Monday, May 14, 2007

The Space Age


Welcome to the Space Age!
I was expecting a parcel this morning. And it arrived. Although, I have to say I wasn't expecting it just to be left on the doorstep by the postie who didn't even ring the bell (but that's another complaint.)
My real complaint was the size of the package because I knew what was inside.
Now it's a long time since I did any maths or had any use for a calculator, but I decided to do some not-so-quick calculations and I reckoned that approximately 99.0541% of the package was either other packaging or empty space. (I've spared you the extra 25 decimal places that the calculator came up with.)
Now that is a lot of empty space!
As I said - welcome to the space age!
The whole question of excess (and often unnecessary) packaging is a big one from an environmental point of view and it's time we got a grip of it. As consumers we surely ought to start demanding less wasteful packaging.
But... it occurred to me even as I thought these thoughts that the Universe itself has an awful lot of 'empty space' in it. Even the most 'solid' of solid objects, it seems, is mostly empty space. And it's true right down to sub-atomic level.
In fact, when you begin to contemplate it, the whole thing is really quite mind-boggling. Then again, my mind is probably quite easily boggled... 'cause it too has lots of empty space inside.

3 comments:

Richard Havers said...

It's a subject high on the list pf pet peeves in our house. Packaging was the curse of the 20th Century that is still going on in the 21st. Now most of the time it's down to marketing, but yours Iain just looks like a total waste of space!

Anonymous said...

You are funny, it looks like you used your space wisely today, sorry had to throw a joke in there. I think you need to write a letter. They probably made a couple extra bucks on the shipping because of all that space.

E.Louise said...

that box is massive! Maybe you should send your letter to them in the same box!