Do-it-Yourself Market Growth Expected to be Worth 1,278 Billion by 2030 (Boat Example)

On the docks. Unfortunately, it was
taken with cell. Professional camera
didn't save the pictures.

There are some people who like to work with their hands do things themselves because they enjoy the process of creating and fixing things. We have tinkered with our environment since the beginning of our species and it has led to some interesting discoveries and societal advancements. In recent history we have become more inclined to hire expensive technicians with specialized training versus tinkering to our own solutions. For some that trend is reversing and Do-it-Yourself market is growing rapidly. Let me tell you why through a story of my boat.

Do-It-Yourself Market Size:

First let us understand that the annual growth rate of Do-It-Yourself market is 38% and it is expected to reach 1,278.00 billion dollars by 2030. You can read more about that HERE. The market is imperfectly defined leaning heavily in housing repair as one of the most common do-it-yourself expenses. (It says the market study was published in 2022 but it seems a little older than that. I'm also not sure of its source but much of the material is cited and it makes sense. I would suspect this was a firms market study that was eventually released. Either way its relevant enough to get the point across. There is another study with some trends HERE) 

Sense of Accomplishment:

For me, I enjoy engaging in my own project because I like accomplishing something that comes with building, creating, and fixing something. There is a type of enjoyment that comes with the time spent figuring out a problem and researching the right products that create resolution (Matching of practice and theory.). Much of the process has to do with solving practical issues with everyday knowledge. Learning something new and developing my own handyman skills at the same time in a way in it can be practically applied to things I need to get done.

Sometimes I fail and that really stinks! So unless I take my time I generally do not fix anything that is critical for survival (As I do a lot of outdoor stuff and one mistake could mean its all over.). Anything that is critical to the functioning of safety would either be done by a professional or inspected by one after (i.e. electrical work or a major repair on a boat engine. I like to watch professional mechanics, and could likely do it if necessary with some additional study, but I know the risks so I minimize them by having someone who knows what they are doing. Everything else is fair game! )

Benefits of Do-It-Yourselfers

I think this market is growing and that is a good thing because 1.) knowing how to tinker and fix things leads to innovation when people have the skills to build something unique to their problem; 2.) Do-it-Yourselfers can save a lot of time and money in a way that makes people less dependent on specialists; and 3.)  these skills grow in the general population and are transferred into skilled trades. (Where I grew up in the Upper Peninsula we have a lot of people who do their own handyman work.)

Sailboat Stanchion Example:

The Anatomy of a Boat
American Sailing Association

A broken sailboat stanchion led me down some interesting paths of a project. I had a marina slip neighbor for a short period. Well dressed guy, big corporate attorney I think, a little bit of an attitude, had just bought a very expensive wooden toy (It looked painfully expensive). Of course he didn't know how to use his new toy so he ran it into my sailboat and broke my stanchion (Sailboat people are romantics and expensive speed boat owners more about image. I think I read that somewhere.). 

As a smart attorney he apologizes and brings someone from a local boat works to fix the problem so it doesn't need to be reported on his insurance. Great! I'm all for helping out my neighbor! Not a big deal I nod! (I don't mind if it actually gets done. In hindsight I made a mistake in being too nice. Just FYI.) Except, afterward the stanchion felt very loose and would wiggle under pressure (I would be afraid someone grabs onto it with their full body weight).  Furthermore, I noticed on more than one occasion a little musty water made its way into the room below so I tightened to no avail the the drainage hoses. 

Anyway, apparently he didn't pay these "professionals" very much because they did a seriously subpar job. I was left the options of either paying someone else or just doing it myself. I opted to take my time and take care of the job and be done with it (There is a lot of work that goes into maintaining boats so you either love it or you sell it! I been working on this one for a while and its getting close to completion. I would like to take it and sail up and down the coast maybe. Perhaps do some charity racing or plastics research. Figure it out eventually. Maybe I will just sit on it and have coffee. ⛾).  

