Bob Adkins

On 2 Jul 2006 15:08:49 -0700, "PMDR" <kikaiju@gmail.com> wrote:

>The radio in my 06 Sonata is made by Visteon which used to be part of
>Ford. Like Delphi, they'll sell parts to anyone with cash to spend.
>In theory, everybody wins.
>
>I like the idea of sharing parts and ideas instead of every company
>reinventing everything.
>Why make your own small engine when you can buy one from GEMA? Why
>invent an entire hybrid system when you can license one and get it to
>market faster?


A while back my son was into fancy "BMX" bicycles for jumping and off-road
racing. Well, I helped him find and assemble "hot" parts and build a
first-class bike from scratch. I was AMAZED. You could buy a wide varieties
and prices of rims, sprockets, handlebars, seats, pedals... all very high
tech, and very inexpensive and STANDARD!

Since that experience, I have been frustrated with cars. Why don't the
manufacturers stamp out basic bodies and let the user choose standardized
engines, exhaust, suspension, electronics, even seats? It wouldn't take as
much standardization as you may think. There's already an infrastructure in
place that has standardized oil, batteries, bolts, and nuts.

The car companies are just too big. If things were standardized, excellent
little shops would pop up like mushrooms.

>Why does every town in the country need their very own custom schools
>and administrative buildings? Think of all the money and time that
>could be saved if there was a standardized school building, city hall,
>etc. The automakers and Walmart -where nearly every store layout fits
>into just a handful of different formats- are already doing it.
>

As long as it's public buildings, I'm fine with that. Why hire expensive
architects and engineering firms to re-invent the wheel?
--
Bob