Showing posts with label companies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label companies. Show all posts
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Thursday, April 22, 2021
"Right to repair" has to come with "Ease of repair"
I normally dont post links in my blog. They die over time and it is very difficult to link it again, if a reader wants the link again. However, these two links have to be mentioned and I am privileged to post the link. If any individual/company has any issues with me posting the link here. Kindly comment and appropriate action will be taken.
https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=nvVafMi0l68
https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=-F-Wxj-v9-g
The first link talks about "right to repair". The video is from Linus. One of the most prolific tech video producer I have come across. In this video, he talks about an initiative started by Louis, a crowd funded effort to argue "right to repair". The second video is a "Thank you" video from Louis. Between these two videos, the viewer will have a clear understanding of this "right". This right should be in the list of fundamental rights in any democratic nation. In this age of consumerism, right to repair, is what is going to save the customer and the planet. Many people dont know the real meaning of a "right". Let us first understand that. Let us talk about "Right to freedom of speech". What does this tell. Well, it just tells that you are free to talk your mind. So, what if you dont want to talk your mind. Well, this right has got you covered. You have the right to not talk your mind. The right tells that, if you want to talk, you can, if you dont want, then you are free not to talk. Let us put this explanation and draw parallel for the "right to repair".
Let us assume that one consumer thinks that, any tech should not be repaired by the customer or on behalf of the customer by a third party. This action is part of "right to repair". If any other customer wants to carry out repairs, then he is also in this right. He is free to do so. If anybody thinks that no customer should be allowed to repair a gadget, the right to repair, applies to him also. He has the right to not get his gadget repaired. If anybody wants to carry out repairs, then this individual can. If this is clear, then as a consumer, you need not worry. If you are a rich person and instead of repairs, you would like a shiny new one, go ahead. If any others want to repair, then we are not damaging your chances of not repairing it. You are still free to pay huge money for a new one.
I still remember my 1st pc, purchased in the year 2001. Every specific component was hand picked based on the money available. Any issue with the computer, I used to open up the complete chasis and try changing all the components and then one change would make the pc working again. Ring to 2021, Majority of the computers have soldered components. There were enterprising indivduals, who understood the complete schematics of the computer and started to de-solder the individual components and replace with newer ones. Yes, it is a niche market, but, it is still doable.
Now, what should the bigger companies do now. Well, bring it all within the processor die. What are we going to do about it, Well, I am blank as of now. The components on the die has provided the fastest bus for communication between the components, which was not achievable if the components are laid out on a Motherboard. But, this is a nightmare for the repair aficionados. Since all the major components of a computer are now in the processor die, you cannot upgrade your pc. If one component on the processor die, dies, the whole computer is as good as junk. For the re-soldering industry the only option is to remover the processor die and replace with a new one. But, this replacement will be exorbitantly high. How will the customer bear these costs. These costs might motivate the customer to just buy a new black box.
Right to repair is one thing, capability to repair is one more thing. The big corporations are now on a path wherein, even if we do win the right to repair, it will be difficult for individuals and hobbyists to carry out repairs. The new products from Apple only have speakers and thermals outside the processor die. With right to repair, we should start a revolution for ease of repair also. Without ease of repair, there is no use of having right to repair. Let us wish that other technologically competitive individuals take up this aspect of "ease of repair" also. Otherwise the fight for "right to repair" will be laid waste.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
FUD of potable water.
So, Water has been downgraded and termes as a "need". That is it is not critical for the survival of mankind and that it can be industrialized, trademarked and sold at many times the cost of bottling it. So, we will have stars endrosing different variants of bottled water suited to hte whims and fancies of the elite. If humans could intake gold in solid form, then we mahy have bottled water with gold dust. Some countries could come out with medicnal bottled water with precious body parts of various endangered species stored withing the bottled water.
This is an awesome indusry. The beauty of this industry is the wide spectrum of investment possible. You can have a cottage industry serving the local area or an MNC bottling in one country and selling it across the world. The domestic filteration companies in a bid to sell their kits have classified tap water as non-potable. Governments have not done anything in clearing this FUD. Right from ultra developed countries to the developing ones and stagnated ones. They have not tried to educate the people nor improve the arcane technology being used to clean water and make it potable. No action has been taken by any government to stop this FUD regarding water in any way.
We now have people drinking nearly De-mineralized water and then to compensate for the minerals, we have doctors prescribing vitamins and other processed foods.
Now, the thing about bottled water is, you cannot start with De-mineralized water as a base and then star adding the required amounts of nutrients which were already present. If this was possible all these companies would have harvested the sea and humanity would definitely be happy with this endeavour. Since this is not the case, the base of any bottled water has to be , naturally occuring water. This is then to be treated to selectively eliminate the supposedly harmful constituents and then add a propreitory mixture of supposedly healthy constituents which in the end should have a pleasing effect on the sensory organs.
The argument in monetizing water is only one. That is, people are wasting it. Whenever anything is in abudance we tend to waste it. Now, bottled water is sold at geographical locations where water is definitely available in abundance. It is sold at a premium both at the areas of abundance and also where it is meagre in availability.