Stanchion Bottom.
Bigger backing, strong topside base,
caulking, and bolts.
 I think I need to paint that ceiling.
Its storage but still the work never ends!

In general, I would say a job like replacing a stanchion would be about $1000 to fix correctly. Doing my own work saved a lot of money and it cost me $50 ($950 and my labor time was taken out of the market but likely to be spent somewhere else. i.e. home improvement, vacation, investments, dinner, gas, etc.). 

Before I started my project I did my research and watched videos, asked questions, outlined the holes on a piece of plywood, and did some simple planning. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I took out the old stanchion bolts (By the amount of effort I had to put it, the other guys apparently didn't take them out at all so I'm not sure how they really expected to fixed the problem. i.e. likely why it leaked.). 

Marine sealant UV topside, a bigger backboard to create additional stability, new bolts, marine grade caulking between the board and underdeck, and I was finished! Easy peasy! Of course there were measurements, drilling new holes, and the other boring activities like online research that goes into the project. The heavy rain the night after I replaced it helped me feel more comfortable the stanchion no longer leaked (Water off the deck runs right over the stanchion.). Problem solved!  

Not only did I do the job right, I learned a lot and saved money (I know someone out there is going to say I didn't do it exactly the way I should do it. Ok! That is the do-it-yourself market!) While I'm not an expert in do-it-yourself repair, I seem to do pretty well at it and things hold up (If they don't I do it again and do something different. It means I missed something). Knowing how to construct basic things and fix small items is important for people. Because of my northern woods background, love for outdoor adventures, and general need to know these things I take up the opportunities to do my stuff all the time. 

Post Covid I think people also have come to appreciate do-it-yourself activities and I would like to watch the trends a little to see if they continue to swing upwards. Having a college degree is great and having construction skills is also great. I came a little from both worlds half blue collar and half small business owner. Continue to learn and develop new skills in a way that not only saves you money but also allows you to take care of your own projects when its needed. 

Threats To Democracy: Hometown Hate and National Decision Making

American democracy was born based on the necessity of having a place on earth that one could live freely without the suppression of old Europe and the old way of thinking. The people who stepped off of the first boats built a nation that allowed them to have free lives where they could worship and raise their families in peace. Bouncing forward a few hundred years we find ourselves in the very same struggles for the soul of what we represent as a nation (Our need to be self reflective doesn't change). 

The U.S. has two fundamental rights within the Constitution and those include the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. One is to allow men (as a general mankind term) to live free and the other to allow such men to talk about how to keep their nation free (freedom of speech is a mechanism to overcome wrong just like it is in this case.). 

Moving 400 years into the future and we find that hometown hate, with its preexisting judgements on which religions and people are free, has grown thereby risking the very security and foundation of our democracy through extremism (Just fyi some of us might discriminate even against the Quakers who helped launch this new free land. Notice how they find God in each person and thereby create values for each human being. That is why understanding different people's and religions lead to insight into the nature of our species and the institutions we built to protect our basic needs. This is also insight into why we need leaders with certain principles and values. We don't need the most connected as much as we need the best and brightest no matter what their background. That requires a shift to universal democratic values.).  How law is applied to whom, and whom is above the law, and how they function are all part of that very same question that leads to our long term viability. 

What happened during an attempted community cleansing is a moral failure that exposes a crack in our understanding of democracy and to which "Americans" it applies. In essence we have normalized the unacceptable (unAmerican) beliefs of hate in a way in which they could derail the mission of institutions (We normalized them even when they are horrendous and obvious.). If these values spread due to an inability to deal with them we may find our nation someday on a respirator. 

I'm not going to delve into all the details in this post because I have done so previously. I'm only going to say mental health launched a hate network among a group mediocre ex sports players from 25+ years ago and that include some (not the majority) of officers and officials. Once the rampage was completed (an attempt was an attempt) there are/were few mechanism to improve the system in a thoughtful way and/or hold those who cause the problem to account. 

