Everything designed and made by man starts as an arbitrary decision by inventing possibilities. Lots of inventions came as a result of observation mixed with association. At some point we observed how repetition created similar results predictably and conventions were adopted. When faced with conventions that contradicted each other, we chose one over the other. At some point we placed God at the center of the Universe and then we placed Man at the center of the Universe. Some things, like the wheel, proved to work in many situations, so why not? As a species, we are resourceful and for each challenge we’ve invented possibilities that get us what we need or desire. Necessity is the mother of creation, don’t we say? How about, inventing possibilities is the solution to all our challenges?

Creative, no?

By the time I came around, in the year we agree was 1960 AD according to the Western calendar, in a place someone called Cuba, the amount of things we had agreed to would take too many lifetimes to enumerate. I wonder, however, when the notion of the harmful effects of germs was first discussed, how many people left the room in disgust over such a ludicrous notion? Yet by the time I was born, germs were known to spread disease. Other things, like evolution, we have yet to agree upon. And then there is Pluto, once a planet, now a dwarf planet, points to the fact that conventions come and go. Everything starts by inventing possibilities like the notion of time, location and realizing that there are things in our world we cannot see.

At least it’s not polluted.

Some conventions, like ascribing specific functions to a space, I declare outdated, unnecessary and archaic. They have outlived their purpose and no longer relate to how we use space and what we really need in this age. It seems very sensible to say every room is a living room by virtue of the fact that we live in it, but to many it seems anathema that rooms can exist without walls, for example. Generally speaking, we live in static, inefficient boxes.

With time, our existence is enhanced by those things we’ve either discovered or invented until they are replaced by inventing another possibility. One of my favorite inventions is the phone. To this day I am fascinated by the fact a device and speak to someone on the other side of the planet from where I am. In 2015, it’s almost unconceivable we could function not having our smart phones on us and fully charged at all times.

Wearable technology is the new fashion accessory.

Smart homes are one of our next big frontiers. Many companies have developed technologies to make our lives easier, like the refrigerator that automatically orders milk when the supply is low. The smart refrigerator hasn’t taken off yet, however. That doesn’t mean it’s not good or viable as with many great inventions, as the car, for instance or the internet, even if right now I don’t see it.

It does what the other thermostats do, just much better, with a price tag to match.

So far, the smart thermostat is ahead of all of the others.

Smart Design is something I’m looking forward to as a norm. By that I refer to a flexible technological infrastructure at the service of lifestyle changes and more importantly, as a result of the way we use space. To achieve that efficient planning energy use, aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Micro-dwellings meet a lot of the criteria I’ve mentioned. Are they viable as a long-term solution?

As to what we actually adopt, it’s a matter of inventing possibilities.