Foolish Logic (or Sense is NOT common)

In the beginning, God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, combined with an abundance of green, yellow and red vegetables. He did this so that Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then, using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Whip and Peter's Ice Cream. And Satan said: "You want hot fudge with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" And Woman said: "I'll have one too... with sprinkles." And lo and behold, they gained 10 pounds.

And so God created the healthful yogourt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane, and combined them. And Woman went from size 8 to size 14.

So God said: "Try my fresh green garden salad." And Satan presented crumbled Blue Cheese dressing and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said: "I have sent you heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep-fried squid rings, butter-dipped lobster chunks, and fried chicken so big it needed its own platter. And Man's cholesterol sharply increased.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition. Then Satan peeled off the healthful skin, sliced the starchy centre into chips and deep-fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt. And Man packed on more pounds.

God then brought forth running shoes so that his children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan introduced cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretchy lycra jogging suits.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and the 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then Satan said: "You want fries with that?" And Man replied: "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed... and created quadruple by-pass surgery. Satan chuckled and created the public health system.

All rights reserved by the Author. Reprinted with permission

A Comment in the form of Questions

Are we moving too quickly with technology as it relates to media and communications? For example, the latest and the greatest in computer media presentations is requiring higher and higher demands of computer systems, effectively shutting out new ideas from individuals that can not keep up (by not having a system that can run the software fast enough or even enough memory to load it up).

This includes both financial and administrative resources to keep our personal systems up to date. Affordable needs to be a quality decision rather than a race by the suppliers to earn a profit on the backs of consumer demand for a product that is outrageously advanced. Management time to keep systems of the 'latest / greatest' status operational can simply be overwhelming for the above average individual and just a andother waste or money grab for the specialist, depending on whether compensation is being made for the time spent.

When does the designed obsolescence spiral end? When do we say that business doesn't need to upgrade just to have a 'better' set of tools than the next? Will brutal competition continue to dictate this trend? When do we allow the minds to be masterful of the current software rather than in a constant state of initial learning curve?

I would never suggest that we should stifle invention or progress but only to let the masses catch on and actually use products so the learning curve doesn't have to start over. Single board computers for dedicated tasks are becoming more popular in reliable roles rather than a single machine to do everything.

I wonder when someone will invent a single board controller for gateway services on the internet? I know, we already have one - called a digital cable TV box with TiVo. Food for thought.