Go Beyond

I think that perhaps in a rare moment, I know a little part of what I'd like to
do with my life.

I believe that people should have the free right to themselves, how they live,
where they live, and what they do with their lives. They should not be forced to
buy into any tax, and their only punishment should be that of the natural
(sometimes right, sometimes wrong) actions of the people they affect.

But that's another matter. As a part of that, I believe that goods should be
editable and modifiable, and that most any good thing should have schematics and
instructions for building and repairing. Now, people may freely choose to sell
things in the usual corporate model, but what if we could download designs for
dish racks or most any modern good and print them on a 3D printer? This design
could be improved and perfected, and made into what anyone wants. It would only
cost the power for printing time, printer maintenance, and plastic. There would
be minimal shipping and waste.

Anyone in the world can suggest improvements to this design. Others, can add
their artistic flair and touch, forgetting about the practicality and incredible
air-flow characteristics of the current dish rack. The perfectionists can
perfect, and the artists can transform.

I don't see why every product must compete on the whole with other companies. So
few of them can make a genuine, quality device these days. And the ones that
make the decent products are often incredibly hard to support. They come with no
schematics, and improvements and arguments are limited to the engineers vs. the
finance department. Many of the good design aspects are patented, and only the
licensed can pay homage to an idea that has already been thought. Patents and
copyright severely restrict innovation and the flow of design.

I'd like to see a society where my 1970 BMW 2002 can have every part blueprinted
and almost calculated. Each bit can be debated and rethought. And when something
finally breaks, BMW's incredible 40 year lifecycle on a part built with
materials well surpassed by todays standard, can be replaced with an 80 year
design perfected by many. And when the next 80 years comes around, we'll have
something even better. Or maybe it'll be a flop, and we'll retry BMW's method.
Or perhaps we'll build our own cars altogether, from the ground up. Why should
we be stopped with regulations, codes, and anything other than our own
ingenuity?

It's not a very sustainable profit model in all cases. People with the design
knowhow and 3D printers can resell their time and investment to others, but the
designs should all be public. And at worst, if people really want to keep their
designs secret and proprietary, maybe they'll have a better software and design
base to work on, producing better lasting products with less time sink. Perhaps
people could sell their own design improvement skills to work for others who
need custom work done, but I doubt it has the money-making potential of
copyrights and locked-down products in a limited market. It may, however, offer
the best economic stimulus and benefits around on the whole.

Of course, this is not the pinnacle of life or essential by any means. Just, it
fascinates me. No more planned obsolecensce, no more Walmart junk. Designs for
tinkerer, and quality for the practical person who simply wants to have a place
for dishes to dry.

I feel that we have no need for government, regulations, and certainly not
special favors or biases to anyone. If people have a fair chance to live and the
right attitude, we can work together as intelligent beings producing something
much better than the ineffeciencies that encourage some to grow incredibly rich,
and others to be poor with broken services and products. Not that capitalism is
all bad in my mind, and I see nothing wrong with people who have the capacity to
make themselves so rich. I don't propose socialism by any means, but I think
that interaction on a level where everyone is equal, everyone is an author, and
everyone is a user, is where we best bring life to a point of happiness for all.
Large houses, maids, and Maseratis can only go so far. But if you want them, I'm
not going to argue with you. Just don't stop me when I want to make my own, fix
your broken products, and copy your music and movies. And heck, I might even say
your company's name without a valid trademark symbol.

Sincerely,
Teran