This moral failure is on one end and the inability to correct the injustice afterward on the other (afterward is happening now) could indicate that the rot that weakens our values are also weakening our democracy by exploiting local level prejudice (I believe in this case our deeper values will overcome because a wider lens exposes the internal decision making and functioning of a good old boy system that have racial and religious influences within their definitions of "local". Not based in genetics in the area but whether or not a person/people is/are "accepted" as a "valuable" person by this group. Mob mentality doesn't give someone the right for anything. ). If these types of distortions to democracy are occurring in other places it could be pretty risky to turn a blind eye and not make corrections. (Pick a number 10%, 30%, 80%? There are lots of people complaining about some very fundamental things as they relate to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.)

I'm not a perfect person but I do believe I try and find as many win-win situations as I can because they are ones that people can accept and create practical steps forward. It can put current problems in the past. I suggest the initiators of hate receive mandatory mental health, adjustments and learning for local officers (how preexisting bias and mental health distortions can be used to manipulate them), adjust discriminatory hiring practices of a local college, taking sports bullying at a young age seriously so as we don't develop future groups of adult bullies and bigots, an audit of financial incentives, and a general American spirit of improvement take hold (That requires remorse and recognition. A free pass doesn't get us there.)

My approach is as it was in the past (I believe I had a pretty good understanding of what was happening while it was happening and new information hasn't disconfirmed that logic. It created more depth but hasn't indicated any major need to shift. I had about 4 different theories but quickly discarded most based on perpetrator/group activity.). To be polite but not passive. While for those who engaged in the hate they have no problem devaluing other people and putting them in harms way. However, I cannot take that luxury. I have children and someday grandchildren that I want to be free. If they choose to live in the area, which is solely their choice, or become part of the community then who are these people to choose otherwise? (Whether sheltering in place at our nations capital or having yourself and kids put in intentional harm's way based on someone else's extreme beliefs is a threat to the peace and security of our future democracy. Its is fundamental to the rights to exist in which all laws are based.) 

Universalizing the applications of our laws (most laws are already written universal) and the functioning of our institutions will help our American brand resonate globally as an enlightened society where our principles can be trusted to guide our decision making and many paths to ensuring our democracy makes its way into its next stage of development. As with everything in life our choices often lead to our outcomes. We have politicized our futures and our fundamentals. At a time in which we will need to function at our best as a nation with a mission it would be unwise to wait until hindsight awareness sheds light on the necessity of being our best every day (as a collection of choice within our conscious awareness).

A few vices are sufficient to darken many virtues. Plutarch

Cut River Bridge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

You may enjoy this picture of a bridge. Very cleanly painted green with the colors in the background. It is an interesting one taken a few weeks ago in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If you don't know the area it is pristine with small villages and lots of Great Lakes coastal access. Communities like Escanaba, about 2 hours west of this picture, are ripe for investment and have been receiving increased interest. The economy relies heavily on tourism but there are other industries starting to grow and develop as well. 

You may purchase as a digital print in the gallery HERE.

Two PRC Intelligence Officers Arrested and 13 Charged in Trying to Influence Global Telecommunications Case

We are in a somewhat complex world where all types of things are happening all the time and some of those activities are subversive by nature. Two nations have grown into super powers. Each with unique and shared supply networks. Trade conflicts have increased in recent years and there is a level of sizing, flexing and pacing to determine influence. I would suspect as competition rises so will the reliance on espionage and other hacking/digital methods increase. Ideas, science, inventions and development are worth a lot in todays world where such information is no longer being loosely spewed into the market in any old haphazard way (i.e. allowing for it to be collected for a long long time with no controls. We are now adjusting our data networks, increasing security and becoming smart on bringing back manufacturing.). 

I'm sort of looking at the case and wondering how $61K is enough to sell out one's country? However, I would suspect if you were leaning already in that direction the money might tip the scales for some. Others won't do it for any price. In this case, the person did the right thing and turned them in to authorities. That is how we clean house is by each person contacted to turn in the behaviors.

