blowing it Archives - Blowing It

January 27, 2018April 24, 2018

Blowing It Scenario #9-How High End Smart Phones Are Blowing It.

High End Smartphone Makers Alike Have Failed Us In Many Ways.

Smart phones have changed nearly every facet of life for almost of us, over the past decade. In some ways for the better, but in many more for the worse. Never before have we willing carried devices that can track our every moves. It constantly collects data of when you eat, when you sleep, when you workout, your heart rate, what movie genres you prefer, personal private photos you take. The list goes on and on.

We now have a device that allows absolutely anyone to get a hold of us anytime of day. So we’re never truly off the clock as long as our email can prompt us 24/7. And with each new shiny app we download, we invite a new wolf into the hen house. We are required to give up all of our personal data in order to post selfies of ourselves on this social media platform or check if our coworker had their baby on that social platform. We go on telling ourselves lies, that these corporations we tell our deepest darkest secrets too, have only our best interest in mind. So we pull up our search engines on our phones and we type in our inadequacies or our health concerns. And it just becomes more data about us collected for future reference.

So what do we pay for such a service? In the U.S. we have two major phone makers. With such limited competition in the market. Our duopoly gets to dictate the price. And the price they have set is over $1,000 for a phone. Maybe if the phone came out in 1989 but this is 2018. Not to mention you no longer get to own your phone, you now must lease it from your carrier. which is a massive failure in my eyes, but a conversation for another day.

There is a well know law in the technology field called Moore’s Law. It observes that processing power of computers will double every two years while continually driving down the price. So in theory our phones should be getting cheaper. I will mention their is a antithesis to this law, called Rocks Law. It observes that the technology would reach a saturation point. Maybe we have reached that saturation point in the smart phone market. What other reason could their be that would require us to pay such exorbitant prices for a new phone. Nearly triple of what we paid for past phone models with only a handful of new features. My solution for the short term might just be an inexpensive unlocked smartphone. In the long term, I think it might be high time to upend this market. It seems ripe for disruption.

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January 26, 2018April 24, 2018

Blowing it Scenario #8-World Economic Forum

It’s A Failure To Have A Few Wealthy Individuals Wax Intellectual About Economics Without Hearing The Plight Of The Common Man.

Every year the top business people and those in banking and government get together in Davos, Switzerland to discuss the economics of the day. I do believe in some form or another that it is very necessary to discuss such issues. Cooperation between world powers is essential for peace. One of the crucial elements I do believe they often miss, is the will of the people. I could be wrong. How am I to know exactly what is discussed. I have yet to be invited to such events.

However when the media discusses the world economic forum. They discuss the future plans, and it usually involves ideas to throw more money at this issue or that issue. The major failure of this increased money supply that the wealthy most likely understand but do it anyway. More money complicates matters for those with less of it, but it enriches when you hold all the cards. In Pareto’s Law it describes this economic principle, that 80% of the wealth will be in the hands of only 20% of the masses. Sometimes the numbers are skewed heavier in one favor then the other but they theory holds up across all industries. So when an abundance of money flows to a particular area of the economy. By law 80% of that money will flow to 20% of that particular industry. And when you have those 20% dictating where that money will be spent, it creates a self serving world economy where the wealthy will never part with any of there share. And the less fortunate receive less and less, if anything at all. It seems the outsider looking in that the goal of this event is to gain more for those few.

In order to keep up those 20% individuals and businesses, who have 80% of the wealth (it’s probably now closer to 90/10 now). The everyday working class citizen must borrow more and more just to keep up with the rising sea of money that flows in to every area of life. Rent increases, gas price increases, food cost increases, mortgage increases and on and on. And speaking of mortgage increases, the wealthy beyond there wildest dream banks, who almost collapsed the economy with their risky bets. Banks now make you pay their insurance bill, on the money they risked to loan you, for your house mortgage. They literally make you pay there insurance bill. Which insurance is just another investment arm, so they take that money and pump it back into industries they want to grow. And the cycle continues, enriching a few and perpetually increasing the cost of goods and living expenses. Mind you when you pay your banks insurance bill, that doesn’t go to paying down the principle on the house you “own” or raising your station in life. That is just money you willing give to the bank to because you have to foot the bill for there risky past failures. So I guess the lesson here again is, either get rich or hope that elite class starts letting you into the party. I believe the former will be far easier then the latter.

