Designed Obsolete

I was talking to my brother in law yesterday. He used to work in an ice-house. He was telling me that the cubes now have holes in them to create more surface and less mass and have air infused into them to make the cube lighter and melt quicker. I can remember when a chest of ice was good for a long weekend of campfire cooking, kids, beer and sodas, snacks but not any more. You are going to have to replenish the ice daily.
This is the way our economy functions; consumer based economy lives, not for profit but for turn-over. I started this tread to ask for examples of useless stuff that is designed to produce nothing but make-busy wages. Remember that almost everything other than food, clothing, and shelter and the means of procuring them, are extraneous.
I'll start with:
Ice
Bottled water
disposable diapers
disposable anything
artificially flavored water
lite salt?
Mad Moms Against Drunk Drivers
Bicycle helmets
Jails
Swat Teams
Glocks
Digital television

 

Most consumer electronics. Already obsolete when it hits the market - the company already has it's replacement on the way. Bigger, smaller physically, more powerful, faster, more bells&whistles, more bugs........

Then you need newer, faster, better software, or a newer music/video/game format.

The hardware and software companies feed each other. Can't get one without the other. Imagine how much sheer plastic/electronic trash is 'out there'......?

 

guess everybody needs a hobby...

 

The list of items that are engineered with planned obsolescence would be like the "Song that never ends". Items that don't have planned obsolescence would be a very short list.

Now matter how durable the exterior shell of an item is built something within is engineered to fail, usually right about the time the warranty is up.

"Cash for clunkers" is a prime example of helping consumerism along.

If .gov really wanted to do something to help the environment, reduce the amount of energy consumed by manufacturing and reduce the amount of crap we throw into landfills, they might consider giving incentives to corporations that actually build something that last more than a couple of years. Yeah, like that will ever happen.

 

Agree with you about MADD. The .08 limit is BS and people should only be arrested for DUI when they are F'ed up.

For the list:
Motorcycle helmet laws
Seatbelt laws

Glocks??? Nothing wrong with them. Have been using them since the early 90's with no problems.

 

"Digital Television" - AMEN! Totally useless. Any bad weather, the signal pixelizes, freezes the picture and then goes dead. Imagine in an Emergency - don't expect to hear the annoying alert - the tube will be offline. I got about four times more 'channels'..... of total garbage. I go days now without turning the danged thing on.And then, it's mainly just for the weather reports.

 

'Single servings' of anything. Tyler Durden does not approve.

Byte

 

Are you kidding? When my Satellite and Internet goes down, that's my sign that I need to get the family in the basement!! It's my cheap tornado siren.

 

I still have to have one hanging from the oven door, I go nuts if it's not there.

 

Yep, I use the old "dish towel", and even use the red mechanic's rags, washing them when they are soiled (BUT.... NEVER wash them with your 'whites'..... ). I do use paper towels, but I can make two rolls last a couple months.

TP - now THAT is a necessity of life! I'll go to a rag when the paper stuff simply is NOT available.

 

One point to make: there is little beyond food, clothing, and shelter that is a necessity. We like our conveniences but my point is that most of these only go to providing "make busy" employment to keep the worker ants moving. I like to think, all men created equal aside, that there is some compelling reason why we have to give money to people for other than these essentials? If there is, I have missed it. What is wrong with distributing Tyvek suits (paper), energy bars, and Circus tent dormitory to the ones that can't work, pay taxes, and buy their own disposable diapers, bottled water, and Starbucks coffee? Is there something wrong with wanting someone else to pay for anything other than the essentials?