The Light Bulb Conspiracy

[madwag]

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=endUcoHsCVY

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt2irMKzxiY

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewg_ma5ikzU

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WjexAnv3Kw


I found this super interesting and thought it may interest others on here as we all love the latest and greatest but some of us here are into the exact opposite.

Enjoy.

[GhiaEB]

Just finished watching Part 1. Very interesting, but sadly, most will know that nearly all consumables are, by their very definition "consumable", designed to fail.

It is a sad world we live in, but if everything lasted forever there would be nearly no need to upgrade or buy more.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by GhiaEB

Just finished watching Part 1. Very interesting, but sadly, most will know that nearly all consumables are, by their very definition "consumable", designed to fail.

It is a sad world we live in, but if everything lasted forever there would be nearly no need to upgrade or buy more.

And the problem with everything lasting forever is?

Is a lack of money flow... for big business.

Imagine if our homes fell apart after 12months?

The amount of resources we waste on items which we throw away after 12months never ceases to amaze me.

[Franco Cozzo]

Have a look at Printers, I swear with the cheapies, it works out cheaper to buy another printer than to buy the ink cartidges for it.

[GhiaEB]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

And the problem with everything lasting forever is?

Is a lack of money flow... for big business.

Imagine if our homes fell apart after 12months?

The amount of resources we waste on items which we throw away after 12months never ceases to amaze me.

I think you are misunderstanding what I was saying. I would love to have a light bulb that would last for 100years, but show me where I can buy one.

There is nothing wrong with having a item last. But they just don't. I agree with the amount of resources that end up being wasted is amazing, just look at packaging. How much of your rubbish bin is full of just packaging?

A house is not a consumable also.

[Jim Goose]

I was agreeing with you...

The amount of crap out there which falls apart after a few months isnt good.

Compaq laptop i have... 2 repairs in 8months..
My toshiba LCD TV... 8months later no sound...
Sanyo DVD player... stuffed in 4 months..

However, look at the older stuff out there.

Mums westighouse chest freezer.. 37yrs old! still went, but went rusty.
25yrs old Kelvinator fridge... still going, never repaired.
NEC 65cm TV... lasted 25yrs.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by GhiaEB

I think you are misunderstanding what I was saying. I would love to have a light bulb that would last for 100years, but show me where I can buy one.

There is nothing wrong with having a item last. But they just don't. I agree with the amount of resources that end up being wasted is amazing, just look at packaging. How much of your rubbish bin is full of just packaging?

A house is not a consumable also.

Thats just it. Some light bulbs have lasted for over 100 years. Search up 'designed obsolescence'.

[GhiaEB]

That is what the whole 4 part doco is about.

[madwag]

haha what is it with fridges and lasting forever!!!

[Franco Cozzo]

Our Whirlpoool top loader just crapped itself, its about 20 years old.

We've had a Samsung fridge which crapped itself in under 2 years and our Fisher and Paykal one frosts up every 2 days and has to be defrosted, frost free my fat clacker, stopped defrosting itself ages ago.

[Full Noise]

I love the way that Brook Stevens says in this clip at 7:05, that “ no one’s forcing anyone to update their products” yeah right.

Originally Posted by madwag

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt2irMKzxiY

Let’s see, the government is switching off analogue signals for TV, so you are forced to either buy a new TV, or at the very least, a digital set top box.

I have two perfectly good digital cameras, a Ricoh Capilo R4 and a Sony DSC 505V, however neither of them have drivers that are compatible with Windows 7. I wonder why?

Then there’s the little things that governments do, like forcing people away from leaded petrol, forcing ethanol blends on the masses and then planning to discontinue ULP.

In California, there’s a law in place that prohibits trucks that are older than 1994 using the port of LA unless you fit a very costly diesel particle filter. To put that in terms that many here could relate to, it’s like spending $40,000 rebuilding an EF Falcon.

I have a mobile phone that is 9 years old. It’s a Nokia 7250i and it does exactly what I want it to do. I’ll replace it soon but I’ll do it when it suits me. I purchased a new Nokia 3230 in 2005 and found that it didn’t do some of the simple things the old one did, so I kept the old one.

