The Story of Stuff and Story of Electronics prove powerful viewing, with simple animation, basic video and lots of data. The video is impressive considering the basic images that are used to convey complex concepts.
While many could argue that such a serious topic shouldn’t be explained using little more than cartoons, this accomplishes two goals. First, it keeps the viewer from getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information being shared and the complexity of the situation. In addition, the animations keep the viewer’s interest without overshadowing the data and information.
Perhaps the most interesting point for me was the “Designed for the Dump” mentality, which was mentioned in the main video but discussed further in the ‘Story of Electronics.’ While many of us are aware on some level of the pitfalls of such a consumer-driven economy, I hadn’t seriously considered how many design changes are made in electronics, rendering many items useless in a matter of months or a few short years.
I too went through about five phones with different charger inputs before realizing it was insane and paying double for a multi-jack car charger that allows me to switch outputs depending on the phone.
It’s amazing to consider the same factory owners who have been able to mass-produce stuff, thanks in large part to the advent of interchangeable parts, have figured out that by changing the specifications on those interchangeable parts every few years, they will ensure that they can continue to mass-produce stuff.