# Make a pledge

> A serious or formal promise, especially one to give money or to be
> a friend, or something that you give as a sign that you will keep a
> promise.


## Stuff

In the modern age we have little attachment to our possessions
because we are becoming used to owning them for an ever decreasing
amount of time. This is due to a number of factors:

* FOMO (fear of missing out) on some new feature
* low cost of replacement
* poor quality materials (It breaks too easily.)
* bad manufacturing practices (You can't fix it.)
* planned obsolescence[1] (Manufacturer decides when you replace it.) 

Their disposable nature only helps us to detach ourselves from giving
them any true meaning or value.

Contrast that with the Sinclair ZX Spectrum[2] I've owned since I was
a child. It was an expensive purchase for the time, memories of
playing games, first attempts at programming. I've restored, modified
and upgraded it with my own hands and I have new memories associated
with it. My young niece likes to play on it with me, many hours have
been spent playing 'Super Off Road'[3] together. I couldn't just toss
it out, I'd be mortified! When I'm gone I'll leave it to her so she
can continue to enjoy it and remember those times too...

Which leads to the question - How is it that my 1985 personal
computer works as well today as it did when my parents bought it, but
my 4 year old android tablet is about as useful as a paperweight[4]?
Surely something, somewhere has gone horribly wrong ... 


## What can I do about it? 

I have been thinking recently that sometimes the things we don't do
can be just as powerful as the things that we do. 

With this in mind, I ask you to make a pledge: to stop buying from a
company or brand that you don't agree with their business practices
or direction they are taking their products. Then let us know what it
is so we can hold you accountable! Pledges will be added to the
bottom of this post for all to see. 

I figure the most powerful thing I can do as an individual, and
consumer, is stop buying their products. Production ceases where
there is no demand. Collectively we have the power to starve these
giants of their life-blood, our money. 


## Pledges 

IanJ - I pledge never to purchase another Google|Amazon|Sony|Apple
product!


[1](gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Planned%20obsolescence)
[2](gopher://gopher.icu/0/phlog/Computing/Sinclair-ZX-Spectrum-48k.md)
[3](https://yewtu.be/watch?v=vW-qMqQNvD4)
[4](gopher://gopher.icu/0/phlog/Computing/Stop-IT-waste.md)