Designer's Angst

Infrared Sensor Silliness

I’m all for cleaner, more efficient public restrooms. So all in all I like the idea of infrared motion sensors on soap dispensers, faucets and paper towel dispensers. It’s just that I feel like an idiot waving my hands around in front of the sink wondering if the darn sensor is working or not. I need an alternative.

Would it be too much to ask to put a small button on the towel dispenser? If I tap the button and no towel comes out, I can walk away and look for something else to dry my hands on.

Remote Patrol

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pushed the mute button on my remote during an obnoxious commercial only to have my television continue to blare.  So I aim the remote more carefully and try again.  I wish that my remote control had a laser beam that would show me where I was pointing.

If my remote had a laser beam, I’d also like to see my big screen respond to it.  I could then move screen in screen pictures around, resize them, maximize and minimize them, and perform similar actions.  It should work like the mouse attached to my computer.

As long as I’m adding features to my remote control, I’d like to include a small microphone as well.  I’d be happy if Version 1.0 responded to a few simple commands like “On”, “Off” and “Mute”.  It’s all about more options with less effort on my part.

I certainly don’t need more remote control buttons.  If I can’t figure it out on my own, I don’t need it on my remote.  I’m not interested in getting up to consult the instruction manual any more than I’m interested in getting up to push buttons on the TV.

The Tailgating Truck

When the pigskins start flying, football fans know it’s time to get ready for another great American tradition: tailgating.  We congregate in the parking lot hours before the game, fire up the barbecue and have a party.  There’s not a lot of room on the tailgate though, so fans have to throw a couple of picnic tables into the truck along with the food and refreshments.

I’m waiting for some enterprising pickup manufacturer to introduce a tailgating friendly vehicle.  First of all, it should have tables that pull out from each side of the bed.  I’d also like to pour my beer without having to roll the keg out of the truck.  I’m envisioning a built in container with room for ice, plus a drain plug and a screw on tap that I can access from the outside.

Rain and snow can really put a damper on the pre-game festivities, so I’ll want a retractable awning.  Finally, now that I no longer need to use the tailgate as a table, I’d like to have a built in grill there.  Of course it would have a solid detachable cover for those occasions when I need to use the truck for something else.  Hey, those brats won’t cook themselves you know.

Football Helmets

Football season has arrived once again.  I’m a big fan of the sport, but not the headgear.  I often wonder whose idea it was to drop the padded leather helmets in favor of hard plastic.  It’s great for plastic factories, but lousy for the players.  My guess is that the hard plastic shell was introduced at the same time as the plastic face guard back in the late 50’s and early 60’s. This decision needs to be revisited.  Soft shell helmets provide better padding for the extremely vulnerable human skull and its contents.

Have you ever seen that Stooge Brothers routine where Larry puts a bucket over Curly’s head and bangs on it with a stick?  The hard metal bucket creates an echo effect and vibrations leave the victim with ringing in his ears.  Hard surfaces reflect hits, whereas soft surfaces absorb them.

Professional football players tend to use their pads more as weapons than as shields. They get paid millions of dollars to put their bodies at risk. But high school and college athletes usually participate only for love of the sport. Concussions at such a young age can lead to chronic brain injuries. We could do a better job of protecting these young men.  Football helmets should be designed to cushion blows, not exacerbate them.

Can’t Give It Up

I’ve had a lot fun blogging here at Designer’s Angst, but I also love my new digs at Radical Avenue.com. Since Radical Avenue focuses specifically on politics, I’ve decided to keep politics out of this blog. Instead I’ll devote my time on this blog to the unconventional design ideas I’ve got bouncing around in my head all day.

Moving Day

Well moving day has finally arrived. My new blog, Radical Avenue, will continue to take a solutions oriented approach to political analysis. You can locate Radical Avenue at 451 Press. In addition to politics, the bloggers of 451 Press write about everything from music and TV to events in your community. Check it out!

Thank you

I would like to thank the readers of Designer's Angst.  I am currently working on a new format for this blog and will describe the changes here soon.

Trail Blazing Government

Life is an extended journey, with each of us following a different path. Some people stay on the straight and narrow, while others prefer crazy winding roads. Fortunately we have government to help us along the way.

Restrictive governments control traffic by setting up massive road blocks on dangerous trails. Then police officers arrest anyone attempting to bypass official barricades. Harsh punishment is expected to somehow bring these wayward voyagers around to the path of righteousness.

