Badly run and/or non-profitable businesses ultimately belly-up.

Free market capitalism is a mechanism. To exist, it requires limited supply of money, free competintion, and free exchange(market). It works through the selection, whereby unsuccessful businesses die and successful businesses get they disproportional amount of money and thus can grow.

Unfortunately, such conditions hardly ever exist in the contemporary world. Therefore, businesses are not as efficient as they would be in the free market capitalism. Your cable company is not any more efficient than the government.

 

Free market capitalism is a mechanism. To exist, it requires limited supply of money, free competintion, and free exchange(market). It works through the selection, whereby unsuccessful businesses die and successful businesses get they disproportional amount of money and thus can grow.

Unfortunately, such conditions hardly ever exist in the contemporary world. Therefore, businesses are not as efficient as they would be in the free market capitalism.

Agreed -- unfortunately.

Your cable company is not any more efficient than the government.

Disagree. Compare getting a driver's license with purchasing cable TV. At least in my case there's a world of difference. Our local pubic library is far more difficult to use than Amazon & Kindle.

Do I need to bring the VA into the argument?

 

The time I spent getting my license was nothing compared to the time I wasted trying to get Verizon to fix their errors on my phone bill, and I'm still not completely satisfied two years later....

 

The time I spent getting my license was nothing compared to the time I wasted trying to get Verizon to fix their errors on my phone bill, and I'm still not completely satisfied two years later....

Never used Verizon. I've got Comcast -- pricey, but no problems. And I absolutely love their broadband. Their tech support is superb, IMHO -- the best I've experienced.

For cellular, I've got Sprint. Again, never any problems -- except for the limited 4g coverage. But I knew that going in.

In my experience, I'll take private over public any day.

PS -> I'd sooner live in a cardboard box than send my daughter to public school...that'd be tantamount to child abuse...

 

Didn't care for Sprint. Hated AT&T. I'd leave Version, but they all seem to suck equally.

 

Businesses spend the entirety of their existence bringing their products to market. When did R&D stop for the computer? When did R&D stop for the automobile?

It was nice of you to point out two successful product lines. The question is valid, when does one stop funding an R&D effort on a particular product? We rarely hear of "failed" products, so it is a difficult to research some "notable" examples. Even Edison had a lot of failed attempts before that first light bulb lit.

Speaking of Edison, from what I've read, he wanted to invent quick products to get to market. Electric pens, talking dolls, vote counters, the Edison Home Service Club, as well as others. The products had a very short life, as the market rejected them. Edison, like other businessmen, didn't waste resources on non-marketable products.

The home service club was a way for Edison to have his phonograph and records in people's home, some likened it to the Netflix of that time. Edison also thought the market was local, yet he competitors thought of a national market. Much like today's business environment between national and global.

One thing will never go out of style. Scams will always be with us, and now with things like "crowd funding", it will become easier to fleece the sheep of their wool.

 

with things like "crowd funding", it will become easier to fleece the sheep of their wool.

Crowd funding is a brilliant idea. The only way for creative people without marketing skills to earn some money.

Of course some marketers are sneaking in ... but nothing you can do to stop these guys.

 

It was nice of you to point out two successful product lines. The question is valid, when does one stop funding an R&D effort on a particular product?

Com'on Joe, you know the answer to this. In business, as in life, the game is evolve or die.

 

True. Very true.

 

If there are any members of this forum familiar with the solar power industry in Europe or the US, I am eager to find out if there exist major, reputable companies that are widely recognized as the "Ford and Chevy" of the solar industry.

As you all will be aware, the part of the world in which I reside is facing a pandemic of truly biblical proportions, and, for better or for worse, I have opted to stay put in my remote rural home, and try to sit out the storm by stocking up on essentials - freeze dried canned food, ammo etc, and by acquiring solar panels along with deep-cycle batteries to power the bore-hole pumps that will supply both my home and my catfish hatchery with water, and also electrical power for freezers and the computer.

Before my internet search engines were all disabled by a virus that I still haven't been able to dislodge, I located a US-based outfit called Solar Electric Supply Inc., but I must confess that the prices of stand-alone domestic solar power setups marketed by this company sent me into sticker shock, which got me wondering if there might be equally reputable and reliable solar panel companies known to AAC members, that might offer more affordable prices.

http://www.solarelectricsupply.com/

Any pointers that can be offered on established solar panel companies either in the US or in the EU, could be greatly appreciated. If I can get the electrical power issue sorted before it all hits the fan here, then I should be in a position to ruminate on the pages of online discussion forums about the End of the World in a detached, academic manner, from my hidey-hole out here in the remote sticks of darkest Africa, where I intend to hunker down in self-quarantine until the storm blows over, and some semblance of normalcy returns to this troubled continent.

Any advice on solar power component marketers would be of tremendous value to me right about now, and I am standing by for any advice that y'all can send my way.

Much thanks in advance.

 

...I have opted to stay put in my remote rural home, and try to sit out the storm by stocking up on essentials - freeze dried canned food, ammo etc, and by acquiring solar panels along with deep-cycle batteries to power the bore-hole pumps that will supply both my home and my catfish hatchery with water, and also electrical power for freezers and the computer.

Before my internet search engines were all disabled by a virus...

You have hijacked a thread unrelated to your query, and one which many others are probably ignoring. You may wish to start your own thread.

But, now that you're here, and this is the off-topic forum, I will happily take it in that direction.

Prepper Checklist

food, check.
guns and ammo, check.
power, check.
water, check.
catfish hatchery, check.

operating system...fail.

Are you really going to depend on Redmond, Washington, USA for your very survival?

 

Thanks for the response Joey, and apologies to any who may have felt I deviated from the topic of solar power.

I do tend to ramble on a bit sometimes, so in retrospect I would have probably done better to simplify my question down to something like this :

Can anyone recommend, preferably from personal experience, a reliable and reasonably affordable solar-powered setup that would harness, store and consistently deliver enough power for a couple of submersible water pumps, a couple of freezers, a few lights and of course my all-important computer ?

For some reason, I thought everyone bowed in the direction of Redmond Washington for prayers.

 

Thanks for the response Joey, and apologies to any who may have felt I deviated from the topic of solar power...

...Can anyone recommend, preferably from personal experience, a reliable and reasonably affordable solar-powered setup that would harness, store and consistently deliver enough power for a couple of submersible water pumps, a couple of freezers, a few lights and of course my all-important computer ?

Again, your query is not related to "Solar Panel Conspiracies", and this thread has veered so far from the original topic that there are few who are interested in reading this anymore. You probably will not get many useful replies.

Post your question, rambling or not, in a new thread.

For some reason, I thought everyone bowed in the direction of Redmond Washington for prayers.

No. Some of us left that church, and never looked back, long ago.

 

Sure thing, Joey, and I appreciate the pointer. I'll first check the archives to see if my question has been asked and answered in the past, and if not I'll go ahead and start a thread specific to my question.