Technology and evolution are great things, however, there’s a big difference with products that fail in a certain timeframe, compared to consumers buying something newer simply because they want the latest thing.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

I have a mobile phone that is 9 years old. It’s a Nokia 7250i and it does exactly what I want it to do. I’ll replace it soon but I’ll do it when it suits me. I purchased a new Nokia 3230 in 2005 and found that it didn’t do some of the simple things the old one did, so I kept the old one.

I had an older Nokia phone, one of Telstra's NextG branded ones, and I replaced it with a $900 HTC HD2 nearly two years ago, and the cheapo Nokia craps all over the new one for phone reception for some reason, I have full on the older Nokia in the same places as my HTC has none.

I also dropped the HTC once and now the mic used for doing video recording doesn't work anymore.

$900 paper weight.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Have a look at Printers, I swear with the cheapies, it works out cheaper to buy another printer than to buy the ink cartidges for it.

I gave up using cartridges years ago. There are many continual ink feeds on the market today. I use this bloke.

http://www.rihac.com.au/

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

I gave up using cartridges years ago. There are many continual ink feeds on the market today. I use this bloke.

http://www.rihac.com.au/

Alright, that looks freakin' awesome, thansk much for that.

Too bad my printer doesn't have one available, might have to buy another which does

[Grum]

Phillips crystal vision bulbs have a lot to answer for...

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Grum

Phillips crystal vision bulbs have a lot to answer for...

The only ones worth using are +80s/+100s in cars as they use a tighter wound fillament for a more "luminous" light because of the higher resistance, on the downside they have half or less of the life, the others are full of crap, if you've got a blue filter on the globe all it does is make it more dull, like the blue vision ones.

[jason71]

As the saying goes "They don't make them like they used too."

I have an air compressor at home that was made in the 30's,
and the old bloke that sold it to me said, "it will out last you."
I can't see him being wrong, it is a solid unit.

[XR Martin]

Theres an incandescent light bulb in a US fire station that has been continuosly lit since the 1890s. I think its a record holder.

Ive got an older incadescent bulb in my laundry that must be over 10 years old, yet ive replaced the flouro lights in every other room multiple times in that period?

Just the other month I had a Mirabella one start to buzz and try to set fire tot he house. It was so hot you couldnt touch it for a good five minutes.

But on the other hand the verandah still has the original flouro tube from when it was built in the 70s. It was made in the Democratic Republic of East Germany

[SM1DY]

After watching this it makes me wonder if XBOX 360 red ring of death issues were planned obsolescence gone wrong.

[Jim Goose]

Windows7 where no programs from previous windows versions will work.
(wereas at least with win98/2000/xp most would work on those systems).

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

After watching this it makes me wonder if XBOX 360 red ring of death issues were planned obsolescence gone wrong.

No just poor engineering and a lack of longtime testing outside of a clean environment. Like a butt load of electronic goods these days.
On the plus side, Microsoft did come good in extending warranty and replacing ROD units, something which is not that common with large companies these days.

[MarkAW]

Haven't seen the utubes yet (work restrictions apply to utube) but I would just like the damned Philips CFLs in my place to last as long as they're warranted for!

My place has quite a few of the large 18w reflector CFLs which are warranted for 6000 hrs. Most last less than 600 hrs and Philips Customer Care Service is a joke. Yes send in the old globe and we'll send you a replacement what a load of crap. After the 3rd bulb sent in and at least 6 follow up calls I rate this service as just "lip service". I wouldn't recommend Philips lighting to anybody. Unfortunately I'm stuck with the fitting that requires this crappy globe and nobody else makes them.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Mums westighouse chest freezer.. 37yrs old! still went, but went rusty.

i inherited my mum's chest freezer, it'd be about the same age.

[TheInterceptor]

Samsung laptop - Bout a year old, now its telling me to "consider replacing your battery".

Had a Nokia N73 which was perfect till it turned off permanently.
Currently have a Nokia E63, purchased 2 years ago, crappy software, restarts randomly, lags like nothing else.
I have an old black n white Nokia 3310 sitting around, still going strong waiting for the E63 to inevitabley die....

