Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Even the simple things don't work

I remember a time not so long ago when machines worked reliably.  People expected the things they bought to last.

Today, though, we're in a more "disposable" culture.  It feels like we've forgotten how to do things we shouldn't have forgotten how to do.

My parents recently bought an appliance.  That appliance's digital clock doesn't work.  Oh, it functions.  It just doesn't count time accurately.  It loses a minute or two every day and steadily falls behind the actual time.

This boggles my mind.  How can a digital clock function yet not keep correct time?  I mean, it's digital.  It's electronic, not mechanical.  There aren't any springs or moving parts to wear out.  There's not a friction issue.  It should either work perfectly, or it shouldn't function at all, right?

Digital watches were dirt cheap back in the 1980s, and they kept perfect time.  We're moving backwards.

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