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This exact behavior drives planned obsolescence. This has led to so much waste over past century that it's going to be very hard to go back. I was baffled that

This exact behavior drives planned obsolescence. This has led to so much waste over past century that it's going to be very hard to go back. I was baffled that we invented a bulb that could last 100 years over a century ago and I still have to change bulbs every year or two. There are nice documentaries about this [0] The end of ownership https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOO-pYUl9-w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOO-pYUl9-w [1] This is why we can't have nice things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5v8D-alAKE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5v8D-alAKE

amelius 4y ago
Wait, the subscription economy puts planned obsolescence to an end, because keeping the product in working condition is now the service-provider's problem.
- hyperhopper 4y ago
  If only. Companies are more than happy to charge you for a subscription for years then the second they decide to make a new model force you to buy that and pay the new subscription
- JohnFen 4y ago
  Just the opposite. Look at all the hardware that requires a subscription to keep running that is ultimately obsoleted, causing existing units to become instant trash as the company forces everyone to replace it.
- chillfox 4y ago
  See games for where this is going. Upfront payment to buy the product + season pass (subscription) + micro transactions. 2 years later it's the end of the product and the cycle begins anew with the major version number incremented by one.
rocket_surgeron 4y ago
>I was baffled that we invented a bulb that could last 100 years over a century ago and I still have to change bulbs every year or two. You need to buy better bulbs. In 2015 my local utility subsidized the purchase of LED light bulbs and I replaced 59 light bulbs all at once from a variety of vendors including Cree, GE, and Philips. I've had one, an overhead PAR (led equivalent) bulb in my shower, fail since then and that's almost certainly due to the repeated bouts of 100% humidity and frequent temperature changes. Of course, I purchased higher-end bulbs knowing that the bargain basement ones are built to cost. edit: it is actually really weird that you have to replace your bulbs so often because every manufacturer who isn't a ABOLENSKLONG (or something nonsensical like that) Shenzhen-special amazon drop shipper has a 5-10 year warranty and they'd drown in RMA requests if their products failed after a year.
- Tade0 4y ago
  I've found, through experience, that LEDs aren't a drop-in replacement for incandescent bulbs due to thermals. I've cooked three LEDs until I realized that the decorative aluminium housing they're put in is close enough to both disrupt the airflow and reflect failure-inducing amounts of heat.
themadturk 4y ago
I'll bet a lot of incandescent bulbs would stay on for years and years if they weren't turn off and on all the time. But it costs money to leave them on, even if they're very low wattage; is it better for your bank account (not considering environmental costs) to leave an incandescent bulb on all the time, or to replace bulbs every year or two?

amelius 4y ago

Wait, the subscription economy puts planned obsolescence to an end, because keeping the product in working condition is now the service-provider's problem.

hyperhopper 4y ago
If only. Companies are more than happy to charge you for a subscription for years then the second they decide to make a new model force you to buy that and pay the new subscription
JohnFen 4y ago
Just the opposite. Look at all the hardware that requires a subscription to keep running that is ultimately obsoleted, causing existing units to become instant trash as the company forces everyone to replace it.
chillfox 4y ago
See games for where this is going. Upfront payment to buy the product + season pass (subscription) + micro transactions. 2 years later it's the end of the product and the cycle begins anew with the major version number incremented by one.

rocket_surgeron 4y ago

>I was baffled that we invented a bulb that could last 100 years over a century ago and I still have to change bulbs every year or two. You need to buy better bulbs. In 2015 my local utility subsidized the purchase of LED light bulbs and I replaced 59 light bulbs all at once from a variety of vendors including Cree, GE, and Philips. I've had one, an overhead PAR (led equivalent) bulb in my shower, fail since then and that's almost certainly due to the repeated bouts of 100% humidity and frequent temperature changes. Of course, I purchased higher-end bulbs knowing that the bargain basement ones are built to cost. edit: it is actually really weird that you have to replace your bulbs so often because every manufacturer who isn't a ABOLENSKLONG (or something nonsensical like that) Shenzhen-special amazon drop shipper has a 5-10 year warranty and they'd drown in RMA requests if their products failed after a year.

Tade0 4y ago
I've found, through experience, that LEDs aren't a drop-in replacement for incandescent bulbs due to thermals. I've cooked three LEDs until I realized that the decorative aluminium housing they're put in is close enough to both disrupt the airflow and reflect failure-inducing amounts of heat.

themadturk 4y ago

I'll bet a lot of incandescent bulbs would stay on for years and years if they weren't turn off and on all the time. But it costs money to leave them on, even if they're very low wattage; is it better for your bank account (not considering environmental costs) to leave an incandescent bulb on all the time, or to replace bulbs every year or two?