Two Chinese Intelligence Officers Charged with Obstruction of Justice in Scheme to Bribe U.S. Government Employee and Steal Documents Related to the Federal Prosecution of a PRC-Based Company

Pelosi's Husband Attacked in Home? Hope Full Recovery

An assailant broke into the Pelosi home and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. I'm happy to hear that he is expected to make a full recovery. Like many in our nation we are wondering what actually happened and what might be some of the motivations. More importantly, how do we stop these things from happening again?

It appears the perpetrator had posted all types of conspiracy theories online and had some radical political leanings "Where is Nancy?". The nature of politics is thus that rationality is sometimes thrown out the window. We could minimize these conspiracy theories if our leaders stay focus on factual evidence based conclusions and solutions (Most do but a large percentage bank off of misinformation and chaos creation as avenues to power). 

Interesting questions arise that would help determine the nature of the attack. For example, the time the person broke in could be an issue, did they steal anything, were they looking at other things, what comments they made, why a hammer versus other weapon, age could be a factor, etc.

On the surface I don't think they were a professional unless they intentionally wanted to look unprofessional (Likewise, I would assume this person had no real exit strategy.). A hammer seems sort of a tool of convenience more then something someone might plan out in advance. Its just a brute tool (...weapon choice likely indicates state of mind and capacity)! 

Either way, we need to get a handle on crime and domestic extremism. I think we should learn to tackle this issue (I'm not sure we are doing as much as we should on a local level where we might first experience these types of behaviors among people who are familiar with the person. In some cases the precursor behaviors to these incidents are given wink and nod if serving a particular agenda or against a particular group. The risks to our democracy are on the local hate based level that often make their way onto a national level. i.e. Capital Riots. We are a social species so when leaders hype up the rhetoric to the point that we are looking at others as "less than" we begin to have increases in similar behaviors and that eats at the safety and security of society. If we believe in "...one Nation under God, indivisible...." then we must talk and act like it.) before we start looking like we have to spending significant resources protecting and defending ourselves from random lone wolves spurred by destructive political rhetoric of coming from some members of both sides. Once we start needed security everywhere go, we start looking different as a nation; things become more fatalistic like they do in declining nations. Let us not drag our feet on bi-partisan solutions. Its a current hurdle our nation faces and must be overcome to move into its next state of development where we are all rowing in the same direction (Using our unique backgrounds and political perspective to solve problems.).

(I'm a light R Republican and no matter the politics or the party we have responsibilities to maintain our sense of moral direction and national community and concern. I find the behavior of breaking into homes, this or any other, highly inappropriate and hope the Mr. Pelosi has a speedy recovery. There are certain basic things we all should agree upon and that is peace and safety are the seams that keep this country together. Whether terrorism, extremism, theft or mental health we all have the right within our local communities, homes, and across the nation to feel a sense of safety. There is no place for hate even if we don't like someone's politics, policies. race, religion, etc. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with trying to understand the mental health aspects of how these things come about on a local level and when track and solve policies might be helpful when someone is prone to the projection of hate based violence. Whether powerful or powerless, rich or poor, connected or unconnected, religious or not religious, etc. people have the right to live without fear that someone is going to "get rid of the problem" {Problem being subjective to the perpetrators misunderstands. )

October 20th 2022 Escanaba City Council Meeting: Things Moving on Development

It looks like things are slowly moving forward. I'm not going to comment very much about specifics of the video because I just look for overall trends and signs that certain adaptive adjustments are being made that will put the City in the best possible place. That requires understanding what is going on in the market and what is going on to meet those changes (i.e. changes with COVID and commerce and how that relates to my economic theory.). 

Escanaba has great unutilized potential as a development hotspot based on its ecological, economic, and strategic location as the U.S. seeks to bring back manufacturing, mining/metals, and innovation. Could Esky be an important place some day (Its already important but just making a point)?

No one really knows for sure but development potential has certain characteristics (I might also focus on developing the downtown by drawing new businesses from outside the area, encouraging custom small scale manufacturing, allowing development to enhance each other. i.e. my idea of a mallet manufacturer (and equestrian retailer) downtown with apartments on top and small scale manufacturing in the back. The store front is retained and used directly or as a rental. )

Its all a sequences of choices and activities meeting market need. The biggest questions being related to where to point a ship (market analysis and projection). To me, its always in the place that opens more opportunities and are likely trends to last for 30+ years. 

