Story of Electronics, Story of Bottled Water.

After watching the video “Story of Electronics “ and the “Story of Bottled Water” part of the “Story of Stuff” project I have gained allot of insight into the lifecycle of electrical products as well as something vastly consumed as bottled water. The Story of Electronics was the more intuitive one of the videos in terms of finding out and learning new concerns of its affection to the environment. As It was pointed out in the video many electronics are designed to break, basically designed for obsolescence so we can go out and purchase a new one every time there is an improvement for example computers and their updated processes. As a consumer of lots of technology I tend to stick with a purchased item as long as I can hold on to it regardless of it being slow or incapable of many things in comparison to what is out there. I have been aware of this design strategy for quite some time now and from then on it has taught me not to consume as much or be sucked in for the latest craze of technology because before that i was just that, had piles of broken low quality mobile phones along with mp3 players just jammed up in a drawer not knowing on what to do with them even though some of them still worked perfectly. As the video stated there a strategy for future designers is to design products that would last to reduce pollution and waste due to them being obsolete in the near future. I totally agree with such strategy and I also believe that there are some brands and appliances that do uphold that notion even today with their high quality products along with their warranty and ease of part replacement. I’ve still got products in the house that have served me well for more than 10 years and those are the companies and brands I am loyal to first.

In regards to bottled water, the short documentary film was very insightful and I believe I am a part of the cause in terms of reducing waste due to bottled water. I use my water bottle for all my water consumption only when I am somewhere where tap water isn’t accessible that brings me to a point of purchasing bottled water which I then reuses over a period of time in the future.

I do agree these videos are very important to industrial designers especially the electronics one since it deals straight with the refinement of current product design techniques and it states quite specifically that it’s time for a change.