Tag: Unintended consequences

Unintended use

Charlie Chaplin uses lamp post for support, ladder for weapon and shoes for breakfast.

When it comes to everyday use of common objects, there is no end.

Here is my Top Ten:

– shopping cart as walker

– golf cart as janitorial vehicle

– hand dryer as hair dryer

– food freezer as mortuary (Libya)

– ammunition case as tool box

– garage as start-up lab

– drawer handle as beer-bottle opener

– shopping bag as rain gear

– milk carton as Halloween helmet (Missing Person)

– nature as ash tray

In Thailand, we saw crocodiles crawling in the streets.

Quite an unintended use of surface street. My condolences to the 506 flood victims’ families.

low-emission Recession

The Law of Unintended Consequences kicks in: we got 25% lower in carbon emission this past year, and maybe lower gas prices toward year-end.

Extra cash for Christmas shopping: kids need shoes.

Nation leaders are flying in to NY to attend a Summit on the Environment.

Big boys (and powerful women) club.

Hope they represent the human race well.

Those trees will still be standing when we, one by one, passed away.

But it is more desirable to hand over a clean (green) baton to gen Y.

As a side note.

There are some area restaurants refusing to serve Libyan and Iranian leaders.

(dream on, they aren’t going to stop by for a burger and fries. They are not inspector Clouseau “I would like a hamburger” in French accent).

My head spins just trying to follow the news: health care talk shows, Afghan terrorist plot uncovered, Emmy Award lowest broadcast audience, and the UN summit on the environment.

But there are tectonic shifts underneath: we are living longer and healthier due to medical awareness (proliferation of information available on the Internet), less time devoted to Idiot Tube and more time on YouTube.   Talking about tech. Dell is buying Perot System, trying to diversify away from its core PC business.

Companies and countries have to reinvent themselves every few years. Jumping the curve to the next bubbles (Educational loan? Life insurance?)

The US is no longer number 1 on competitiveness. And Singapore is right behind at number 3.

Instead of meeting in Pittsburgh, the G-20 should try to meet in Singapore, and observe and learn.

It’s humbling when one has to change. Lower emission should be achieved by design, not by default. Granted that, I celebrate this good news nevertheless. In Recession we got lower emission.