Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Programmed Obsolescence

Here is a documentary about programmed obsolescence, an industrial policy originated in the 1920s with the aim of shortening the useful life of products so that they become obsolete or nonfunctional.

http://dotsub.com/view/aed3b8b2-1889-4df5-ae63-ad85f5572f27


Check this other documentary too, ' The Story of Stuff', when you have time, if you are interested in the subject:

Just to give you a taste, here are some facts from it:

1) In the last 30 years, we have used 1/3rd of the Earth's natural resources.
2) For every one garbage bag we throw away, 70 bags of garbage are made to make it.
3) 51 of the largest 100 organizations in the world are corporations, not governments.
4) 5 times more fish are being caught than in 1950.
5) 80% of the world's original forests are gone.
6) In the Amazon alone, 2000 trees a minute, or 7 football fields are cut.
7) In order to make one McDonald's hamburger, 9 square meters of rain forest are cut.
8) The food with the most toxins is human breast milk.
9) 30% of children in the Congo drop out of school to work in Coltan mines. (Coltan is for electronic stuff)
10) Consumerism= The idea that happiness equals buying and having things.
11) Planned obsolescence= you have to buy a new thing because your old one doesn't work with the new type of product. The old one may still work fine.
12) Perceived obsolescence= you have to buy a new thing because you feel your old one is ugly or not fashionable.
13) 6 months after buying something, only 1% of those things are still in use.


 

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Hugh Laurie and the British accent




 chin wag = to engage in informal or idle conversation; chat or gossip

shawty =  A term orginating in Atlanta that, in the beginning, referred to a short person or child, but the span of the word has grown to include any and all people, especially a girl that is attractive; it is mostly used as a term of endearment to others or just a way of addressing someone, like 'Wassup Man,' Instead of "Man", shawty is used.
NOTE: Can be shortened to "shawt" or "shawtdawg".