Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Gone Are The Days

Well sure, the new release of the W4G books is about to come out, and they're taking the technology global. The the books are going to be free now instead of costing $99 or $59 (on sale in the last days...)

So the movement is expanding, and people are getting on-board and understanding that the high cost of driving can at least be reduced. That's good. The technology is getting better, and in many cases one no longer needs a dialed-gadget installed on or under the dashboard (things that made my wife give me that look).

On the other hand there is indeed something missing isn't there? The first and foremost missing item is the cheap "sex sells" logo at the the top of all the W4G site pages. All I can say about that is  - finally! But there's also that missing element of the average person taking a few common ingredients, figuring out how to make or where to buy specific parts, and assemble something unique. This was that something that opened the world of using water to extend mileage. It was suddenly yours to understand and implement. As it turns out the technology has grown to the degree that all you have to do now is buy a kit.  You can still get the books, but the focus has switched to getting something packaged and shiny. It is after all the American way. Why make a hard-boiled egg when you can buy one  pre-boiled and wrapped in plastic? Here's the email I received this morning:

Hi Guys!
The complete set of eBooks is nearing completion and will be uploaded to the servers on Wednesday, March 10th at 12:01 am Pacific Standard Time!
Thank you for your support during this lengthy process. As the revisions were made,many tens of thousands of people continued to sign up and expand our membership!
Now we are poised for the next huge release as promised: The International Showcase of HHO Technology and Global Membership Community!
All this follows the critical March 10th Release Date - Be Ready!
Make sure you are registered for access by signing up or confirming your subscription here: water4gas.com/join.htm
Happy Water-Fuel Motoring!
Ozzie Freedom
Founder, Water4Gas

I don't want anyone to get me wrong on this - I fully support this movement, and I do believe that it is something that is needed in the world, but I miss the connection to personal innovation that was inherent in the early days of a couple of years ago. I also miss that feeling of a grass roots movement, fighting the powers of the oil companies. I miss my part in that process when I identified parts that were difficult to make or come by and created a small business where I sold those few items (at a very small mark up) to others who recognized that what I was doing had as much to do with my personal sense of integrity as with anything else. (I always made sure to provide links and connections to people who were selling similar items to my own - encouraging the expansion of the movement in as many ways as possible.) 

Those days are now past. At some point Ozzie stopped communicating with me on any level but as a possible dollar sign. What has really happened? I suppose that W4G has gone the way of so many great underground movements: it has become a corporate entity that has it's sights set clearly on the bottom line. 

Ah well. Notice that the link in the copy of the email above is a live one. In spite of  the demise of my early close personal connection with W4G - I continue to support any technology that will drive down the costs of driving while cleaning up the environment at the same time. I encourage anyone who is not already involved to sign up if for no other reason but to find out the possibilities. I say, let's get on with it. But I also say this: keep an eye to a future that may well reveal something else that might do the same things - but once again returning the power of making it work to the common person. 

As I've said many times in the past: the goal is not always about making money, rather it is about making this planet a better place Right?