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January 24, 2018April 24, 2018

Blowing It Scenario #6-Doctors And The U.S. Gymnastics Team Blew It

How Doctors Are Failing Us. Exposed Through The Lens Of The U.S. Gymnastics Team.

It recently came out that the women’s U.S. gymnastics team doctor has been molesting the team for years. Hundreds of poor innocent children, girls who couldn’t know any better. Girls who just wanted to become the best in the world at the sport, were fully taken advantage of, and it’s a failure of society at every level.

This is a failure of executive power, of those who are deemed to be in control, those who are in charge. We see it happen throughout upper management in businesses all over the globe. Pure selfish abuse of power. In this case specifically it was those at the U.S. Gymnastics Association. To turn a blind eye for years, to brush under the rug any inking of a pedophile on staff. Even one that has such a close intimate job, as a doctor would. Another position of power that can be easy abused.

This is a failure of a sick doctor who used his position of power to manipulate young women. It’s also a failure of us. To treat doctors with such trust and faith. To place them on a pedestal as if their word was gospel. We believe that they always have our best interest at heart. Yet when we don’t question their actions, things slip through the cracks. We have scandals like this. Opioid epidemics, where I’m sure these, “well intention-ed doctors” had their patients best interest in mind. When they were doling out those oxy pills like candy. They couldn’t have possibly wanted to make more money or have been influenced in anyway by drug makers. Another system we put far too much faith in. So we end up with endless illness, doctors that just treat the symptoms and not the underlying health issue. Doctors that blatantly abuse their position of power and at the worst end of the spectrum, wrongful deaths at the hand of doctors. That again get swept under by the powers that be. They can’t possibly risk a lawsuit. Plus doctors are infallible, or at least that’s what we’re lead to believe.

Lastly this is a failure of society as a whole. To just now open the conversation about these abuses of power. How does such a high profile doctor become the most prolific child molester without anyone being none the wiser? Why wasn’t he imprisoned after the first time a child came forward. Or was it our failure to provide a safe place? Did we create, or contribute to a system in which the abused were just too afraid to come forward for fear of persecution. The answer is yes. We are making progress, but we’re still a long ways away.

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January 20, 2018December 16, 2018

Blowing It Scenario #2-Star Wars (many will disagree)

The Ways In Which Star Wars Blew It.

(spoilers) Recently I went to see the newest film in the Star Wars franchise. The Last Jedi. Albeit a pretty good movie but to me it failed for one specific reason. Before that I must tell a little back story. The original Star Wars Trilogy was created a few years before I was born but never the less it was the movies I was raised on. As close to a perfect trilogy of movies as one could get. Fast forward a couple years and Lucas Films releases the “Prequel” movies. I won’t go into too much of a rant on those but they definitely a diminished brand in my humble opinion. Especially the fact that the films looked to be a hundred years into the future but were based in the past. Also they introduced us to a very obnoxious and very prevalent character named Jar Jar Binks . Need I say more. Everyone’s a critic, including myself and I digress. I could not produce a film right now 1/64th the quality of those films. George Lucas was a producer and built a magnificent franchise that has stood the test of time. Proof of quality is echoed in the 4 billion Disney paid for Lucas Films.

Disney has now gone on to take the franchise into the stratosphere. And I hope they never slow down or cease to make Star Wars movies. However back to my original argument. As I was saying before, I was raised on the originals and in the original films their was a character named Luke Skywalker. A harbinger of good to bring balance back to the force. Probably the most iconic character of the films other then Darth Vader. Disney had so many avenues to travel on Luke’s story line when they reintroduced him in the newest films. And the character arch they chose was grizzled old man? Essentially robbing us of the many good years he dedicated to the force and towards teaching others. I feel like they might as well gave him a rocking chair and a shot gun while he yells at Rey to get off his lawn. I’m sure Disney will rectify this in an origin film. However in the meantime, that was a major failure for me and it left a sour taste in my mouth. One I needed to write out. My opinion is probably one not many will share. That’s good, we won’t always agree and the movies aren’t made specifically for me. Either way, I probably won’t ever stop watching as long as they continue to produce Star Wars movies and I do look forward to seeing “Solo .”

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