[alfa] The Future Of Items We Cherish

[alfacybersite <acs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

While Joe Elliott isn't quite in the thick of things, yet, regarding
automotive reliability (except for his own GTV6) he sums it up pretty
well in #1003. Read if you didn't.

Not claiming original author on this since it comes up fairly
frequently, but I was quite guilty of mixing oranges and apples on my
latest rants regarding the reliability issue.

Electronics makes so many things more reliable - over the short run (at
best). However, they are, by their very nature doomed to failure within
a very finite future. Since virtually all of them are custom (read,
computer) designed and with their sealed innards, you have no choice
once even a minor glitch disables the item, but to throw it away. This
applies to an item whether it be a cheap watch, medium priced
hard-drive, expensive electronic caliper, and in the not too distant
future, any car - cheap, medium priced, or ungodly expensive.

That's where I was trying to get comparing modern electronic
'reliability' vs older mechanical based designs...and did a miserable
job of doing so. And damn, I wish I was wrong here, but afraid
not...this time.

Thanks Joe.

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA

Did I mention I also just replaced my year old Epson ink jet printer:
(Rating 1 to 10) price - 9.5; quality 6.5; reliability .6

Also, have I ever mentioned that in '68 I attended the Aspen Design
Conference and signed up to hear a particular speaker (not one of the
main one's) who said (among other things), "In the future we will use
cameras which we will use once and throw away."  Since I've always been
shy I stood up and held up my newish Pentax Spotmeter camera and said,
"These will become disposable?" He assured me and the rather large
audience, yes, they would. Still standing I said, "Bullshit."

We were both right (and wrong). First, no 'disposable' film type camera
is thrown away, but recycled. They do not have built in metering, nor
interchangeable lenses. Yes, one can walk in and purchase a cardboard /
plastic / film camera today. And, yes, (am sure he hadn't thought of
this one) one can purchase inexpensive digital cameras. About all I
'won' in '68 - which, quite frankly was all I was interested in, was -
any cheap and / or disposable camera would not in the least bit be
anywhere near the point of being a sophisticated quality instrument. Am
sure we were talking at cross purposes - all or most items we encounter,
and purchase, in life being disposable vs acquiring items which we
cherish and value and in turn reward us with, if not perfect
reliability, at least restorable reliability along with highly
functional and intrinsic beauty.

I still have that Pentax. While it lasted many years, the Spotmeter no
longer works.
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