Feeding The Fish

This guy on the BBC website is converting to the logoless life and to get there he’s burning all his branded products:

I now realise that it’s these damn brands that are the source of the pain. For every new status symbol I acquire, for every new extension to my identity that I buy, I lose a piece of myself to the brands. I placed my trust, even some love with these companies, and what have I had in return for my loyalty and my faith? Absolutely nothing. How could they, they’re just brands.

So, this is why I am burning all my stuff. To find real happiness, to find the real me, I must get rid of it all and start again, a brand-free life, if that is indeed possible. Perhaps if I consume on the basis of need instead of want, on utility instead of status, I might start to value material things for the right reasons. For the time being, I can only hope.

Of course, there might be better ways to deal with it.

Instead of burning it why not give it to a charity shop, so at least some one else can benefit from this stunt!It wouldnt take much effort to bag everything up. In fact I’m sure they wouldnt even mind collecting it from you, if you have too much stuff to do it yourself.
Jules, UK

One small point, instead of burning his unwanted branded goods perhaps Neil Boorman could give them to a charity or recycle them instead. Burning them is such a waste and bad for the climate. Perhaps it might support Neil’s plan if his Gucci or Nike was recycled into something unbranded or was given to someone who just needs shoes/clothes of any type, branded or not.
Joe Hale, York, North Yorkshire

Don’t burn it, you idiot. Give it away. That’ll be a bigger gesture, and avoid an appalling waste.
Maggie,

I can’t believe you are going to burn all your branded belongings. PLEASE auction them on e-bay with all the profits going to a charity, or at the very least take them to a few charity shops who can sell them to raise money. I can’t bear to think that no-one else will be able to benefit from your project. Perhaps burn your one favourite item if you have to, but not all of them!!
Annie, Suffolk, UK

And they probably have a point.

The reason they don’t have Windows releases yet is because they decided
to use Python as their implementation language. This prevents them from
loading on most Windows systems, since users typically don’t install
Python (or Perl or Cygwin or Net 2.0). They expect
that py2exe should help, but that’s like expecting a broken down jalopy
to make the drive up to Anchorage in a week. Sure, you’ll make it if
you’re already near Fairbanks, but if you’re starting from Quito,
you’re pretty much SOL.

Normally a comparision should make it easier to understand.

While the news that someone dropped their ipod in the toliet and triggered a security alert is amusing, my favour bit of the story is how cool he is, despite causing security alert, in answering this question:

I waited in total silence for about 10 minutes as he
kept searching and searching, until I finally asked him, “What are you
looking for?”

“Contraband,” he said without looking up at me.

“Such as?”

“Child pornography, hate propaganda.”

“Child porn I can understand, that’s illegal. But hate propaganda is protected speech.”

Now he looked up. “What country do you think you’re in?”

“Oh, it’s illegal in Canada?”

“I honestly don’t know. But that doesn’t matter. I get to decide what goes in this country. Do you have a problem with that?”

I paused for a long time while I thought about what I should say to this. “Yes.”

“Yes, you do have a problem?”

“Yes, I do. If it’s illegal in Canada I’ll understand, but saying
‘I don’t want it in my country’ isn’t good enough when you’re a
government official.”

Principles are important!