It’s a lovely cool morning. And I got side-tracked by an interview at 9am.
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I like it when you walk more slowly, because then you talk longer. 🙂 My theory on exercise is that it works best if it is enjoyable. I’ll move mountains to go do the exercise I like and I will schedule other things for those days that I do exercise that I don’t like as much.
As always, I enjoyed listening to you this morning. Good day to you!
I’m with her – Festina Lente!
Concrete (cement, actually) does in fact generate heat as it cures. It takes up water, and oxygen, as well (the O2 problem was brought into sharp relief during the run of Biosphere II, while cement that has been underwater for a long time can be amazingly strong)
It amazes me that we have no problem with such a product life span with cellphones and other consumer electronics. I have a 30 year old heat press I can still get parts for. Washers and dryers that only last 3 years are very shoddily built. Cars should easily last 5-10 years with even basic maintenance done to them. Yet – a cellphone is hardly worth it after only 3 years…
I tend to use products far beyond the average expected useful lifespan that most people think of so my perception of obsolescence is biased. My daily used graphing calculator is over 23 years old. Most of the cell phones used in our household are around 2006 vintage. I’ve had several daily commute cars that had over 300,000 miles on them before I retired them. I am typing this on a 4 year old iPad. Don’t even get me started on our household appliances:)
This usage pattern carries over to the work I do. The Public Safety communication 911 dispatch equipment I design for the company I work for runs 24/7 and commonly lasts 20+ years. Some of our customers have Windows PC’s embedded in our product that have been running non-stop for over 12 years.
As you point out, our modern society tends to think of products, particularly consumer electronics, as short lived and disposable. It doesn’t always have to be that way though.
Ditto on cement generating heat as it cures. It was apparently one of the big challenges on the Hoover Dam, i.e. keeping it cool enough as the concrete set. The foundation in my current house was poured in what is apparently the ideal concrete weather: 45F with a light drizzle.