The Greening of Gavin

Archives for September 2012

Megan Learns A Lesson

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Thanks for all the great comments on the last post titled “iPhone Marketing Tricks“.  

It turned out to be very popular with you all.

Long time readers may know that I have four wonderful children, three of which have grown up and left home, leaving Ben living with Kim and I on the urban farmlet. My youngest daughter Megan as always struggled with the beast that is popular consumerism, however our frequent little talks are slowly working.

Megan works in a mobile phone shop, to pay her way through University, of which I am very proud. Yesterday I sent her the link to the iPhone post via facebook as a fatherly nudge in the right direction. To my surprise, her reply was as follows (posted with permission);

“Dad, I am well aware that this new phone is a crock of shite and a sad excuse to bring out new accessories that generate billions of dollars in revenue for Apple alone under the rouse of ‘needing’ to change the charger to make the phone thinner.  

However in the case of the mobile world – build and they will come, as such. No one that is buying this new phone has a legitimate reason to do so they just ‘want’ it or are lead to believe, through very clever marketing techniques, that they ‘need’ it.  

It is sad to see so many people so driven by the supposed ‘status’ that comes from being an iPhone 5 user.  

I came to my senses and cancelled my pre-order after I saw the ridiculousness of the whole spectacle. 

You never know Dad, your ways may be rubbing off on me and changing my consumeristic ways.”

I have a big fatherly smile from ear to ear.

iPhone Marketing Tricks

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The media is full of the latest phone craze, the iPhone 5.

Yes, I agree that it is a good looking phone (that’s it on the left).  Yes, I agree that it is a very useful device, as are iPads, Kindles, Android phones and other tablets.  To have all the functions of a larger computing device in one small object is just simply amazing, and I am being very sincere.

Think about holding many hundreds of books in the palm of your hand without the need to cut down any trees for paper.  It is an amazing environmental benefit.  I realise that mining some of the rare earth metals that are required for the phone/devices has an environmental impact, such as the coltan mining which is driving mountain gorillas out of their habitat, but otherwise this benefit is impressive.

Whilst I have resisted many times to purchase a tablet type device, and still do, I have however succumbed to a smartphone, in the form of the iPhone 4S, simply out of necessity.   After all, there are not many options for just a plain old phone any more.   It may sound hypocritical, especially when I abhor consumerism so much, so let me share with you what I have learnt from first hand experience.

Marketing Devices

Smartphones and Tablets are some of the best marketing devices ever!  Yes, that is what they are primarily designed for.  As content consuming machines.

After you have played with all the free stuff, and there is not much of it, what is the next thing that you do?  You go and buy some content.  Apps, or newspapers, or even eBooks like the ones I publish, then maybe some music or a movie, or even a TV series.  There literally are millions of content items to choose from.  The range is endless.

So, the main goal is to entice you to buy content, and lots of it.  Why do you think the iTunes store or Google Play looks so cool and helpful.  To entice you!  In the end the content could cost you many more times the price of the original device.

Designed Obsolescence

The secondary goal is to create a desire in the buyer to consume more devices.  My last phone, a Nokia died after 7 long years of faithful service.  It became unrepairable.  I did not want for a new phone during its lifetime.  However, I must be a rare breed indeed, especially since I work in the IT industry.  Many people upgrade their phones as soon as the next model is available.

All computer manufacturers design electronic devices with a specific lifespan in mind.  However, Apple is one of the supreme masters of designed obsolescence due to their non-user replaceable battery in all iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices.  The battery has a limited lifespan and soon degrades in as little as 18 months.  You can replace it yourself, but not without some considerable heartache because you have to buy a special screwdriver to dismantle it and it voids the warranty.

The designed hardware capability is no better.  I recently found that when I upgraded to iOS 6, my phone’s operating system is now double the size of the old one, and the phone is slightly slower in its operation.  Each version of the operating system is designed to add new features that the older devices just cannot handle, which forces or convinces the user to upgrade to the new hardware, hence making more profit for the said company.

Manufactured Demand

All companies try and manufacture demand for their products.  Apple seams to have a knack at doing it better than all the others, and I am not sure why.  Is it because they market simplicity and sexiness in their products.  Can a phone be sexy?  I am not sure, but I have noticed that at the launch of each of their new products, there is a mass marketing campaign like no other, and an associated consumer craziness that goes along with it.  Release little additional features like a slightly larger display, or thinner body, or better camera at each model release is one way, but there is an even more subtle way.

Why, I ask you, that upon release of a new Apple product does there always seam to be a sudden shortage?  Is this created on purpose to stimulate an artificial demand?  Surely Apple would know how high a demand the last product release had when they release a new one?  Learning from past releases would be in a companies best interest, would it not?  Or would it.  A limited supply creates an artificial demand in the minds of the consumer, some who would sell their first born child to get their hands on one!  Yes readers, this is simply a marketing technique from the marketing masters.

Awareness

So dear readers, I am not disparaging anyone from purchasing one of these devices, even Apple products, because they are useful and attractive.  As I said, I own one myself.  But let’s speak truthfully and acknowledge their real purpose.  It is to separate you from your hard earned cash, create desire, and boost profits and shareholder value.
Plain and simple.

Mozzarella & Ricotta Course – October

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After a bit of negotiation and some fortuitous and wacky events, I have become our towns local cheese guru and have managed to get a cheese making course into the Melton Learning Directory.  Yippee!!!

So lets make cheese! What better way to get busy and learn a new skill for the future.  I have the pleasure to be offering a Cheese making course in October 2012.  Details below;

Mozzarella & Ricotta Cheese Making Workshop

In this workshop you will:

  • make your own Mozzarella cheese to take home. 
  • learn the techniques about the correct cultures to use, setting the curd, draining, and curd stretching. 
  • demonstration of Ricotta cheese being made from whole milk. 
  • Bread sticks provided for tasting cheese after completion. 

Workshop length: 3 hours

Milk, cultures and ingredients provided.

Price is around $50 (the centre takes a cut)

Day & Date: Saturday 27th October 2012
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00pm
Place: Melton South Community Centre, 26 Exford Rd, Melton South, Victoria.
For bookings call 97478576 or email msccentr@bigpond.net.au

I am so looking forward to teaching another class.  I have missed the interaction, and after two cancelled courses in at Spotswood Community House, I was a bit disheartened.   Not any more!

Now here for the ironic part.  During the interview for the job,  I found out that the two old ladies that taught me how to make cheese at the very same location, way back in March 2009, have retired.  Apparently people have been asking the community house for more cheese making courses.

Here is the weird bit.  My post lady is also a member of the community house’s committee, and Kim and her often have a chat about all sorts of sustainable living things, including, you guessed it, cheese.  It was she who dropped my name to the Program Co-ordinator at the centre!  Weird or fate huh?

Anyway, someone’s chakra must have aligned somewhere, so I got the gig, replacing the instructors who taught and gave me the cheese making bug.  In some karmic sort of way I feel honoured.

So if you want to come along and learn how to make Mozzarella and Ricotta, please book with the centre.  Learning a new skill is great fun.  This quote is most apt;

“Cheese is milk’s leap towards immortality.” – Clifton Fadiman

Who’s coming to make some leaping cheese with me?

P.S.  Thanks to one of my readers, Tasos for making the image for me.  You can catch his work at  www.TasosPhotography.com.