While a restrictive government clearly distinguishes prohibited lanes, it does not always identify the safest route. Sadly, some people know only one way. These travelers will either follow their own road despite the dangers or pull over into the ditch and go nowhere.

A trail blazing government is designed to guide rather than proscribe. Everyone gets a detailed map updated with the best directions available. The people provide impetus for the journey and government supplies navigational assistance. Eventually perilous avenues become so overgrown that they no longer present a viable passage option.

Manatee Safety

My designer’s angst flares up when I read about Manatee mortality from boat propellers. Companies have been selling propeller guards to recreational boaters for a while now. Although our government is tasked with protecting the health and safety of American citizens, they always seem to lag behind the technology by a decade or two.

An advocacy group dedicated to preventing propeller strikes has petitioned the Coast Guard, which regulates recreational boats and equipment. The Coast Guard is still seeking public comment. In the meantime that lumbering manatee surfacing underneath the ship might actually be a young swimmer or a disoriented diver.

Our government could require some type of propeller guard on all new boats. It could offer property tax incentives. At the very least a more robust public information campaign would seem to be in order. Technology can’t solve public safety problems if politicians refuse to allow it.

Inspirational Words

It’s hard to imagine a CEO candidate telling the shareholders “The last thing we want is to have your organization take over anything, when that happens, things get worse.” Why would the company hire someone with such a pessimistic view of the business? Why would the candidate want the job? Why would someone with no respect for government run for Chief Executive Officer of a country?

John F. Kennedy, circa 1961: “Ask not what your county can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Generic Presidential candidate, circa 2007: “Don’t waste your time with public service. The government will just screw up all your good deeds anyway.

Government Take Over

During a recent debate, presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that "the last thing we want is to have the government take over health care, because anything they take over gets worse, not better." That must be news to the US Army soldiers currently fighting overseas. These federal employees have taken over security in large portions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Apparently the former governor of Massachusetts believes we’d be better off with a bunch of mercenaries.

Millions of Americans depend on social security to live independently through their twilight years. These people must be happy that government got involved in the retirement savings business. Private retirement plans sometimes fall to pieces when companies go bankrupt.

The Post Office delivers millions of letters on time every day. If Americans could get a better deal from UPS or FedEx, they’d take it. That would force the federal government out of the letter and package delivery business. Instead you’re lucky to find a parking space anywhere near the Post Office in December. The government has taken over a broad swath of this industry and won’t give it up anytime soon.

An objective evaluation of the evidence indicates that organizations succeed when they have a clear purpose and strong leadership. The big difference is that private groups get their funding from the local savings and loan while taxpayers bankroll public institutions.

Kids in Crisis

Researchers looking for youngsters likely to see the insides of jail cells as adults don’t have to look far. Abused children often end up with emotional scars that make any sort of normal life difficult. These kids get addicted to drugs easily and have an accelerated high school drop out rate. It’s a vicious circle of traumatized kids growing up to abuse themselves and others as adults.

Extremely violent criminals often start out by torturing pets or neighborhood animals. The signs of this pathology can be spotted at an early age. But our government fails to aggressively intervene in the lives of emotionally disturbed children. Instead we spend all of our energy locking up thugs after they’ve hurt or killed someone. Our government could do more to protect us from these predators.

The best place to find future criminals is in our juvenile detention centers. Our country loses when these kids graduate from juvenile hall to adult prisons, just our country succeeds when other kids graduate from high school to college. Here are links to organizations working to protect at risk children: International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Stand Up for Kids and The Safe Side.

Dozing through the Day

Studies indicate that teenagers don’t always get to bed early like their younger siblings, but they still need around 8 hours of nightly sleep. Since flexible schedules generally aren’t available until college, kids end up nodding off in early morning classes.

A 10 AM to 5 PM high school schedule would offer several advantages to the traditional 8 AM to 3 PM timetable. It would keep latchkey kids occupied in the afternoon. Parents could work regular hours and not worry about home alone children. It’s better to have kids dozing through a relaxed 8 -10 AM study period if it will keep them alert the rest of the day.

Grades 7-12: Lost in the Shuffle

The teenage years are often referred to as a coming out period, a time when kids transition from adolescence to adulthood. This usually includes shifting from a grammar school with plenty of personal attention to a more crowded and competitive institution. Some students fail to make the transition successfully and become high school dropouts, thereby limiting their employment opportunities.

