Design:

 

Virtually There:  

  

Automatons:  

  

Labor Pains: 

 

Seen/Unseen: 

 

Waste:  

  • An article on the slight resurgence of repair shops with the observation that repair efforts begin at the birth of a product: "Buy-in from the major retailers is key, because the repair process actually starts long before a product breaks. It begins on the assembly line. Many corporations still pursue a strategy of planned obsolescence, designing a product to break so consumers need to buy more. Others build in ways to repair the product easily."  
  • A hopeful story of finding better ways to live while wasting less: "Combined with rules that limit outdoor watering and pricing that incentivizes conservation, Santa Fe has reduced its per capita consumption from 168 gallons per day in 1995 to 90 today." The prospect of living in desert regions of the world as droughts grow in length and intensity seems untenable, but smart choices at the community level can raise the bar on conservation. Beyond the personal anecdotes and policy tidbits, the story provides a sketchy prototype for how to live with the looming threat of destruction, how to build solutions for yourself and your neighbors, even as your national government goes astray. 

  

More next week. 

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