wrathofgnon’s newsletter features the tokyo canal, built around 1610, still in fine condition. we make/build so many things with no thought to their durability, sometimes with no idea how they might be maintained if we wanted to maintain them.
At the very least, if we can’t build infrastructure to last we should build infrastructure that can be repaired using materials, energy and skills that are likely to be around when it inevitably fails, at some point in the future. Serious people are seriously doubting whether we will have the oil and energy necessary to maintain existing roads in the coming two decades (let alone expand them to match the never ending growth of our urban sprawl).
We will never run out of cobblestone.On a more personal level, what about the gadget that controls the ventilation in your modern eco-home, will it be around in twenty years? Or will the lack of spares make your home uninhabitable? Our ancestors at least were never lying awake at night worrying about running out of windows that open.
And, pertinent in this digital space, a comparison of the lifetime of various media:
- Digital media: 10-20 yrs.
- Pulp paper: 10-100 yrs.
- HQ rag, cotton, etc. paper: 500-1000 yrs.
- Mulberry paper: unknown (over 1400 yrs).