Rarely discussed

Here’s a random chain of thought.

This week I’m playing with a somewhat different graphics project after reaching saturation with the pinfeed to pigskin line. There’s a lot of detail work in this project, with absolutely no monetary benefit.

For a moment I felt guilty about wasting time. Stupid!

The cost and benefit of experimenting is rarely considered in discussions of work and economics.

(1) Real projects for money always involve a fair amount of wasted time on experimentation and learning, or ideas that seem worthy at first but turn out to be unsalable for various reasons. Experiment is NECESSARY for learning and negative feedback, so the cost is worth the time. Every unused idea develops skills and leaves reusable pieces behind.

(2) Some of the cost is a straightforward addition to NON-experimental parts of the economy. When I’m building a “wasteful” graphics item, I may buy a piece from somebody else to add to the scene. The profit to those other producers is not experimental. When a business is trying an idea, it has to buy tools and components and printed forms from other businesses who are NOT experimenting. GM “wasted” years on the Wankel rotary, and Chrysler “wasted” years on gas turbines. The money paid to tool and die makers wasn’t experimental, and the salary of the engineers and assemblers wasn’t experimental.

(3) I’m old and retired, dammit. This “wasted” work is not taking time from otherwise profitable labor. It’s the best medication to slow down senility and avoid depression. Without this “wasted” work I might be taking all sorts of pills for the same purposes.