2022-08: Future Trends–EVs, Manifesting, & the Internet

Santa-John’s View from the Bridge
by SJ McDaniel
The View from the Bridge is an opinion piece which explores how political, societal, and other changes will impact the future. In these articles, we’ll suggest ways these changes apply to the Graphic-Products industry and small businesses in general.

Please keep in mind that all forecasts/predictions that follow are the opinions of Santa’s-Helper-John, aka Santa-John or simply SJ. SJ reveals some of his background below. Know that SJ gathers input from the news for current events and various other sources for looking ahead. Those other sources involve watching a lot of you-tube. 

Review

On the Pandemic Front

Only vaccinate and boost those that you’d like to protect (assuming you are not one of the very few that cannot vaccinate for health reasons). Check with your doctor.

Our sources indicate that there are two more variants coming. One we are experiencing now, another later this year. After that, COVID will become endemic and may require an annual shot, similar to the annual influenza shot. For now, the recommendation is to get vaccinated and boosted.

On the War

Know – this war will pass, they all do – Ukraine will prevail – Putin will not survive – something major will happen this fall.

In September Ukraine will receive and implement new advanced weapon systems. Russia will, at some point in the future, join the democracies of the World.

Politics – We The People

Let’s give those politicians who can’t do anything for common people their termination notices. Money is not evil but can be corrupting. Be sure to get out and vote this November. Let’s show them who has the real power!

Looking Ahead

As we emerge from this pandemic, we’re prompted to assess the cultural and economic changes we have all experienced and observed.

Future Trends – Electric Vehicles – Part 2…

Review:

Current Events: With fuel prices increasing, many are looking for ways to cut commute costs. Electric vehicles new and used have become very desirable.

Future Trends: That said, many economists have predicted a downturn in demand for new and used autos this fall due to the rise in the Prime interest rate set by the FED. Whether that will reduce demand for EVs is yet to be seen.

(SJ’s Opinion) The Prime interest-rate increases have to some degree slowed inflation. However, most things are still more expensive than they were last year at this time.

That said, many of us have been and will be helped as we see a more humane distribution of our common-wealth in the USA — which in turn will infect the rest of the World. Same thing we did with “We the People.” There are more democracies than there were at the start of World War II.

One of the major problems dictators’ have, among their many, is the Internet. A free press and free speech are major problems for dictators, just look at the problems Putin has in controlling the flow of information into Russia.

Hitler had much better control over what the German people heard during WWII. Today Radio-Free Europe/Russia/ (fill in the blank), has a much greater, unfiltered, reach using the Internet and all those satellites that circle the globe.

In addition, young people today know how to use their cell phones to break out of the propaganda bubble and communicate with friends and family around the World. Many of us in the older generations don’t have that skill currently.

Has anyone noticed that Putin used the same tactics as Hitler? Hitler declared parts of Europe to be parts of Germany as an excuse to invade them. Putin declared Ukraine as part of Russia prior to his invasion. The end is the same for both, failure.

F.Y.I. – The Internet was developed in the USA.

The Internet was born out of a military project known as the ARPANET. The Advance Research Projects Agency NET-work was designed to provide communication capabilities in the event of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Does anyone remember the tensions in the 1960s? Remember when the Soviets were sending missiles to Castro’s Cuba? The feeling at the time was that nuclear war was an imminent threat.

During the Reagan presidency, he and Mikhail Gorbachev softened relationships between the USA and the Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall came down, the ARPANET became the Internet. It was then spread around the World, including Russia, by capitalists.

Regarding Cars: as demand wanes, in the near term we may see manufacturers and dealers offering discounts and other incentives on new vehicles. Where, in the past, dealers were adding to the factory sticker price, simply because they could.

In the longer term, some of the major auto manufacturers have committed to moving from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to 100% electric by 2040. SJ’s sources suggest that by 2040 70% of vehicles on the road in the USA will be electric.

Auto dealers will be transformed.

(SJ’s Opinion) The move to electric-powered vehicles will transform auto dealerships.

Currently, Ford is contemplating reducing or eliminating dealers for their F150 Electric, for many reasons.

First, is the fact that Ford dealers were adding a dealer-pack price averaging around $8k to the manufacturers-suggested-retail price of the truck. Of course, they didn’t share that with Ford.

At the same time, Ford dealers would also bad mouth electric and then try to convert the customer to an ICE-truck.

ICE=Internal-Combustion-Engine, not a truck hauling ICE. SJ is an old one. When he was a child, his family had an ICE Box and ICE delivered by a truck hauling ICE. Anyone else alive during WWII?

Most dealers want you back in their store so they can sell you something else. ICE vehicles need a lot of service, back to the dealer I go, I go. Electric not so much.  In the 2 years we owned the Tesla, we only had one issue, which required a technician. Since our car was drivable, the tech came to us.

Finally, remember that $8k dealer pack? Well what Ford did is add that pack to the Suggested Manufacturer’s List Price for the F150-E. They also added a few new features. They then setup reservations online. No dealer action necessary. Ford, sold-out production.

If other auto manufacturers follow the lead of Tesla, i.e., no dealers, showrooms only, online ordering only, service to your home or office, then, who needs dealers?

Our Story: As some of you may know, we’ve had the privilege of driving 2 fully electric vehicles, a 2018 Nissan Leaf, and a 2020 Tesla Model 3. Both of these vehicles were acquired while we were living in Arizona.

We traded both in for “Beast” the affectionate name we call our “I can tow anything” 2022 Ford F350.

Manifest: if you read our story last month, we only had Beast. This month we added “Gem” to our family. Gem is a 2007 Chevy HHR that the Universe provided as soon as SJ gave up his requirement for an electric-powered form of transportation. Giving up that requirement was difficult.

