A few days ago Om pointed to a fascinating video
Scott Yu-Jan designed and then 3d printed a nifty and, from a cool design point of view, iPad dock for his Mac Studio. Chatting with Om I mentioned 3d printing (albeit metal printing) is used in ultra-low volume production of bikes - a track bike an Olympian would use in Paris in a few months starts around $30k with wheels going for several thousand each. Om replied Everything good isn’t cheap. So there is that. I mean that is how everything works now sadly.
I think he's right to first order.. thinking about it afterwards there rarer higher order terms where "good" can be inexpensive within bounds. Before the 70s there was a rich DIY tradition supported by dozens of magazines aimed at everything from homemade boats to clothing and everything between. If you wanted something of quality you needed time and had to develop your own crafting and sometimes even design skill. Now we tend to buy finished goods. Quality design and craft tends to come at a price.
There are exceptions - the higher order terms. Often skill and tools are involved: woodworking, car restoration (I'm looking at you Bryan), dress design and making (now looking at you Jheri). I do a bit of DIY work myself, but wouldn't call it 'good' as it lacks craftsmanship and good design. Not having the skill is probably true for most of us, but there are options. If you learn how to use and have access to a good 3d printer, you can support Scott Yu-Jan. He makes his living with popular YouTube video as well as support from patrons who get access to the digital files to his designs you can copy them yourself. And there are many others.
It's the tip of an iceberg most of us ignore. Kickstarter has hosted developing labor of love projects. Here's one I funded today as a gift: a deep dive into how comicstrips are made. Over the years I've sponsored about ten Kickstarters. A few have been amazing delights. Etsy is another path to inexpensive low volume good if you look around. And you can support artists and musicians. Ask around art and music schools to see if there are students looking for work. It's a calculated risk, but I've done this since grad school with projects ranging from homemade paper to the composition and performance of a piece of music. (way more satisfying than going the GAI route).
Om is absolutely right for the vast majority - the first order - of things and experiences we pay for - good comes at price. But hunting the tail for the higher order terms of good is not only fun, but can lead to surprises.
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