Bloody humans, its like shooting ourselfs in the foot repeatedly with a shotgun....

[uranium_death]

Engineered obsolescence is what keeps profits rolling in.

Good example is hot water cylinders.
Our old gravity feed hot water cylinder was made of copper - never rusted.
After 36 years though, it packed in (in the last month), so we've gone for an Aquamax - stainless steel lined, as the glass lined have a 5 year warranty...

Regardless, those cylinders will not last as long as the copper lined...

DVD players are now disposable, along with TVs...
Nokia 5110 was indestructible. Since then, I have had a Hyundai (nice looking phone, Gilly. Still works), a Samsung (defective from day one), an LG (packed in after a year), and two Sony Ericssons (very reliable)...
I know people whose TVs need replacing every 3 years. CHeaper to just buy a new one than repair it...

[XR Martin]

Copper still corrodes, stainless should outlast it in theory.
Im my experience copper stuff usually fails at the brazed joints before anywhere else.

[SPArKy_Dave]

We have an instantanious Hot water system, made by Rinnai.

The old copper gravity feed is still in the roof, and was only de-commissioned, due to changing to gas.

First gas HWS was a Vulcan Freeloader - rusted out at 10yrs.
I replaced it with the Rinnai.

Just recently, the Rinnai heat exchanger split, on the corner of the copper pipe, so i pulled it to bits, and soldered it up.
Then I found that the main circuit board was fried (probably from the water leak), even thou it's sealed in resin.
$485 for a new circuit board, trade cost price.

Then I find it leaking again the other month, as it'd split a pipe on another corner, but luckily it was at the front this time, so I didn't have to pull it apart.

I swear....... it's not going to win........ even if I have to solder it every week......(been good so far but).....

It lasted just 5yrs, before springing a leak, (just out of heat exchanger warranty), and circuit board warranty does not cover labour.......... parts only.............
so I told them to stick that up their jumper, I'd fix it myself.

On a side note, I have a Simpson washing machine, from 1986, - Aussie Made, which is a simple as all hell, and never had a day's trouble.

And a Sharp mircowave oven, from the early 80's, - made in japan, woodgrain finish, retro blue digital display and all.
It's as big as a house, but never had a days trouble with it.

And I got a Crossley Shelvador fridge from my Gran, made in the 60's, also Aussie made, - which is as cold as the day it was first plugged in.

My Gran even still has her wedding present Sunbeam Mixmaster from the 50's, still uses it weekly.

And a mate still uses his fathers original orange coloured Sunbeam Toast'a'Matic, to make toast, every morning.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Copper still corrodes, stainless should outlast it in theory.
Im my experience copper stuff usually fails at the brazed joints before anywhere else.

Sadly no.. it doesnt corrode.
Parents had their copper hot water system from 1968 until around 2005.
As it had to be moved they decided to get a new one and dad cut it open to get the copper out. Wasnt corroded internally at all.

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Have a look at Printers, I swear with the cheapies, it works out cheaper to buy another printer than to buy the ink cartidges for it.

You are right. Often the printer you buy is cheaper than replacing it's cartridges, but, the ones that are in the printer to begin with are often 1/2 or even only a 1/4 full (I worked in the printers and ink industry), so really the value in buying another printer is not there. Where it comes into being cheaper is on cheap brother laser printers. They have drum units in them that cost more than the printer, which comes with a drum unit. Also so many ink printers are dying 1-2months out of warranty these days. Lasers are still lasting a long time, unless you get a samsung or some cheap **** laser (excluding brother). But the inks printers and even lasers made 10-15yrs ago are still going strong. You would be amazed at how many cartridges I used to refill or replace for printers that were 10-15yrs old, sometimes older. As the saying goes, they don't make them like they used to, and that is because 10-20yrs ago a printer was almost an investment. Now days the post office will sell you a pos ink for $29, you can get a laser which once cost $300+ for $69. Excuse my rant

[nickd]

Saw the 4 youtube videos, does make you think.

At the end of the day its like the old saying "keeping up with the jones's".

It's like what we see on TV and hear on the radio and read in the newspaper its always pushing us into new products how we watch what we see we must buy.

Thanks for posting up this thoery very interesting to watch.