The "Good Enough" Revolution

MattinSTL said:
We are riddled with nerves that so effectively protect us through crippling pain... and yet inside... we actually CRAVE bad crap that brings us no benefit whatsoever. Weird.
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Because it is a very recent evolutionary phenomenon that we have (ironically), enough. For countless millennia our species has sought out these things to survive. That doesn't just go away in a few centuries because we can pick and choose what and when we eat. We are hard wired for survival and these things are essential to that survival. Our bodies have not realized yet that we can get fat and salt whenever we want, so it craves them constantly so that we continue to seek them out.
 
Yup. Sugar-craving when the only available sugar is in the form of difficult-to-reach fruit is a survival trait.

Sugar-craving when there's a store with a candy counter nearby is potentially deadly.

Same general principle could be applied to entertainment.
 
Jim Brennan said:
Because it is a very recent evolutionary phenomenon that we have (ironically), enough. For countless millennia our species has sought out these things to survive. That doesn't just go away in a few centuries because we can pick and choose what and when we eat. We are hard wired for survival and these things are essential to that survival. Our bodies have not realized yet that we can get fat and salt whenever we want, so it craves them constantly so that we continue to seek them out.
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Never thought about this before. A fascinating point.
 
I'm seriously looking at two HF100s or HD10s for shooting (or one of each). I've figured this out awhile ago and was actually considering staying with 24p DV for awhile, but now with so much new stuff coming out the cheaper options HD options are opening up.

-Nate
 
Am I the only one who finds a bit of amusement in the fact that some people are disagreeing on the "good enough" theory and we are on forum that was built around "good enough?" ;)


-A
 
Jim, I don't want to edit my previous post... but yeah I thought about this after I posted it... it's the same stupidity that other people suffer... losing grasp of large amounts of time when looking at a short period of time... just like a bug that only lives a week would think trees don't grow.

Anyway... I still think "good enough" is nothing new. "Good enough" has always been the staple of the majority. I don't think it's a trend that things are getting crappier... I just think that there are more low-end choices then ever before (as their are also better high-end choices then ever before).

When I was a kid, Taco Bell was almost the same cost as it is now... Back then it was a big deal for us to go there... and now the cost has maintained a price-point as the meat grade has gone down, and while a lot of people eat there... nobody HAS to... and there are better options available. You can make a similar case for almost any product.

adkimery said:
Am I the only one who finds a bit of amusement in the fact that some people are disagreeing on the "good enough" theory and we are on forum that was built around "good enough?" ;)


-A
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Who's disagreeing with it? I'm saying "good enough" is nothing NEW. I'm saying the theory is like theorizing that it will be dark tonight. :)

Also on that point... a lot of guys that started out with a $3500 DVX are now using a $50K RED... which makes the point perfectly... Future fests will be a combo of top gear and bottom gear... and the best stories will win.
 
adkimery said:
Am I the only one who finds a bit of amusement in the fact that some people are disagreeing on the "good enough" theory and we are on forum that was built around "good enough?" ;)


-A
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Perfect!
:grin:

I read the article in Wired and find it spot on.

It doesn't seem like dumbing down at all, just matching product to need.
 
The point of the article is recognizing what people *really* want. Not what they say they want, not what you think they should want, but what they actually want. And what they want is EASY. Nothing complex, not a whole lot of features, less hassle, more convenience. Cheap price is a bonus.

They don't want junk, they want a good product, but they don't need an EX1 when a Flip HD will do. They don't need a blu-ray player and its 30-second bootup time and its $27 movies, when an upscaling DVD player looks just as good (or "good enough") and costs $50 and works. They don't want/need a PS3 and its "cell" technology and its internetworking throughout the home, they want a Wii that they can bowl on. Easy. Why do we watch YouTube when the quality's horrible? Because we type in the name of the video, we click it, and it plays. It's easy. And the quality, generally, is "good enough" to see what we're looking at. Why do we shop online now? Because it's easy -- it's instantaneous. Search, "add to cart", paypal, done. No driving to the mall, hunting for a parking space, trudging through crowds, waiting in lines... just search, add it to the cart, and it shows up on your doorstep a few days later. Easy. Hence Amazon, Google, "cloud computing", ebay, flip cameras, iTunes, youtube... all completely simple, easy, hassle-free, and all massive hits with consumers.
 
All this McDonald's talk.....

All this McDonald's talk.....

Today's lunch:

Fast, cheap, good. (enough)

mcds.jpg
 
With mp3's and CD's it was never surprise to me, i was actually surprised by moronic slogans saying that CD's have better quality than mp3's cause i knew it was just salesman cry to protect CD sales, you can make mp3 with close enough quality to CD ,it wasnt about quality,it was about space and availability.700mb cd's died for me many years ago.Why do they still use them for music ? Its stupid and they will pay for it sooner or later,and im happy about that.They keep throwing at us old technology as long as they can even if they could use something more advanced.
And about cameras... its a little bit different it depends on what you want it for,want to shoot your holidays then do it with your cellphone it really doesnt matter for me,it probably would be a hit if cellphone could record decent quality on removeable flash mem cards but i dont care about this ,i have already some cam for holiday ,travel videos ,now its interesting to look at DSLR's with video and how canon market will deal with so big hole between their 1/3 sensor size cams and 22mm sensor size cams with equivalent to filmic DOF,what will panavision do about this if their cameras were never for sale for a reason ,its exciting to live right here right now and see the revolution.


Why do we watch YouTube when the quality's horrible?
Because it was first very popular video uploading service and even if there are new better ones it will still remain most popular because of number of registered users when it was popular,its was because youtube was FIRST.
 
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Barry_Green said:
The point of the article is recognizing what people *really* want. Not what they say they want, not what you think they should want, but what they actually want. And what they want is EASY. Nothing complex, not a whole lot of features, less hassle, more convenience. Cheap price is a bonus.

They don't want junk, they want a good product, but they don't need an EX1 when a Flip HD will do. They don't need a blu-ray player and its 30-second bootup time and its $27 movies, when an upscaling DVD player looks just as good (or "good enough") and costs $50 and works. They don't want/need a PS3 and its "cell" technology and its internetworking throughout the home, they want a Wii that they can bowl on. Easy. Why do we watch YouTube when the quality's horrible? Because we type in the name of the video, we click it, and it plays. It's easy. And the quality, generally, is "good enough" to see what we're looking at. Why do we shop online now? Because it's easy -- it's instantaneous. Search, "add to cart", paypal, done. No driving to the mall, hunting for a parking space, trudging through crowds, waiting in lines... just search, add it to the cart, and it shows up on your doorstep a few days later. Easy. Hence Amazon, Google, "cloud computing", ebay, flip cameras, iTunes, youtube... all completely simple, easy, hassle-free, and all massive hits with consumers.
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Exactly. Let's stop interpreting words like "good" and "better" in an objective sense. What makes something good is in the eyes of the end user. It's all about whether it fits the need (or perceived need) of the consumer. Period.
 
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