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Contributor name: Maven

Karma:

Contributor since: Oct 3, 2006

Last seen: Nov 21, 2006

Voting patterns

What Maven thinks of other contributors' views

79% (78 votes) agreed

What other contributors thinks of Maven's views

74% (133 votes) agreed

Latest comments posted

Are traffic lights dangerous?

Maven thinks: People need to realize that driving is dangerous. We have added so many comforts and conveniences to out autpmobiles these days that we forget that we are loaded into a 100kph missle on the road. Even driving a manual transmission forces drivers to concentrate on what is going on around them. If someone stops, they have to downshift and brake. The same is true, if not moreso, for motorcycles. The inherent danger forces a rider to pay constant attention to the road and the drivers around them. It's important to realize that the comforts we have grown accustomed to might not be the most optimal way to keep us out of traffic accidents.

4 Day Working Week

Maven thinks: Overall, I believe this would make people more productive. Often times when working on projects, I tend to be focused and would prefer to work straight through until it's finished. Not only does this provide a more comprehensive project, but it let's me focus on other things such as friends and family when I'm not at work rather than split time between the two on a five day work week.

Ministry Of Truth 2006

Maven thinks: It would be nice if everyone told the truth at all time, but let's be real, it will never happen. Society is built on perception, not reality. People need to have some sense of honor in order to enter politics. It's up to us to decide for ourselves and elect representatives that are beyond corruption and choose to enter politics to make a change and not because they are starved for power.

Parking in the big city

Maven thinks: I say stop driving altogether. Give people more option and incentives to use mass transit. Encourage walking and bicycling to work and school. Not only will it reduce parking problems, people will be healthier as a result of that little bit of exercise.

International Dialing

Maven thinks: Although the internet is the ideal way to transfer data, I doubt that wireless companies would be willing to service without finding some way of charging us for use. Distance should no longer be a factor. With the onset of the internet and growing globalization, we should not be limited by companies just trying to make a buck. This is possibly why programs such as Skype have become so popular in the last few years.

Latest comments agreed with

Conference Phones

Simpler thinks: Good point. Am sitting here next to my office phone realizing that I still don't know how to transfer calls, dial other in, put people on hold, etc. A secretary once made a quick menu for all of us. Now I have lost it and just can't be bothered to remember the right sequence to press 4 or 5 buttons. It already has about 30 buttons - why not devoted a few to these core functions and get rid of the rest?

Wordless Instructions

OBTobi thinks: I think that wordless instructions show how a product works without complicating the process with fancy mumbo-jumbo and unlogical lingo. Plus, it will simply show images of the product being assembled.

Who could want for anything more??

Are hot water heaters outdated?

JBonnin thinks: It is a shame that the domestic conversion to solar requires such a big investment. I dream about living in a solar powered house.

Nevertheless, some kind of advantage should be ensured to building companies in order to stimulate the implement of alternative energy as well as water recycling systems.

Merging Man and Machine

rorki thinks: I don't have a problem with others being able to read the data so much, only if it's possible to hack this info, modify and present your information as being someone else. Last thing you need is for this to be an in-secure product, you get to the airport, your kids hack into you from their PDA, and as you go through the passport scanner it shows the name Mickey Mouse, complete with digital likeness... or something more dangerous, like a footballer banned from travelling, or a terrorist...

Is cash necessary anymore?

niccs thinks: i feel that you dont really need cash at all. aslong of course that you have paid ur bills- usually direct debit and once you have bought ur food and groceries for the week etc then no you dont need much cash at all.

Latest comments disagreed with

Is cash necessary anymore?

billhew thinks: Is cash necessary anymore? Well most of the time you can probably get by without it. But there are always times when small amounts of cash are handy - for buying a newspaper, paying a taxi fare, etc. The bottom line is that we are all used to using notes and coins as we have been using them for thousands of years.

Credit cards are no use for such small amounts (including micropayments online) unless they are used through an aggregator such as BT Clicks, PayPal, etc. due to minimums and interest charged.

In recent years, there have been several attempts to replace physical cash with electronic cash. These have had varying degrees of success - from the complete failure of the Mondex programme to the low-level acceptance of schemes such as Chipknip in the Netherlands for small payments such as parking. The technologies are there to implement - the problem lies with us. To change a human behaviour that has been with us for so long requires much more than technology, legislation, or funding - it requires a very long time for any replacement to become familiar, trusted, and accepted. Electronic cash, which is what we are talking about, is a solution looking for a problem where none exists.

Is cash necessary anymore?

SimplyOverwhelmed thinks: I much prefer to use my card but I also know that in many countries/areas there is a minimum bill, under which you have to pay a fee. As well, some banks can add service fees. So what if you wanted to spend only pennies? Things have to progress a lot more but I would really like this to happen. My pockets would be lighter too.

What is simplicity to you?

jk thinks: What is simplicity is the context of something new? If simplicity is achieved by "familiarity" developed from using another product, then this can create a negative spiral of uniformity, of limited imagination and a competitive nightmare for companies wanting to break into a market with already substantial leading vendor.(s) So, is the best form of simplicity one which challenges familiarity by offering the opportunity for each one of us to personalise our own way of using products rather than being presented with predetermined routes.

Simple auto maintenance

Dream thinks: Just Walk or catch the Bus/Train instead. Simple :)

Digital Rights Management, problem or solution?

sean thinks: This is a real problem that most people don't realize until they try to copy their music collection to a new device only to find rights permissions only allow you to copy the song to one mobile device. It's not a good way to go about protecting copyright. Private usage rights are being ignored while money hungry record companies make life difficult for all of us as a result. I understand the need to stop people from pirating music, but when I can't copy an album that I legitimately own and can't copy music files to another device, there is a serious problem.

Submitted discussions

Discussions this contributor has submitted to LiveSimplicity:

Can computer gaming make you smarter? - 7 comments
Out of control email inbox - 10 comments
Merging Man and Machine - Concluded
Cell Phones in Cars - Concluded

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