The Woz on Green Design
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.24.07
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, 1976
It's Woz week on TreeHugger; we know how he drives, now we learn how he builds. He discussed design with ECNmag:
The term "energy efficient" is rather vague. At some level it implies some form of conservation. I have great reservations with that concept as well. One aspect of conservation is to use less so that there is more to go around, either to more people or for a longer time. I disagree with this concept pretty strongly.
While that statement is certainly open to argument, he follows up with:
The form of energy efficiency that appeals greatly to me is the idea of efficiency of construction. I have always admired getting the same results with fewer parts or procedures. That's a win for everyone. I used that concept in my design approach in life. I was determined to give my highest regard to engineers and in engineering we always strive for more efficiency, defined mathematically as more out for less in. If you can build a car at the same price, with the same features (size and performance) yet it uses less gasoline or pollutes less, that's a win for everyone, including the car manufacturer. Engineering leads to such advances, even when they seem like tiny steps. So the Woz thinks we can design our way out without having to give anything up. I hope he's right. ::ECNmag via ::Boingboing; thanks, Greg
"So the Woz thinks we can design our way out without having to give anything up."
Of course he does. He has a Prius, but he drives it inefficiently, and his other car is a Hummer (seriously).
He's also a brilliant engineer and, in his own way, an efficiency expert. When he designed the numerous iterations of the original Apple, his goal was always to squeeze the most he could from the smallest number of components, and he did so brilliantly. Even if he's not as much of a conservationist as you might like in real life, we could use more engineers who think like he does - it can have a tremendous impact.
Well... who was her hairdresser?