my life » global economy http://blog.devonck.com and a few of the recipes that fuel it Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:40:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Oakenfold it is! http://blog.devonck.com/2008/07/16/oakenfold-it-is/ http://blog.devonck.com/2008/07/16/oakenfold-it-is/#comments Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:40:28 +0000 Devon http://www.soonerinprovo.com/wordpress/?p=69 Yep. Decision made. I’ll be going to the Oakenfold concert @ In The Venue on Saturday. Between that and watching The Dark Knight up at the IMAX in Sandy, my entertainment budget for this pay period is pretty much shot. Not so much because of the cost of tickets, but the cost of a tank of gas to make two trips … continue reading: Oakenfold it is!]]> Yep. Decision made. I’ll be going to the Oakenfold concert @ In The Venue on Saturday. Between that and watching The Dark Knight up at the IMAX in Sandy, my entertainment budget for this pay period is pretty much shot. Not so much because of the cost of tickets, but the cost of a tank of gas to make two trips up to Salt Lake City. Pretty sad when it costs $60 to fill up a ’96 Honda Accord, but that’s what we get for having such a crappy energy policy. Don’t even get me started on our foreign policy — I can guarantee you that starting a war with Iran is not going to drive oil prices any lower.

Today, I ordered/purchased most of the few remaining things I need to install new solar screens on our apartment’s west- and south-facing windows. I figure it’s cost me about $450 altogether, but that’s including the half-roll of solar screen I won’t need in addition to all of the tools I’ve purchased to be able to assemble and install the screens. I think my lightbulb-replacement project was much more economical (and, truth be told, will probably have the most effect.) Oh well, it’ll at least give me plenty of experience with windows screens – hurray for that.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2008/07/16/oakenfold-it-is/feed/ 0 Creativity in a global economy http://blog.devonck.com/2008/03/20/creativity-in-a-global-economy/ http://blog.devonck.com/2008/03/20/creativity-in-a-global-economy/#comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:37:02 +0000 Devon http://www.soonerinprovo.com/wordpress/2008/03/20/creativity-in-a-global-economy/ During the 19th century, America established herself as a bastion of innovation, providing useful inventions for the entire world. This surge of creativity continued through the 20th century, making life easier for everyone in modernized countries. Today, however, we find that while our nation is still spending a great deal of resources on research and development, a decreasing number of our … continue reading: Creativity in a global economy]]> During the 19th century, America established herself as a bastion of innovation, providing useful inventions for the entire world. This surge of creativity continued through the 20th century, making life easier for everyone in modernized countries. Today, however, we find that while our nation is still spending a great deal of resources on research and development, a decreasing number of our findings are beneficial to emerging countries. While there are obvious exceptions such as AIDS vaccine research and water treatment technologies, many new patents are furthering the gap between first- and third-world countries. Scientists are working on developing CAT7 cable for 10Gbps transmissions over distances greater than 70 meters although much of the planet is still without even the most basic internet access. With this in mind, it is no difficult to understand why we are losing market share. We have begun to focus so much on convenience and ease-of-use, areas of expertise dominated by other countries with much more experience than us. If we wish to re-claim our place in the global marketplace, we need to focus on the billions of people who aren’t at all concerned with download speeds or feature lists. During the current recession, foreign nations are taking advantage of the opportunity to invest in American ingenuity – they know that we’ll eventually fight our way back to the top, and they want to make sure to get a piece of the action when we do. The real question is: how long will it take us before we realize we’re headed in the wrong direction?

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