Re: [Vo]:Doh ! (slaps forehead) !

[Nick Palmer]

Orionworks uses the manufacture of APWs (all purpose widgets) to analyse 
work and reward. Imagine if the APW's are made to last a long time, to be 
easily repairable and, at the end of their very long life, the materials 
they are made from can be easily recycled to make new APWs. Now imagine that 
this durability/longevity is so extreme that the APWs last long enough that 
they could be bequeathed to your children... and they could pass them on to 
their children etc etc. Given a stable population, after a short while 
everyone would have everything they need (all purpose widgets, remember?) 
with little or no need for further work to manufacture new stuff. Raw 
material extraction would plummet. Such a civilisation would have virtually 
no conventionally measured economy, yet everyone would be basically well off 
and wouldn't need to work all the hours there are just to keep buying flimsy 
stuff widgets designed to fall apart.

Nick Palmer

On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it

Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com