There’s no convincing evidence that big box schools during grades 7 through 12 offer a high quality learning environment. Maintaining individualized instruction on small campuses through high school might give struggling students a better chance to keep pace. Taxpayers receive a poor return on their public education investment when kids hit the job market without a diploma.

Real Crime Prevention: Early Diagnosis and Treatment

American crime “prevention” programs cling to the outdated notion that tough punishment for criminals will deter potential lawbreakers from acting on their evil impulses. Unfortunately criminal violence often emerges from circumstances of anger and intoxication. Deterrence has little effect on people who are inebriated, emotionally unhinged, suicidal or mentally impaired. Prisons protect us from convicted felons while young predators continue to learn the criminal enterprise on our streets.

Our reactive crime prevention programs cost us dearly. First we hire the police officers that track down suspects. Then we hire attorneys, judges and juries to try and convict criminals. Finally we pick up the bill for all the costs of confinement in our burgeoning prison system. While in prison, convicts do not pay taxes or contribute to the support of their families. Victims often require assistance as well. And when convicts get released, they typically return immediately to a life of crime. By focusing on keeping dangerous youngsters on the straight and narrow, the government avoids all of these costs.

Violence begets violence. Children will come to associate mayhem with reward if that’s what they learn at home. Governments should seek out at risk kids and quickly get them the help they need to live normal productive lives. Until kids commit that offense which requires us to lock them away permanently, it’s not too late for them. Juvenile delinquency programs should be a priority, not an afterthought.

Optimizing the Program

We all know the dangers of driving under the influence. But while most people never drink and drive, some still do. Responsible citizens use drugs carefully and endanger no one. Irresponsible types use drugs recklessly and jeopardize the public at large. Governments should focus on responding to unsafe drug use.

Chemists make intoxicating substances safer by quantifying and restricting their active ingredients. The proof on the liquor bottle indicates how much of a punch it will pack. We can use the income from taxes on clearly labeled recreational drugs to fund research into their potential as medicine.

Plenty of addicts have sobered up and are living prosperous, fulfilling lives. Others waste away on the streets or behind bars. Our communities benefit when drug addicts receive the treatment they need to get back into the workforce. Long term prison sentences should be reserved for dangerously violent offenders.

Drugs in America: A Case Study in Wasted Time, Effort and Opportunity

Our country has trouble dealing with drugs. The 18^th Amendment to the US Constitution, which established the prohibition of intoxicating liquors, was an embarrassing failure. We overturned this punitive measure 14 years later with the 21st Amendment. These days much of the gangland violence associated with bootlegging has moved south of our border. But the use of illegal drugs in our country continues, and people are still getting hooked every day.

Some of our citizens consider recreational drug use evil. Others believe it should be a matter of personal choice. What we really need is an objective analysis of widely used psychoactive substances. Understanding the specific dangers and benefits posed by particular drugs will allow for more tailored prevention programs.

Banning recreational drugs opens up the black market to organized crime. Pushers don’t pay taxes and don’t concern themselves with their customers’ health. They guarantee future profits by juicing up the merchandise in order to make it more addictive. And they’ll do whatever it takes to protect the business. Addicts suffer in silence because they fear reprisals from making their drug abuse problems public. At the same time governments fund no research into the potential therapeutic value of illegal substances.

Common Sense Failures

Roving marauders had plundered the village of Hopskop on far too many occasions. So the Hopskopper people congregated, debated and finally settled on a new solution. After months of back breaking labor they managed to ensconce themselves inside a massive stone fortress, thereby eliminating all traffic into the town except as through a single drawbridge. Then, outside their barricade, the villagers dug an enormous moat which they stocked full of crocodiles. It seemed like a really good idea.

Every year when the forest greens matured into crimson, the merchants of Amble hauled crates of harvest bounty in to Hopskop for a round of bartering and merriment. Unfortunately, broken gears on the drawbridge caused it to jam in the upright position, and this left the impatient sellers waiting at the village door. While watching the abundant fruits of their labor spoil in the afternoon sun, the Ambler merchants resolved to take their next harvest bounty elsewhere.

A pox then spread inside the Hopskop compound, but with the unusable bridge, no one could escape to seek help. So some enterprising youngsters pounded a hole in the fortress wall, having apparently forgotten about the dangers lurking just outside. Naturally, the hungry crocodiles happily crawled through the new opening in search of some easy prey.

The people of Hopskop learned a hard lesson. Common sense plans yield splotchy results. On the bright side, Hopskopper pole vaulters brought home gold medals from the next three Olympiads.

