Monday, July 25, 2011
More chondrichthyan saltations
A few days ago I was thinking about the tendency of software and other products to reach a peak and then turn sour:
Today, listening to the fake debt-ceiling puppet theater, it occurs to me that Congress fits this pattern nicely.
Every year Congress creates a new "feature" that gives a cornucopia of grandiose unearned wealth and privilege to a few high-status people, but amounts to a wildly expensive bug for everyone else.
Aside from the annual new bug, Congress never solves any existing bugs. To the rest of us, Federal bugs are business-destroying regulations and culture-destroying "court" decisions. To Congress, Federal bugs are just great talking points to be used against the "opposing" brand. The main job of Congress is to preserve and maximize all existing bugs, in order to blame them on the "other" brand. ¶ 2:01 PM
A common phenomenon among human developments: the product reaches a peak of quality, then gets worse. The reason varies. Sometimes the creators just use up their ideas. More often the product redirects toward a specialized audience with lots of money and high status, abandoning its original broad but uncool audience. Usually a bad idea.
Nearly all the programs I use for work and play have gone past their peak; in each case I paid for the update, gave it a good try, said GARRRGGGHHH! THIS IS AWFUL!, reverted to the peak version, and stopped watching for later updates. Usually the past-peak version is bogged down with completely pointless new "features" while failing to solve known bugs and problems.
Today, listening to the fake debt-ceiling puppet theater, it occurs to me that Congress fits this pattern nicely.
Every year Congress creates a new "feature" that gives a cornucopia of grandiose unearned wealth and privilege to a few high-status people, but amounts to a wildly expensive bug for everyone else.
Aside from the annual new bug, Congress never solves any existing bugs. To the rest of us, Federal bugs are business-destroying regulations and culture-destroying "court" decisions. To Congress, Federal bugs are just great talking points to be used against the "opposing" brand. The main job of Congress is to preserve and maximize all existing bugs, in order to blame them on the "other" brand. ¶ 2:01 PM
