Living with Technology's Obsolescence*
Dr Abe V Rotor
"We live in a disposable, 'cast-off and throw-away' society that has largely lost any real sense of permanence. Ours is a world of expiration dates, limited shelf life, and planned obsolescence. Nothing is absolute."
- Myles Munroe
1. Keys and Locks - security turned oblivion
Framed obsolete locks and keys makes a fine museum piece.
On display at the Living with Nature Center
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur
"Waste, waste, waste everywhere!"once useful, handy in our homelikened to "Water, water, everywhere,but not a drop to drink"* syndrome. - avr
*From Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Closeup of obsolete locks and keys at the museum.
- Are your locks reliable, convenient and safe?
- Seek help from your locksmith; restore unserviceable locks.
- Choose sturdy and simple locks for long, if not lifetime, use.
- Coded and computerized locks may lock up and become useless.
- Protect locks and devices from the elements, specially rain, thieves and rascals.
- Don't be a victim of promo locks with new designs, systems, other features.
- Lock must be integrated with other safety devices of the establishment,
- Stick to genuine brands. Be sure they are original.
- Regularly check locks. Follow proper use and maintenance.
- Locks must never be a hindrance in case of emergency. Set rules to enhance their usefulness and safety.
2. Clean up your desk, clean up Nature - and save.
Green pen - refillable with spare cartridge. These expensive ball pens need new cartridge after the original one has been spent. Substitute brands are cheaper. Ask your school and office suppliers.
Thousands of ball pens - millions actually, all over the globe, prematurely become useless. They die ahead of their time, so to speak, and we just don't give them decent burial. They are simply thrown away for nature to take over their demise. But they are non-biodegradable. They'll never decompose and become part of Nature's way of recycling them for the next generation.
Which lead us to a challenge. For our part as users the most practical way is to refill. Ball pens are generally refillable. Many are built to outlive their writing element, in like manner guns are built for long use. There are of course, use-and-throw-away types. Avoid these if you can. Otherwise you fall into the tender trap of planned obsolescence, a ploy of many manufacturers.
Expensive ball pens can be refilled for a lifetime. And there are substitute brands which are relatively cheaper than the original. One advantage to have a brand of your choice and use it regularly is that your penmanship remains the same. This is ergonomics which enhances natural feel in the use of the instrument. Your writing style becomes consistent. So with your signature. Look how beautiful your notes are.
Which lead us to a challenge. For our part as users the most practical way is to refill. Ball pens are generally refillable. Many are built to outlive their writing element, in like manner guns are built for long use. There are of course, use-and-throw-away types. Avoid these if you can. Otherwise you fall into the tender trap of planned obsolescence, a ploy of many manufacturers.
Expensive ball pens can be refilled for a lifetime. And there are substitute brands which are relatively cheaper than the original. One advantage to have a brand of your choice and use it regularly is that your penmanship remains the same. This is ergonomics which enhances natural feel in the use of the instrument. Your writing style becomes consistent. So with your signature. Look how beautiful your notes are.
Start a campaign in your school or community. Have a supplier of ball pen fillers. And have a refilling session. This is a practical campaign to save money and to save nature. This will send a strong message to unscrupulous manufacturers.
The art of gleaning extends far and wide, and now with pencils (and capless ballpens) thrown away before their time is up - why not give them another chance?
Simply wrap up, roll over each one a colorful, pliant paper from handouts and color magazines (just like the photos shown here), and there you have made a beautiful piece of art!
Pencil stubs once more fit for writing - oh, how precious they are to you their savior; they have defied the category of waste for the duration of their second life;
Like scabbards you sheath an unassuming dagger, saving someone from getting stabbed on the skin or in the eye, in a simple act of "prevention by protection" principle;
Why didn't the manufacturer think of that? To provide safety caps to pencils before they reach the market, to warn of danger to school kids, and grownups too?
There is meaning in small things, we do - a bit of economy, a little ingenuity, a simple expression of beauty, a little act of goodness - and a little prayer.~
Simply wrap up, roll over each one a colorful, pliant paper from handouts and color magazines (just like the photos shown here), and there you have made a beautiful piece of art!
Pencil stubs once more fit for writing - oh, how precious they are to you their savior; they have defied the category of waste for the duration of their second life;
Like scabbards you sheath an unassuming dagger, saving someone from getting stabbed on the skin or in the eye, in a simple act of "prevention by protection" principle;
Why didn't the manufacturer think of that? To provide safety caps to pencils before they reach the market, to warn of danger to school kids, and grownups too?
There is meaning in small things, we do - a bit of economy, a little ingenuity, a simple expression of beauty, a little act of goodness - and a little prayer.~
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