If it’s been a while since you’ve read a good, honest, thoughtful debate (no Crossfire-style yelling involved), click over to Design Observer. Contributor William Drenttel’s essay “My Country Is Not A Brand” begs a read and a bit of reflection. Be sure to peruse the comments.

Think for a moment about using a computer - for work, entertainment, research, writing, paying bills, etc. Do you think of these tasks as experiences?

If not, you may want to start.

As the Web grows ever more pervasive, we can expect to rely more and more on computers linked together to do our menial daily tasks. I just signed up to have most bills paid online. I write and publish. I write more letters than I ever did using standard mail.

Each of these tasks individually does not construe an experience. Yet, the sum of them and other tasks equals an increasing chunk of our waking hours, our “conscious experience.”

Companies like AOL and Yahoo play to this niche, creating a frame for our experience of the Web. Even Google, the uncarved block of the Web, is for many people a starting point for an experience of the Web.

Now, think about the accessibility of the Web in 10 years. Think full-frame, digital movie feeds simultaneously to millions. Think smaller, more subtle technologies edging into our lives. Think handheld, wireless devices with clever Web interfaces - accessibility to boundless information anywhere.

Before long, the Web will act as both servant and master. Its stores of information will, at the same time, help us achieve things undreamed of, and organize us globally (and, or course, virtually) by interest.

It’s all about people. It’s all about the things they do, the things that interest them, their experiences. As I wrote months back, this is what circuit-brains are for: to make everyday tasks easier so we can concentrate on the big ideas.

As elections go, I’m glad this one’s gone. Though it played almost like an encore of 2000, at least a clear winner emerged without sending in the legal deus ex machina waiting in the wings.

Now, I have a request for President George W. Bush in his second term: Be careful with Social Security.

My knee-jerk response is, If it’s not social, it’s not security. Things happen. There needs to be a safety net.

In my own life, I don’t mind a bit of privatization. I’ve invested in stocks for a few years now, and I get decent returns (and even got a nice boost from a decisive Nov. 2 - thanks Mr. Bush). Many people are not. This country spills over with wealth. We should not curse the elderly to panhandling from the deserving and fortunate for a few bad choices with their money. Bad choices abound in 21st century America, and people have a penchant for choosing them.

Having a “starving the beast” mentality on federal social programs has another long-term effect, and X- and Yers need to pay attention. As boomers retire, the Social Security entitlement will grow rapidly unless the American people scale it back or fund it more. Between now and 2029, about 76 million boomers will retire. According to the article, in American Demographics, the nation’s number of over-65s will double.

That age group’s pull on the nation’s working resources will prove enormous. Now, consider dealing with this as a starved federal beast. Generation X will bear the greatest weight of the retiring Baby Boom. And, Xers will bear that load during the years in which they try to make the greatest contributions to their own retirements.

Now, despite what politicians on both sides say, it seems a fairly simple equation. Our nation has upwards of 76 million baby boomers, and grim estimates of the cash expected to support them in retirement. If a shortfall, as projected, turns up, it’s either benefits or eligibility. Something has to get cut.

As I said, I don’t mind edging toward self-directed retirement saving - a bit. I don’t count on Social Security, and supplement a projected lack thereof with other investments, so I’m effectively already there. But, many hard-working people will.

So, as Bush tackles this issue, I ask that he consider these questions. What does the modest, but comfortable, lifestyle of our working class look like in retirement? What should it look like? What can it look like, and still be fair to generations that follow?