Recently we manifested month-to-month spaces we could rent for our 5th-wheel, Land-Yacht-home, and “Clipper”. Clipper is the small travel trailer we towed from Oregon to Ohio and back in 2021. We towed it with the Tesla we had at the time. We’re now using Clipper as an office. More on towing with electric vehicles in future articles.

Once we settled into our semi-permanent space, SJ started looking for ways he could run errands without using Beast. He first looked at new and used electric cars. Price and availability convinced him an electric car was currently not the solution. Next, he considered buying an electric bike. After he fell off his son’s electric bike, he started considering trikes.

As time dragged on, reality started sinking in. This summer in Oregon, will soon become winter. This year we probably won’t drag our land yacht to Arizona. So, winter in Oregon, bike-trike=no, car=yes.

Much to Holley’s relief, SJ finally realized that attempting to direct the flow was preventing progress toward their goals. First, having safe, reliable, cost-effective transportation for around-town errands. And second, as long as we have our 5th-wheel land-yacht home, reserving Beast for those tasks that require moving, hauling, or towing.

FYI Judy (my first wife of 56 years) and I manifested many things. One of those things was Pearl, our 2018 Nissan Leaf named for her beautiful paint. After Judy’s passing, I manifested the Tesla model 3, we named Santa John’s Pearl. Holley manifested our land-yacht. I manifested Beast. Holley manifested our current location. We manifested GEM.

Back to the Electric-car review…
Some Background:
While living in Arizona, we installed solar panels on our home to eliminate our electric bill. Later we acquired our first electric vehicle, a 2018 Nissan Leaf. It was a dealer demo unit, so essentially new.

After acquiring the Leaf, we installed an EV charger in our garage. Our solar panels eliminated our electric bill and provided the Nissan Leaf all the power it needed. In turn, the Leaf eliminated any need for gas.

The Nissan Leaf is not a vehicle that needs gasoline to move you around.

Overview 2018 Nissan Leaf – 2019 Tesla Model 3.

2018 was the last model year of the older Leaf body style. Some called it the electric frog. Both Judy and Holley think it’s cute.

That said, the interior is very much like many of the mainstream small vehicles of the day. In other words, the dashboard, steering wheel, buttons, and controls, i.e., the driver’s cockpit with all its lights and switches is much more like vehicles we’ve all driven in the past.  All 3 of us preferred some of the features of Leaf’s cockpit over Tesla’s.

One final point on the controls. If you’ve not driven your vehicle for a while, it can be easier to reacquaint yourself with physical controls that are labeled rather than a computer screen.

Please stay tuned for more EV experiences. And, how our son is fed up with gas prices and is running his business using an electric bicycle.

Manifesting – Creating – Your Future Life, Income Stream, and possibly a Business

First, it’s important to understand some of the rules of Creation. This time:

  • After 79 years on this planet, I know that all the things I’ve experienced in this lifetime have been for my good, even if I didn’t see it at the time. I know that in this Universe, all things work together for the good of ALL.

For Rules of Creation 1 through 8, please see past issues.

– This Time

#9.

What have I come to know:
1-I have been on a journey, a journey of discovery and growth. My journey has spanned many, perhaps millions of incarnations on earth.  2-The Earth is a great classroom. Perhaps I’ve been here so many times because I’m one of the slow learners? Or maybe it’s because I love War and there is always fighting going on somewhere on Earth. 3-My friend William Shakespeare is absolutely correct “All the World is a Stage”. 4-Birth is a transition onto the Earth and into an avatar, i.e., a human body made up of elements of the Earth. And death is a transition off the Earth. 5-When I transition off Earth, all I’ll retain is my experiences.

Everything we think we OWN, becomes landfill, its reabsorbed back into the Earth. From dust to dust. He who dies with the most toys, still dies. What he may win is discovering that happiness from possessions is fleeting. There is a saying among boat owners that states the two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are – first, the day he or she buys the boat – and second, the day it sold.

The most important realization I’ve become aware of is that everything is energy. What I perceive as solid matter is simply energy in a different form. The atomic bomb proved that. What is most important, is that All is One.

All the things that I can see, touch, and/or hear; and things I cannot, are part of the One Force. The Force some call God, Allah, Yahweh, Christ, etc. So, I’ve come to realize I am part of everything and so is everyone else.

Next time I’ll recount the sequence of events that led me to adopt Santa John as a name.

What is your interest in the Graphic-Products Industry?

First, realize that everyone on earth is an artist. How you dress, the clothing you wear, is art. A person’s makeup or lack of makeup is artwork. Many people decorate their bodies with tattoos, that’s artwork. How people decorate their vehicles, homes, landscaping, and so on, all works of art. Even the rusting hulk of an old machine is considered art by some.

In today’s world, artwork for most graphic products begins life as computer art. Some artists create and sell computer art for use on the web. Some create and sell physical products using their artwork, think t-shirts, mugs, awards, etc. Others create graphic products as a hobby or to help organizations to which they may belong.

 Answering a couple of questions might help you evaluate your interest.

  1. Do I have any interest in creating digital art?
  2. Does my interest in digital art include producing products?
  3. Is my interest in creating personalized products for Fun or for Profit?
  4. What do I do, or does my business do? Are you an Artist or Commercial Artist?
  5. If I’m a commercial artist, who are my competitors?

In Short

Thank you for your attention. Keep in mind that we don’t know what we don’t know. So, don’t take our word for it. Meditate and find what is right for you.

For 2022 and beyond, we pray for peace.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace.

Thank you, see you next time.

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