Re: (ReacTor) Five SF Novels About Rediscovering Ancient Tech

On 13/05/2024 14.12, The Horny Goat wrote:

On Thu, 9 May 2024 16:01:15 -0400, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
wrote:
>

I am currently being cooled by a fan which is several years older than
Voyager.  Admittedly not such advanced technology, but a mere household
item. And it is one of a pair.  Which leads me to wonder, just  how long
could simple machines work, if we actually built them with longevity in
mind?

 

Good question though I have a 3-position pole lamp in my living room
that was used in my parents' home some 50+ years ago that hasn't
required any work other than changing light bulbs (we're now using the
newer mini-fluorescents rather than the old incandescents but nothing
else is changed). I have a 30+ year old pair of lamps in my bed room.
>
No doubt others here have older gear than that.

 I have the lamp of Theseus in my bedroom. I bought it at a rummage sale in
roughly 1977. Obviously, the bulb has been repeatedly replaced. In about
2010, the shade and its hoop frame parted ways, so I bought a new shade.
In about 2015, its base got to be kind of rickety, so I replaced that.
 No idea how old it was when I bought it 47 years ago, but it still works!