On Sun, 28 Jun 1998, sbmarcus wrote:

> Here's something to ponder. The guaranteed life of the economy line of Bird
> asphalt shingle roofing  applied in the 1920's was 30 years. In the 1970s
> it was 20. Now its 15. Do you think that that was in response to consumer
> demand? Or what?

It probably *is* in response to consumer demand in some sense.  Building
things to last went out of fashion some time ago.

Why do you think owners are willing to put vinyl siding on old wooden
houses without vapor barriers, so that moisture builds up on the inside of
the new siding and rots the structure?  Why do you think contractors build
with plywood and pressboard that deglues and comes apart after a few
decades?  Why do you think people triple (or more) the cost of purchases
by borrowing the price at high interest rates?  Why do you think software
written as recently as 1994 can't handle the year 2000?

   1.  "The future is somebody else's problem."

   2.  "I'll just throw it away and get a new one."

   3.  "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

   4.  "I'll be far away from here by then."

   5.  "It's cheaper this month."

---
Lawrence Kestenbaum, [log in to unmask]
http://www.potifos.com/