History overflows with the examples of authoritarian regimes terrorizing the very citizens they have been entrusted to protect. Fortunately many of these governments have fallen by the wayside. By now we can easily identify the trappings of totalitarianism. The more governments rely on the “common sense” ideologies of individuals, the more out of touch with the needs of the people they become. Objective standards derived from universal values of human dignity should guide public policy.

Science pulls politicians down from the stage and confronts them with the realities of today’s knowledge. Public policies based on accepted technical analysis neutralize the potential for corruption inherent in programs subject to the discretion of individuals or small groups. An objective approach to government thwarts the purveyors of cronyism and backroom politicking.

Balancing the Scales

Communism has failed. When the government monopolizes every industry, it stifles competitive innovation and leads to widespread economic collapse. We’ve seen private sector monopolies cripple marketplaces as well. The Sherman Act of 1890 declared that no person or business could monopolize trade or conspire with someone else to restrict trade. The law was used to break up John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company in 1911 and AT&T in 1982.

In the package delivery business on the other hand, the US Postal Service competes alongside private organizations and no one entity dominates the market. As a result, you can send packages of almost any size anywhere in the country in a day. And mailing a letter costs less than 50 cents. We should use the Post Office model in other industries.

In an ideal situation, governments infuse neighborhood friendly moderation into the private sector and independent organizations introduce modern business practices into the public sector. Direct public investment in commercial enterprise brings legitimacy to our efforts at promoting industry reforms. By developing enforceable standards agreed on by all the players in an industry, publicly owned companies reduce the need for traditional regulation. Negotiated conditions create a certain moral sway which dictated restrictions never achieve.

A Bad Deal on Space

Two countries ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, Russia and the United States. Russia sells space trips to private citizens and uses the income to pay for the flights. Already three tourists have hitched a ride on Soyuz transports at a price of $20 million per jaunt.

NASA has been reluctant to get involved in the space tourism industry. Apparently dealing with tourists is beneath our team, even though you can’t help bumping into the paying customers on the space station anyway. The bottom line is Russian taxpayers have saved $60 million on the cost of their country’s space program. American taxpayers have received no such savings.

Taxpayers Get Soaked with Faulty Flood Insurance

Insurance pays off for private sellers in this country. They profit handsomely while public sector investment goes down a sinkhole. Our government underwrites flood insurance for homeowners but does not profit from the sale of comprehensive homeowners policies. If states sold comprehensive homeowners policies, it would allow government to competitively regulate the insurance industry the way the Post Office regulates the package delivery business.

Coastal states for example, could offer full coverage for all structural damages caused by hurricanes. Currently, many private insurers only pay for wind damage. This puts homeowners in the untenable position of attempting to distinguish between wind damage and water damage in cases where their homes were obviously destroyed by a combination of the two. Private groups would need to match coverage options offered by public groups or risk losing business.

A Different Sort of Uniform

In America we work overtime so as to improve the quality of our laziness. We’ve grown accustomed to shelling out for first class services. However mailing large packages in this country usually means waiting in line for a teller at the Post Office. A fee based reservation system and an after hours pickup schedule would be more efficient. The more personalized the service, the more the customer expects to pay.

The Postal Service should compete wholeheartedly in the international marketplace as well. Our stamp sellers are already well known in Europe, where a wholly owned subsidiary of the US government has sponsored the winning Tour de France cycling team five times in the past decade.

UPS, Federal Express, DSL and others have found success in the package delivery business. The Post Office keeps prices and delivery times favorable to consumers by competing as a nonprofit in the same industry. And while the Post Office is self sustaining, it could also fund other public programs through premium service offerings. Once the Post Office is oriented toward turning a profit, it can then explore investment opportunities in email, web hosting, and cellular phone services.

Still Going by the Book

When city councils in this country convene to assess budget priorities, they first hear from the police commissioner, who says no one will be safe without more cops on the street. Then the captain of the fire department arrives to complain about a shortage of working ambulances. Finally, the head librarian drops by to report on unreliable printers and graffiti in the bathrooms. Which of these can we put off?

All across our country we have treasure troves of knowledge housed in majestic downtown buildings open to the public for about 32 hours a week. Renting out space to retail booksellers would allow these libraries to keep the doors open a bit longer. Mom and Dad could drink cappuccino while browsing through the bestsellers downstairs while the kids work on school projects upstairs.

It seems that very few politicians have considered using public assets to intelligently generate revenue. They see taxes and loans as the public’s only sources of income.

