Easy solutions, are they for real? People like to believe there is a single solution for all of their problems. One source of renewable energy that will help us all. One technology that would solve all our innovation issues. The ‘One Size, Fits all’, to rule them all.
The One
Believing there is a single solution for all our problems is an attractive proposition to buy into. But it is also flawed. If all our problems were so easily solved, why would these problems still exist? It must be a bit harder than we like to believe.
The One Power
We often look for the one power source or technology that can be applied anywhere, all the time. Fact is that depending on the situation, some technologies work better than others.
Solar power works magic in sunny areas. But works less well in areas with little sun. The same holds for wind turbines; they generate massive amounts of power in windy conditions. But where the wind is rare, you better look at alternatives.
The One Innovation
We often look for one innovation that would solve all our challenges. Hoping for the easy route to materialise will do nothing to create it.
When Blockchain, AI, or for example the Internet came up, it was quickly branded and seen as the solution for everything. You had a problem? Connect it to the Internet. Use a Smart Contract, or let some AI crunch the data. But did any of that ever solve the problems? Or just create some new ones in the process?
The One Blockchain
The one blockchain to rule them all is equally mythical. Especially given the current state of the technology, where so much core development is still going on.
With so many decent technologies in this space, there are a few top contenders when you look at actual usage. But as soon as one of them develops something, the others are often quick to copy it or implement a custom version of it. As an example, look at how Zero-Knowledge Proofs or Lightning layers have spread. The fact here is, it is too early to declare any ‘winner’ of sorts if there ever will be. Possibly a few of these technologies will exist next to each other, each specialised for certain applications.
"One Blockchain to Rule them All"
No Easy Solutions Left
There are no perfect, easy solutions. Most of the easy work has been done. For the rest, we need to look at the situation and see what works best in each case. What did not work in one case, does work here. Need help unravelling the cases and picking your best bet?
