Technology is Getting Objectively Worse and Less Reliable
I recently unpacked a coffee grinder that I had purchased last year (electric, 150w). It seems to be imperfect, but if not overused it ought to be OK (it overheats after several minutes of persistent use). NIMA is a Japanese maker of kitchen appliances, but this one clearly says "Made in China" and it's not at all atypical for Japanese brands to manufacture and assemble most if not all things in mainland China. In the commercial sector, they overlook political differences; sheer greed, pure exploitation (sweatshops). I ranted here earlier this summer about deterioration of appliances' quality, e.g. washing machines. This past winter my CD player suddenly died after less than a year's use (not even heavy use), unlike some 1990s Discman (it works OK). The NIMA Japan Electric Grinder seems hard to find now; was it removed from shelves/availability due to quality issues? Or safety concerns?
It's concerning to me that instead of making appliances more robust over time they are mostly getting worse (yes, yes, I am fully aware there are exceptions, so this is not a sweeping statement). Then we have the audacity to ridicule people who chase "old stuff", sometimes analogue things (we see them ridiculed or dismissed as "Luddites" who are "left behind").
Consider cars. Suppose you purchase one today (computers on 4 wheels). Will it still be usable and economic (e.g. to repair) in 2050? If not, why not?
I'd rather be one of those "Luddites" who are "left behind"; my interactions with the Court, for instance, are almost always in paper form. There is paper trail. I have real pets who really know me and offer genuine companionship, not Tamagotchi or addictive "apps" that simulate emotion. I'm not a hater of technology, I just don't need it creeping into everything. Many people agree with me on it, but "social dynamics" (or mass advertising) defy common sense. Peer pressure sucks. It sucks the fun out of basic things.
I was never dependent on money to be happy, but it saddens me when brand new appliance are defective out of the box, whereas some appliances I received as a kid still work fine. Seriously, they do. Several of them are 30+ years old, some "preowned" by my grandparents.
Something went horribly wrong if 8 billion human beings cannot put their collective heads together to make appliances more reliable than 4 billion human beings could produce around the time an "old school" craft could land on the Moon with people, then return safely to Earth.
Japanese-led Moon missions became a joke as well. █
