The "Bigger Picture"

From: Bruce Lane <kyrrin_at_bluefeathertech.com>
Date: Sat May 27 21:45:33 2000

        I've already asked ... heck, told... Sellam that I don't want to
continue the thread regarding what happened to Haltek. That still
holds true. What I would like to add here, now that I've cooled down
a bit, is some background on why I reacted as I did.

        I see the whole Bay Area mess -- skyrocketing housing prices,
demand outpacing supply, etc. -- as only one symptom of a much
larger pattern of badly distorted values and priorities that, to my
eyes, has been developing at least since the mid-80's.

        That pattern is one of a culture that has, in large part, come to
value money above all else. Above family, above skills, above the
ability to create something that's truly an innovation (and I do NOT
mean web-enabled refrigerators!), and above the ability to take
something old, but still usable, and give it new life.

        Don't get me wrong: I'm not in any way against making a
comfortable living, nor am I against a business making a fair profit.
That would be as silly as expecting honest behavior out of White
House politicians.

        What I do have a problem with is the pattern I see is "make as
much money as you can in as short a time as you can, and to
blazes with whoever you might screw, or what you might do to the
long-term picture for the planet along the way, because money is
the ONLY important thing!"

        That kind of thinking is as destructive, in the long term, to this
world and everyone on it as a nuclear blast would be in the short
term.

        I do not agree with such a warped philosophy. I do not
subscribe to it. I will fight it in any way that I can, anywhere I can,
in this world or wherever I end up in when my number comes up.

        I currently do so in many different ways, one of which is by
preserving and using older technology that might otherwise serve to
choke a landfill even higher than it already is. I think a lot of the
list's members are the same way.

        Every surplus dealer that goes under represents, to my eyes,
that much more possible content in the landfills, that much less of
an opportunity for a budding hobbyist to learn what real "hacking"
is, and that much more of a win for a the mindset of "Plug-and-Play-
and-ThrowItAway" rather than doing a 'Quality Job.'

        Given the above, is it any wonder that I got ticked off when I
learned of Haltek's demise, and (more specifically) how they'd
come to an end?

        If Sellam, or anyone else on the list, wants to judge me as
short-sighted, or lacking "perspective" because of these beliefs,
then I can only say "Guilty as charged, and thanks for sharing your
opinion."

        I'm not out to offend anyone, and I'm certainly not crazy enough
to think that everyone is going to agree with me. That would be
really dumb. All I was trying to do was express my disgust that a
place I considered as a valued resource had been, in my view,
unfairly forced out of business. If that did offend anyone, I apologize.

        Whatever the case, I think I will keep "death notices," as it
were, on my web site instead of in the group.

        Thanks for reading.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner/Head Honcho,
Blue Feather Technologies (www.bluefeathertech.com)
kyrrin_at_bluefeathertech.com
"SCSI Users, Unite! Beware the IDEs of March!"
Received on Sat May 27 2000 - 21:45:33 BST