A Perfect Circle

I was reading an article today on the ol' Daily Kos, which was describing the world of the future. No, not the one where apes have replaced humans as Earth's dominant species.

No, I am talking about the near future, the one we have glimpsed with things like wikipedia, google and Linux. The world of which I speak is the one where power is not controlled in the form of a pyramid but in the form of a sphere. I am talking about a world where information and the means of production are open to all and those with the most to contribute are at the center of that sphere.

Ok, I know by now you are wondering what liquid I have been drinking and if you can get a cup. The answer is: Tangueray and go get your own. Seriously, I live in Florida. How am I going to get it to you? But, that is really beside the point. The point is that I believe that this far off and fantastic tomorrow can a exist. I believe in a future where giant humanoid robots attack prime ministers. But, again, I digress.

Here's the point: I believe in future where smart, passionate people control the means of production. I also believe that future will be 10X better than the world we have today.

In keeping with this philosophy, I would like at some point to open up Springheel Jack to everyone who is a fan of Springheel Jack. And, I am not just talking about having a blog or a message board where people can post their opinions. (Though, those things are likely to be a part of it.) I am talking about handing over some of the reigns of this little enterprise to you, the users.

In my perfect future world, you will decide which shirts get made. You will pick the art that will go on the shirt. You will choose the colors, the types of shirts and the sizes offered. And, you will decide on the number of t-shirts sold.

In the future, this will all be done at a price that covers the cost of production and nothing more. Shirts will be sold at no profit. And, in the future, the smart and the passionate people will figure out ways to lower the cost of production even further, thus making the shirts even more affordable.

In my perfect, future world, we all benefit from the sharing of the means of production. No one benefits over the others because they "got there first" or owns the means of production.

If this sounds like communism, it's not. People would be paid based on their ability. Those with the most to contribute would be paid the most.

Granted, I am not sure how any of this would work. I am talking about the future, after all. But, if you have some ideas of how this all might work, or how certain aspects of it might work, I would love to hear them.

I am not sure if I have said this before, but one of my goals with Springheel Jack is to allow everyone to look inside the company, at its inner workings. (Sometimes I am good with this; sometimes I am not.) It's not a big leap to say that if people have invested themselves into something, they will care more about it. So, I have both idealistic and practical reasons for wanting to open up the company. Whatever the reason, I believe the consumer will be better off if their voices are heard and they have more choice in the decision process.

Those are my thoughts for today. I am sure there will be more later.

Good night.