There was a time I enjoyed drinking water from a flowing river. Now, I a cant do that. That is because now I know that there are various industries along the flow path of the river which dump unprocessed industrial waste right into the river. Plain business. Plain bottom line.
I also always thought that smaller companies in their rush to grow up do not follow certain ethics towards the environment, will cut corners and end up damaging the external environment. But as they grow, they become more responsible(like humans). But it is not so, the larger organizations are cutting bigger corners in order to grow bigger(like humans). All this dumping makes the traditional water treatment and transport facility outdated. This in turn feeds the filteration mafia and in turn the bottle water industry. Modern business are waiting for any new demand being created. They are ready to supply to the demand. Just show me the demand. Here you have exceptional demand where doctors also join in by qouting the ill-effects of tap water. So, maintaining one's health is a great demand. With countries being told that globalization is the way to grow and survive in future economic scenarios, It is very easy for trans-national companies to heed the demand of countries across the world. If the FUD worked in one country it will work in another.
In the bottling industry investment can be minimum and also very high. For MNC's it is as easy as gobbling up a local bottling plant. Since a bottle of water is costlier than the same volume of soft drinks there is no doubt as to the reason of all the soft drinks companies having their own brand of bottled water. All these comapanies have cordoned off portions of rivers, springs and put their stamp of ownership on these natural resources, keeping it out of reach of the common man.
FUD related to air ended up with setting of oxygen bars. This failed miserably owing to the "un-controllable" natue of air. But water, can be contained, cordoned off. The time is not far off where we will have water bottled with a tinge of lemon, orange, strawberry etc. So, what about the common man? He makes up 99% of the world population, what about animals, birds......... Governments allowing bottling of water and then allowing it to be exported to other countries risk the natural rain cycle.
With no clouds, natural rain cycle, we will be a "RED" planet in the future and nobody will be there to see it.
This is an awesome indusry. The beauty of this industry is the wide spectrum of investment possible. You can have a cottage industry serving the local area or an MNC bottling in one country and selling it across the world. The domestic filteration companies in a bid to sell their kits have classified tap water as non-potable. Governments have not done anything in clearing this FUD. Right from ultra developed countries to the developing ones and stagnated ones. They have not tried to educate the people nor improve the arcane technology being used to clean water and make it potable. No action has been taken by any government to stop this FUD regarding water in any way.
We now have people drinking nearly De-mineralized water and then to compensate for the minerals, we have doctors prescribing vitamins and other processed foods.
Now, the thing about bottled water is, you cannot start with De-mineralized water as a base and then star adding the required amounts of nutrients which were already present. If this was possible all these companies would have harvested the sea and humanity would definitely be happy with this endeavour. Since this is not the case, the base of any bottled water has to be , naturally occuring water. This is then to be treated to selectively eliminate the supposedly harmful constituents and then add a propreitory mixture of supposedly healthy constituents which in the end should have a pleasing effect on the sensory organs.
The argument in monetizing water is only one. That is, people are wasting it. Whenever anything is in abudance we tend to waste it. Now, bottled water is sold at geographical locations where water is definitely available in abundance. It is sold at a premium both at the areas of abundance and also where it is meagre in availability.
There was a time I enjoyed drinking water from a flowing river. Now, I a cant do that. That is because now I know that there are various industries along the flow path of the river which dump unprocessed industrial waste right into the river. Plain business. Plain bottom line.
I also always thought that smaller companies in their rush to grow up do not follow certain ethics towards the environment, will cut corners and end up damaging the external environment. But as they grow, they become more responsible(like humans). But it is not so, the larger organizations are cutting bigger corners in order to grow bigger(like humans). All this dumping makes the traditional water treatment and transport facility outdated. This in turn feeds the filteration mafia and in turn the bottle water industry. Modern business are waiting for any new demand being created. They are ready to supply to the demand. Just show me the demand. Here you have exceptional demand where doctors also join in by qouting the ill-effects of tap water. So, maintaining one's health is a great demand. With countries being told that globalization is the way to grow and survive in future economic scenarios, It is very easy for trans-national companies to heed the demand of countries across the world. If the FUD worked in one country it will work in another.
In the bottling industry investment can be minimum and also very high. For MNC's it is as easy as gobbling up a local bottling plant. Since a bottle of water is costlier than the same volume of soft drinks there is no doubt as to the reason of all the soft drinks companies having their own brand of bottled water. All these comapanies have cordoned off portions of rivers, springs and put their stamp of ownership on these natural resources, keeping it out of reach of the common man.
FUD related to air ended up with setting of oxygen bars. This failed miserably owing to the "un-controllable" natue of air. But water, can be contained, cordoned off. The time is not far off where we will have water bottled with a tinge of lemon, orange, strawberry etc. So, what about the common man? He makes up 99% of the world population, what about animals, birds......... Governments allowing bottling of water and then allowing it to be exported to other countries risk the natural rain cycle.
With no clouds, natural rain cycle, we will be a "RED" planet in the future and nobody will be there to see it.
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