! Act fast!

While Supplies Last

All profits shall to go to the benefit and treatment of substance abusing leprechauns (not to be confused with Hobbits…sorry Guy).
– And by “treatment” I mean beer.
– And by “leprechauns” I mean persons wearing this T-shirt.
– And by “benefit” I mean The 1st Annual Meeting of “The Order of the Drunken Leprechaun” at AU 2009.

More to follow. 🙂

More colors and styles available! Act fast!

>Cat 1, Bag 0

>Well – perhaps I can finally stop obsessing over Drunken Leprechaun Mode(TM). And maybe the Factory will stop obsessing as well. Leave both UI’s in and instead focus on Site Tools.

Any chance I can present my AU sessions with this? Cause if most people are using 2009 (or 2010 in Classic mode) I’d probably just end up confusing the customer.

On to bigger and better things! 🙂

Speaking of which – New Zealand is moving closer (literally) to Australia. Unfortunately, it’ll eventually mean a Dingo feeding frenzy. Poor Hobbits. They are an endangered species as it is.

But there is at least one silver-lined cloud! At this rate, Guy will be able to drive to his daughter’s future wedding in Sydney. 😉

Cat 1, Bag 0

Well – perhaps I can finally stop obsessing over Drunken Leprechaun Mode(TM). And maybe the Factory will stop obsessing as well. Leave both UI’s in and instead focus on Site Tools.

Any chance I can present my AU sessions with this? Cause if most people are using 2009 (or 2010 in Classic mode) I’d probably just end up confusing the customer.

On to bigger and better things! 🙂

Speaking of which – New Zealand is moving closer (literally) to Australia. Unfortunately, it’ll eventually mean a Dingo feeding frenzy. Poor Hobbits. They are an endangered species as it is.

But there is at least one silver-lined cloud! At this rate, Guy will be able to drive to his daughter’s future wedding in Sydney. 😉

>Keep Digging

>”What kills a company is not competition but arrogance.”
– Eric Schmidt, CEO Google

Since it’s already been shown that, “There is no way to switch your user interface back to the user interface used in pre-2010 Revit products” is complete bollocks – perhaps someone can amend the Service & Support response?

Link for feedback here.

I think we’re going to need at least one more feedback bubble. 😉

Update: Pulled. Cached. Revised.

Keep Digging

“What kills a company is not competition but arrogance.”
– Eric Schmidt, CEO Google

Since it’s already been shown that, “There is no way to switch your user interface back to the user interface used in pre-2010 Revit products” is complete bollocks – perhaps someone can amend the Service & Support response?

Link for feedback here.

I think we’re going to need at least one more feedback bubble. 😉

Update: Pulled. Cached. Revised.

>A Couple of Beers

>www.acoupleofbeers.com
http://www.twitter.com/acoupleofbeers

More to follow. 🙂