I'm on Stardock's mailing list because I checked out the desktop software once.
I was sick of just a mass of icons all over my desktop (yes, MS Windows) and wanted to shrink them and organize them into categories.
I ended up going with something else and mostly just letting the icons multiply. Organizing stuff takes time!
I never thought the result of looking at Stardock would one day be an actually thoughtful newsletter from the CEO of the company! Nice, really.
Economics
I lived in Ann Arbor from 1964 to 1976 - before the days that robots started making cars. Michigan seems to be remaking itself into a purveyor of software, as many other former homes of mine have (Berkeley, CA for one), but with a healthy dose of hardware in the mix. This issue of some probable takeover of our man-based culture by a machine-based culture IS important. And there are some slants on it that most have never looked at, such as: It's a very old pattern in advancing biological civilizations...
Object Desktop
Is the desktop passe yet? I thought it was heading out when it became possible to bring up an app by clicking on a document. I thought computers might become document- or information-centered. But they still seem to be app-centered. So you still need good ways to launch apps. I tend to favor the Star Trek method at this point. Will it ever really happen?
Computer Games
My only interest in computer games has been in how well they did simulations. But almost all I've tried make it too difficult for me to just drill down and play with the simulation (such as flying a spaceship) and instead force me to play an incredibly complex game I have no interest in. I was hoping No Man's Sky would be different. But, no...However, it is a game about Space and Space exploration. Do you realize that the creative community has been involved with Space and Space Exploration for something over 100 years now? What's that all about?
And here's a direction most don't like to go in that more should go in: Because we've all done it before. Space exploration is not a new game; only for us it seems new. It's actually a very old game that people have been playing for real for millions of years. And that's where I think that subject needs to go: Can we ever learn from our past mistakes? Not if we can't remember them!
Build your own
I've built many PCs, but I got tired of it. Eventually the pre-built ones cost the same as home-built, worked about the same, and were less hassle. I believe in proliferation of computing (communicating) devices. One on every table in the house.
On the other hand, the trend towards making "computers" JUST communicating devices with all the data residing and apps running off-board on a network server somewhere sounds to me just preparation for the big machine takeover mentioned above. I still like having local computing power and storage. I don't trust the Internet further than I can throw it.
Politics
This is a deep deep rabbit hole, for those who have explored it much. I am not paying much attention to who becomes US President. I think Corey Goode has more interesting things to say about politics. I don't think this blog wants to go there. It probably should, though. It's even good material for games (even if the gamers don't realize they are working with data that is basically historically accurate).
PR
I didn't know anything about PR until I was introduced to the subject by some of my mentors. PR is not glitz. PR is relating to people. PR is not selling. PR prepares the way for a company or organization to operate successfully in some environment. Dishonest PR is "black" PR - propaganda. People get wind of that and they will never want to hear from you again; part of the problem with Presidents and candidates for President - too many lies. PR must be honest, but tasteful. And that's what this newsletter has been - well done!