The DMV Zone

Stand up comedians don’t tell jokes about the DMV anymore. It has become passé. We’ve all heard about the two hour waits in the wrong line and the orange plastic torture devices masquerading as chairs. We’ve seen the crowds of people looking like actors from the latest Night of the Living Dead remake. Bureaucracy has gotten the last laugh.

Apparently the motor vehicles department has yet to realize what private industry figured out long ago. Customers will gladly pay a premium for specialized services. Today’s household may include three drivers, two cars, a truck, a motorcycle and a boat. Busy families would jump at the chance to have all their transactions handled through a single agent. With extra income generated from personalized services offsetting department expenses, these agencies constitute less of a drain on public resources.

On the Road in America

Businesses have long profited from dressing up ordinary commodities in fancy packaging. General Motors beat the competition by offering cars in a variety of colors and styles while Ford was still featuring basic black. American consumers need an enticement to open their wallets. They want to enjoy fulfilling their basic needs and take pride in following the latest trends.

Private organizations understand consumers and are busy plastering their industrial artwork everywhere in sight. We see the logo and we recognize the company. Pushy ducks, talking insects and smiling tigers speak for corporate America these days. Businesses obviously want to advertise in spots thousands of us pass by every morning on the way to work.

American drivers have grown intimately familiar with the stodgy, monochrome signposts that announce travel distances to towns up ahead on the road. Our taxes pay for these signs while farmers sell billboard space on the other side of the ditch. Selling ad space on mileage signs would help offset the cost of their purchase and maintenance. Drivers benefit from the travel information. Businesses benefit from the exposure. And taxpayers from across the state benefit as well. They no longer need to finance the upkeep of signs they never see.

If governments operated more like private entities, we would also sell naming rights to bridges and freeways. Why not call it the Poulon ® Weedwacker Bay Bridge if it costs less to get across?

Private Sector Lessons

Governments traditionally use taxes on income and property to fund public services. This creates a disincentive for people to earn a high salary or accumulate assets. So wealthy citizens hire accountants to shelter investments in foreign countries and the rest of us pay taxes at the retail price.

Americans understand the benefits of smooth roads, clean water and safe neighborhoods. They just want a better return on their public revenue investment. Our governments have a variety of assets at their disposal. We should use those assets to pursue innovative ways of raising money the way private companies do.

Every Dog Has Its Day

As a child, Avery heard stories of ancient tribes attempting to settle the foreboding northern rim of this continent. The tribes struggled to find food during harsh winters and eventually perished. Mindful of these failures, Avery’s ancestors persevered by spending their summers preparing for the cold season. In time they learned to treasure life on the high frontier. Now the locals enjoy modern conveniences like four wheel drive trucks and satellite dishes.

At the nearby wildlife center the biologists have taken to calling their new intern “Averyman”. No one in the lab had ever heard of coyotes roaming through the region until Avery began to spot them on research expeditions. The legendary northern white wolf has always ruled these lands. The wolves use a precise military regimen to capture over sized prey like caribou and elk. Packs then imbue younger generations with their hunting directives. But caribou herds have been depleted and the proud wolves now battle starvation.

The coyotes’ world seems chaotic by comparison. They willingly venture into unfamiliar territory and must constantly adapt to new surroundings. A meal could be anything from a wayward rabbit to vacationers’ leftovers. Now here comes this dog foraging at the science station door. Avery could see the wolves’ venerable way of life drifting into oblivion. Perhaps the coyotes’ time has just begun.

Proposed Amendment to the US Constitution

Amendment 29

Jury trials shall be decided by lay magistrates. Lay magistrates shall be hired by the chief executive officer in the jurisdiction where the lay magistrate serves. Lay magistrates shall serve ten year terms. Lay magistrates shall receive training in the evaluation of evidence and the application of legal precedence.

Well Trained Experts Needed for Critically Important Job

Most people called to jury duty don’t actually serve. They just sit around all day at the courthouse waiting for a trial to begin. We hire jury commissioners and administrators to process thousands of potential jurors every day. It disrupts work schedules and forces employers to account for lost productivity. The extra traffic every morning clogs the roads and fills up downtown parking lots.

Inconsistent evidence, dishonest witnesses and silent defendants all make resolving criminal cases difficult. For most people, jury service is a once in a lifetime experience. High priced attorneys on the other hand spend 365 days a year finding clever ways to mislead novice juries. Professionals could do a better job.

One More link

Here is more information on jury selection and voir dire.