Oscillating specs
Do you hate it when your cat wants to come in, but then immediately wants to go back out? And back in, and out.
I just ate some grapes that had really thick, tough skin. In fact, I've never had grapes with skin this thick, and I've suddenly passed some point where I can see they're a far cry from what I remember as a kid. The same thing has happened with tomatoes. Does anyone actually like those grocery-store abominations with skin like a pomegranate and no flavor? (FlavrSavr-- hah. Never trust the word of marketing agents who use incorrect spelling as a feature).
We do this so the darn things will survive flying and trucking, of course. Because we want fresh tomatoes 12 months a year, we will happily accept tomatoes that taste like nothing and chew like meat. 12 months a year. (Thank goodness for local farmer's markets-- at least for people who can get to them).
But the point I really want to make is this: When humans found fruits and vegetables in the wild, they sometimes had very tough skins to protect themselves from animals and other elements of nature. One of the great accomplishments of early agriculture was to increase the size and tenderness of wild fruits so they were more palatable and nutritious for people. Big, succulent, thin-skinned corn kernels, squash, beans, berries, and oats. Yum.
12,000 years later, we are ready to reverse course. Just like my cat wanting to go back out.
It happens in technology too, of course. For years, people complained bitterly that LCDs had narrow viewing angle. They looked dark or had color reversals when viewed from even a bit off of center.
"We can't stand around a laptop and share the information!" customers complained.
A few tens of millions of dollars' worth of R&D later, we have laptops with nearly 180-degree viewability. Same for cell phones and desktop monitors. But now what do you hear?
"People on the airplane will look at our proprietary data! I need a laptop with a narrow viewing angle to protect our business!"
And so, you can now buy laptops with "custom" narrower viewing angle. Shame on you if you don't realize they are just selling you an old-style panel, but charging you for the extra "feature"!
Think about that next time you buy a FlavrSavr tomato or tough-skinned grape.
I just ate some grapes that had really thick, tough skin. In fact, I've never had grapes with skin this thick, and I've suddenly passed some point where I can see they're a far cry from what I remember as a kid. The same thing has happened with tomatoes. Does anyone actually like those grocery-store abominations with skin like a pomegranate and no flavor? (FlavrSavr-- hah. Never trust the word of marketing agents who use incorrect spelling as a feature).
We do this so the darn things will survive flying and trucking, of course. Because we want fresh tomatoes 12 months a year, we will happily accept tomatoes that taste like nothing and chew like meat. 12 months a year. (Thank goodness for local farmer's markets-- at least for people who can get to them).
But the point I really want to make is this: When humans found fruits and vegetables in the wild, they sometimes had very tough skins to protect themselves from animals and other elements of nature. One of the great accomplishments of early agriculture was to increase the size and tenderness of wild fruits so they were more palatable and nutritious for people. Big, succulent, thin-skinned corn kernels, squash, beans, berries, and oats. Yum.
12,000 years later, we are ready to reverse course. Just like my cat wanting to go back out.
It happens in technology too, of course. For years, people complained bitterly that LCDs had narrow viewing angle. They looked dark or had color reversals when viewed from even a bit off of center.
"We can't stand around a laptop and share the information!" customers complained.
A few tens of millions of dollars' worth of R&D later, we have laptops with nearly 180-degree viewability. Same for cell phones and desktop monitors. But now what do you hear?
"People on the airplane will look at our proprietary data! I need a laptop with a narrow viewing angle to protect our business!"
And so, you can now buy laptops with "custom" narrower viewing angle. Shame on you if you don't realize they are just selling you an old-style panel, but charging you for the extra "feature"!
Think about that next time you buy a FlavrSavr tomato or tough-skinned grape.
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