Prosthetic Shedding

Humans shed more than trees do during seasonal change. We shed vehicles, computers, clothing, toothbrushes, and dishes; lawnmowers, cameras, helicopters and buildings.

A human will use millions of prosthetics in a lifetime - any external manufactured object that can be purchased or acquired. Electronic devices are one of the most sheddable objects. The human is often forced to shed a device and update an object-prosthetic attachment. In four years, a single human can go through multiple mobile phones. It is a pain to have to constantly update, but it is faster than evolving those capabilities internally.

There are detriments to not updating, both social and physical. Good experiences are guaranteed as long as one stays on top of the purchasing wave. Once one falls behind, the prostheses becomes worrisome --gives us more and more friction when dealing with reality. An upgrade generally decreases this friction. Updating allows one to glide more freely through the rigors of society.

There are malfunctioning machines at banks and server errors, out-dated electronics, hand-me down objects, and ever widening circles of refuse about us. It is not only objects, but also values and associations that are constantly sloughed off and replaced with new ones that have been physically or socially acquired.

As a vehicle ages, it becomes less of a friend to it’s driver, and more of a liability. It needs to be replaced, because it turns against its owner. In this way, technology is not man’s best friend, but man’s worst double-edged pet. It is a beautiful toy one minute, and next year is a shameful disgrace that no longer works. How easily this happens to the machine and the product! How more and more quickly these things turn on us!