On a main road nearby is an old sewing machine repair shop with dirty windows and a faded sign on its door and I have never seen anyone in there having their sewing machine repaired. It makes me want to buy a sewing machine and break it just so I can take it to the shop and watch someone fix it with their hands and bring something broken back to life like a retail Lazarus.
Nice work, Kev. Many people have noticed and remarked about the diminishing shelf-life and declining quality in most products today. I believe we can go far back as 2008 to see where the trend really picked up. In my own life as a musician for 25 years, I've noticed that there's a demand online for instruments -- in this case, guitars -- from before that period.
Thanks for the comment Devin. Yes I agree there’s been a steady decline for at least a decade.
I’m also a muso - have you noticed a similar issue with instruments? I feel you can still get a decent guitar without paying a fortune but it’s been a while since I bought one so could well be out of touch.
Definitely. Almost any guitar over $2500 used to be a reliable price point for very good quality. Today, you can get yourself some good kindling for $3500, but it won't be much of a guitar.
@Craftsmanship, thank you for this comment--it directed me to your really informative magazine and valuable project of promoting lasting things. Very appreciated.
"I await the TikToks of people throwing their sewage into the streets as a sign of living authentically but I’m not confident it will be popular with the neighbours."
You make a compelling point about nostalgia for "the good old days" and regression vs progress. Do we acquiesce and let others shape our society or do we get involved and play an active role?
As a 21-year old student reading this, I have to say I am amazed. We are becoming so used to the "use and throw away" mentality, and technology is not helping that. What happens when the "newest" is no longer the "best"? Very interesting read
Hi Maisey thanks for reading and for your thoughts. You raise a great question with ‘newest’ vs ‘best’ it’s something I’ve not thought on hard enough and now I will thank you.
"AI is not just a god, but a god we can build, and thus we can shape the future of reality to our own peculiar whims. There’s another Beff Jezos post for this idea as well: “If you help the homo-techno-capital machine build the grander future it wants, you will be included in it.”
I had my overlocker/serger, that I inherited from my grandma, serviced earlier this year. She bought it back in ‘93, so it is over 30 years old by now. It still runs smoothly. Definitely not trading it in for a newer and shinier version.
😂 wow should’ve known it had already been done!
Nice work, Kev. Many people have noticed and remarked about the diminishing shelf-life and declining quality in most products today. I believe we can go far back as 2008 to see where the trend really picked up. In my own life as a musician for 25 years, I've noticed that there's a demand online for instruments -- in this case, guitars -- from before that period.
Thanks for the comment Devin. Yes I agree there’s been a steady decline for at least a decade.
I’m also a muso - have you noticed a similar issue with instruments? I feel you can still get a decent guitar without paying a fortune but it’s been a while since I bought one so could well be out of touch.
Definitely. Almost any guitar over $2500 used to be a reliable price point for very good quality. Today, you can get yourself some good kindling for $3500, but it won't be much of a guitar.
Ugh, that’s so sad to hear.
Anywhere I can check out your music?
guitars have definitely gone down...
Things were better before millennials joined the workforce, basically.
Ouch
You can’t blame children for how they were raised. It’s a symptom of a bigger problem.
This is an astute column, and squarely on target. Many thanks, good job!
At the magazine I run, Craftsmanship, we have published at length about these problems. Our current issue is entirely about the lost "Art of Repair" (https://craftsmanship.net/issue/fall-2023/); and one story in particular -- "The Great Washing Machiine Scam" (https://craftsmanship.net/the-great-washing-machine-scam/) -- adds to Kev's observations and arguments in this piece.
Thanks for the comment. I love your mission and have subscribed. Look forward to reading those articles!
@Craftsmanship, thank you for this comment--it directed me to your really informative magazine and valuable project of promoting lasting things. Very appreciated.
Thank you for supporting our mission—and welcome to the Craftsmanship community!
"I await the TikToks of people throwing their sewage into the streets as a sign of living authentically but I’m not confident it will be popular with the neighbours."
😉 Fixed that for you!
https://www.tiktok.com/@brutofficiel/video/7327712952243522849
You make a compelling point about nostalgia for "the good old days" and regression vs progress. Do we acquiesce and let others shape our society or do we get involved and play an active role?
As a 21-year old student reading this, I have to say I am amazed. We are becoming so used to the "use and throw away" mentality, and technology is not helping that. What happens when the "newest" is no longer the "best"? Very interesting read
Hi Maisey thanks for reading and for your thoughts. You raise a great question with ‘newest’ vs ‘best’ it’s something I’ve not thought on hard enough and now I will thank you.
It's got limited applications for sure. Will never replace self-reliance
Think I’m in agreement with you there Chris
Is AI the coming antichrist? From Rolling Stone:
"AI is not just a god, but a god we can build, and thus we can shape the future of reality to our own peculiar whims. There’s another Beff Jezos post for this idea as well: “If you help the homo-techno-capital machine build the grander future it wants, you will be included in it.”
How will the conservative christians react?
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-companies-advocates-cult-1234954528/
Thanks for the link Malcolm I’ve just had a chance to read the article. Fascinating and terrifying all at once.
> the third and lesser-known rider named A Decline in the Quality and Shelf-Life of Things. I hypothesise his lesser fame is due to the unwieldy name.
That riders true name is Planned Obsolescence, by the way.
I had my overlocker/serger, that I inherited from my grandma, serviced earlier this year. She bought it back in ‘93, so it is over 30 years old by now. It still runs smoothly. Definitely not trading it in for a newer and shinier version.
Love that Nino, no need for SewGPT ever