Digital Downsizing?

In a post a little while back I mentioned the advantages of digital products because they have a very short lead time. Another huge advantage is discussed here. With the Kindle2 and its clones looming on the market's horizon, matching the demand for books exactly to their production is becoming possible.

Stocking Up

Discomfort is almost unknown in society today. Most people will go to great lengths and costs to avoid having to think or plan. One of the major indicators of this is the excess capacity we regularly build into our lives. From phones to furniture to housing, convenience is the order of the day. It is much easier to buy a mobile phone plan with unlimited minutes than to track their daily use. It seems simpler to keep an extra room for guests than to deal with hotels and arranged visiting times. You can size you furnishings to the grandest party you might throw, then spend all non-celebratory days paying for all of those unused seats. In every case excess capacity can result in hundreds and even thousands of dollars that need not be spent. The next several posts will deal in detail with this theme.