You don’t realise yet your new purchase is rubbish
Discussion
One of the few benefits of getting older is experience can give you a different perspective.
I’ve seen a lot of new technology and fashions come and go over my life. Things that seemed cutting edge at the time eg Walkman,
Commodore 64 now, frankly, seem rubbish. Yet the objects haven’t changed, just how we view them.
Same with fashion. It is embarrassing watching 80s films with my daughter as she gapes and tries to suppress laughter at the hair and clothes, yet back in the 80s we thought we looked great! Same with cars. Some cars I thought were really good looking when they were launched, now look plain or just awful.
When I was growing up a motorbike with 100 bhp would have been amazing. Something to lust after. Today 100 bhp is treated as a beginners bike!
The conclusion must be that for most of the stuff we buy today that we think now is the bee’s knees, we will come to think are rubbish and/or ugly in the future.
Some things - very much in the minority - seem to stand the test of time. Although the Spitfire was technically old hat when I was growing up I thought it one of the most beautiful aircraft ever made (one the most beautiful man made machines ever made). I still have the same opinion today.
I’ve seen a lot of new technology and fashions come and go over my life. Things that seemed cutting edge at the time eg Walkman,
Commodore 64 now, frankly, seem rubbish. Yet the objects haven’t changed, just how we view them.
Same with fashion. It is embarrassing watching 80s films with my daughter as she gapes and tries to suppress laughter at the hair and clothes, yet back in the 80s we thought we looked great! Same with cars. Some cars I thought were really good looking when they were launched, now look plain or just awful.
When I was growing up a motorbike with 100 bhp would have been amazing. Something to lust after. Today 100 bhp is treated as a beginners bike!
The conclusion must be that for most of the stuff we buy today that we think now is the bee’s knees, we will come to think are rubbish and/or ugly in the future.
Some things - very much in the minority - seem to stand the test of time. Although the Spitfire was technically old hat when I was growing up I thought it one of the most beautiful aircraft ever made (one the most beautiful man made machines ever made). I still have the same opinion today.
If there is real improvement, that's fine, but when you have to spend the first few hours of your holiday reading the manual in your hire car (if its actually there) just to find out how to change channels on the radio or work the sat nav, then you wonder if that car from twenty years ago was better.
The Douglas DC-3 was obsolete by FAA standards in 1945, however as a bush plane its lack of a fatigue life, big tyres and general versatility mean that they are being refurbished rather than replaced. The South African Air Force have had them in service for over 70 years now, albeit with a couple of new engines.
In America, General Motors are making a 'crate' system to convert internal combustion cars to electric power. If people can have all the versatility of their favourite car, e.g. a Volvo estate, in a cheap to run form, why would they compromise by having all the hassle of a new car which is less capable?
The Douglas DC-3 was obsolete by FAA standards in 1945, however as a bush plane its lack of a fatigue life, big tyres and general versatility mean that they are being refurbished rather than replaced. The South African Air Force have had them in service for over 70 years now, albeit with a couple of new engines.
In America, General Motors are making a 'crate' system to convert internal combustion cars to electric power. If people can have all the versatility of their favourite car, e.g. a Volvo estate, in a cheap to run form, why would they compromise by having all the hassle of a new car which is less capable?
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