11 Jan
2015
11 Jan
'15
8:13 p.m.
heh, 1969 Volkswagen Bus for my daily. (I know, I know, it's not really
"antique".)
On Sun, Jan 11, 2015 at 9:29 PM, Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com> wrote:
> Now,
question to ponder, was the market for automobiles *created* and
> manipulated into existence by market makers and public relationists?
On Sun, 11 Jan 2015, Al Kossow wrote:
Automobiles were used by individuals for four
generations, the models
are built to appeal to different personalities and social strata.
A significant number of people in three of those four generations fixed
their own cars, so they had some knowledge of how they worked.
A "significant
number" of people prior to PC fixed and programmed their
own computers, so they had some knowledge of how they worked.
Consumer computers are commodities. You throw
them out, and since their
performance improves orders of magnitude over time most people could
care less about trying to use an old one.
Most current cars are commodities. (Kia, anyone?, YUGO???) You throw them
out, and since their gas mileage and reliability improves magnitudes over
time, most people could care less about trying to use an old one.
A person in 2015 can pretty easily pick up how to
drive a car from their
great-grandfather. They might even remember the car their
great-grandfather owned. If you could find one, only an expert who knew
where to look would have the faintest idea how to use a computer from
the 1950's or would want to try.
Besides me and you, . . .
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to adjust ignition timing?
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to use a manual choke?
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to crank start?
(and if they tried, they would probably recreate the apocryphal legend
about WHY Kettering developed the starter motor)
if you wanted you use it, you wouldn't be
able to because the network
infrastructure that makes it function will be gone.
leaded gas, and some of the
other early fules) are kinda hard to come by.
So, no, there is very little in common with the
base of people
collecting cars and computers and there will never be a popular movement
to preserve them other that as a platform for playing games.
Most obsolete cars and computers end up kept for nostalgia, or as
ornaments and toys.
Few, other than ARDs, use the really old ones for their daily driving.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com