You can obtain the agenda HERE.

Government Puts Together the X-File Team from NASA! (Sightings of Coneheads)

NASA just released its Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Study Team Members that outlines their impressive list of scientists who like to study UFOs. This is part of commissioned research that seeks to discover what the origins of those weird triangle sightings might be and their implications. They will assess if the UAPs are "Earth Made" or from somewhere else. They will also look at whether they represent a hazard in the skies (Sounds like a future product designation like Made in America but instead in an intergalactic universe. Let it be noted it was said here first! 👾😂. "Made on Earth" stamp. Ok sorry the science is legit and some of the best in the world but it still sort of blows my mind!)

 (The Military would have other concerns and thus has their own UAP Taskforce. Two different perspectives of the problem, different types of research, that will share lots of familiarities but have different purposes. I would expect that some of the information between the civilian and military research results will be shared. That is often why research is an additive process and builds off of others research and in turn others research will build on this study. Different perspectives create slightly different results of research. 

Both teams may come to the conclusion it actually is ET, new tech, surveillance cameras in a triangle, a new species we have never seen, etc. but how they come to that conclusion is different. It might be helpful to consider keeping both the studies blind to each other until a certain point where sharing  info can create new insights. i.e. give them both 9 months to see what they can figure out independently, connect up the results, and decide if you want a third study {or a military and civilian study} that sets a new course based on previous discovery). You can read NASA to Set Up Independent Study on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. 

The list is varied and its line up also makes sense because of the needed skill sets. The members constitute a knowledgeable team and as you read their bios you will see very smart and can dive very deep into data. One thing to consider is that Aliens may be doing things outside of our existing knowledge and cognitive perspectives. Its not that we can't understand what they are doing (Assuming we can sense similar frequences much like a dog has much better hearing than ours) but would be trying to find unique and unknown patterns in information that we are currently are in process of discovering. 

We have no experience! (Watch the Coke bottle show where someone throws a Coke bottle out of a plane to an isolated village who never experienced such an item and they have all types of new ways to use it. Seems sort of similar right. HERE) When your dealing with things you have no experience with, you may be mentally blind to understanding what you are seeing in front of your face (I see this all the time. Let us say as an example you saw something someone didn't see. That person wouldn't believe you until you point out what you saw by infinite detail and assuming you didn't bore them into glossy eyed mind wandering comatose they might say, "Oh, interesting. Now I see it!"). 

 

I would throw some Level-K thinkers in there that might understand the science but not indoctrinated into any specific scientific rabbit hole. We start digging deeper holes in science but sometimes miss standing back and asking, "Am I asking the right question?  (i.e. There are often better research that doesn't fit modern acceptable institutional thinking and are not developed or explored. You can read an article on science and how other factors impact research and discovery. Its just an example. HERE). If you are dealing with unknowns then add some people (even if just consultants) that are used to finding unknown patterns. 

Proof of Aliens below....

(😂 I had so many questions I wanted to ask when I first saw these aliens. Unfortunately  my old fashion combustible engine, from whatever cheap rental I could find, could not catch up to their electric surface cruisers! 😏 Questions like... Why their heads are pointy? Where is their planet? What is their most advanced technology? Do they watch TV? Do they pay high taxes too?  What does illegal alien mean on their planet? Because I didn't actually talk to them to gain additional evidence I may not understand very much.  If you don't know who the Cone Heads are you may want to watch the video HERE.  

All I can say is that just like the surveillance we have on UAPs we can only speculate until we start to collect hard evidence with radar "photo bombing" and other scientific measurement tools/instruments. The video below isn't proof of anything other than people having fun and doing fun things for their community. If we had a little more fun like this in our life we wouldn't be so grumpy. Just remember we don't yet have the book of "All the Answers".  )