Purchases must be well planned. Customers must be meticulous. Buying can be programmed. Don’t make haste, haste makes waste. Waste is the result of planned obsolescence - served in advance.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan.sa Himpapawid (School on Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 KHz AM 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday
1.Obsolescence is a natural phenomenon – things get old, fail to function and deteriorate. Nothing man-made remains forever functional and efficient.
Premature obsolescence is a major factor in garbage/pollution buildup
in our society today.
2. Obsolescence occurs when certain parts of a machine breaks down disabling the whole system. This is the basis for producers to take advantage through what we call planned obsolescence.
3. A particular item becomes functionally obsolete due to natural causes or planned design to terminate its function before its due time.
4. It is now the chance of amateur photographers to buy film cameras which were very expensive before digital cameras were introduced in the market.
5. Books are becoming less and less popular in lieu of electronic publishing, except encyclopedias which continue to be published in print.
6. Planned obsolescence victimizes consumers, not only because of the premature failure of an item they buy, but they bear the cost of research and development of new products – without their knowing it.
7. Planned obsolescence diminishes demand by discouraging purchasers to buy again and sooner.
8. A leading brand cannot afford to resort to planned obsolescence, because of the prestige it maintains. At any rate it can always depend on its established customers.
9. The more we advance technologically, the more planned obsolescence will thrive.
10. Socialist societies like North Korea adopt one-policy programs, such as common dress code, common transport systems, and the like. This is not a practice in democratic societies.
11. There are batteries for electronic devices made of dangerous metals such as Cadmium, Mercury and Lithium, which after their use are left dangerously in the hands of the purchaser. There is not the responsibility of the producers.
Obsolete technology in sugarcane milling results in low output and heavy pollution. Calatagan, Batangas
12. We can economize on the use of flashlight and penlight – for electronics too - batteries if only there is a built-in meter, and that the price difference between disposable and rechargeable is afforded by ordinary users.
13. Every modern household faces a dilemma on how to dispose so many non-functional items – from underused notebooks, manuals, to unserviceable appliances to souvenir items we do not wish to part.
14. One solution is to organize garage sale independently or in group – as community project.
15. Altruism and benevolence can be tapped from our character and values if only we are courageous to part with our possessions that have very little value left. This is also to free us from the uncomfortable memories of having been a victim of planned obsolescence.
16. Purchases must be well planned. Customers must be meticulous. Buying can be programmed. Don’t make haste, haste is waste. Waste is the advance result of planned obsolescence.
17. “Waste is something we do not yet know its use.” So goes the saying. With planned obsolescence, waste is something you anticipate to happen when you buy an item.”
18.
When buying a machine or equipment, beware of the catch. The machine
is just a decoy that the purchaser becomes solely dependent on the
supplier of that machine. Take as examples: color ink is many times
more expensive than the printer; a brand new drum of a duplcating
machine is more expensive than the machine itself. This is not only
planned obsolescence, this is modus operandi.
Many printers today are disposable in favor of evolving designs or systems.
Not only that, their ink is exclusive to a particular brand and are very expensive.
Not only that, their ink is exclusive to a particular brand and are very expensive.
19. If we are not willing victim of planned obsolescence go back to the province and live a simple life.
Chances are that batteries are discarded even if they are still good. A built-in charge indicator would help users save millions of pesos worth of batteries.
21. If we make a thing very durable, some time, somehow we will be overtaken by newer, more efficient, versatile models. There are photographic equipment which simply became totally obsolete. So with audio-video equipment. This justifies planned obsolescence per se.
22. Style obsolescence makes old-looking clothing the "in-thing," colonial designs are coming back, the classics once more fill the air lane, Shakespeare and Da Vinci are still relevant, and the like.
23. There is the so-called National Obsolescence Center or NOC – to provide an easily accessible, proactive obsolescence management service – but this has no teeth, so to speak because of its pioneering nature and limited power and application.. We do not have such an office or organization in the Philippines.
Children are ultimately the victims of planned obsolescence. Garbage dumps at Sta Fe, Argentina (left) and New Delhi, India
24. America is the most wasteful country in the world, from food to fuel, amount of waste generated. It is the origin of a wasteful life summed as “use-and-throw-away-society.” This Western model is losing support during economic crisis.
25. Planned obsolescence involves social and ethical responsibility. It is therefore a sin – a cardinal sin. Amendments to such sin is far reaching. First, "Love your Fellowmen," Second, "Don’t be a Waste Maker." Third, and the most basic, "Be truthful." This applies to all of us who have been given the honor and privilege to produce something for somebody to use. The imprimatur of a good name must go with the product and service.
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ANSWERS: False, 4, 5 (Britanica has stopped printing), 7, 8 (in the long run, it will lose in the competition), 19 F(We are still victims, but we can minimize the impact of planned obsolescence on our lives.), and 21 (the end does not justify the means), 22T (In 2004. Americans threw out 315 million computers, in 2005 – 100 million cell phones, most were still usable, and they contain permanent biological toxins.) ; True for the rest of the questions.
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“Waste is something we do not yet know its use.” So goes the saying. With planned obsolescence, waste is something you anticipate to happen when you buy an item.”
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RATING:
23- 25 Outstanding - never a victim – resource person
20-22 Very Good - good model against PO
17-19 Good - discerning, analytical
14-16 Fair - potential victim
13 and below 13 - vulnerable victim to planned obsolescence. Listen to Paaralang Bayan.sa Himpapawid
Vocabulary Exercise: How many words can you build from OBSOLESCENCE? Minimum of three letters to a word.
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Planned obsolescence involves social and ethical responsibility. It is therefore a sin – a cardinal sin. Amendments to such sin is far reaching.
- First, "Love your Fellowmen,"
- Second, "Don’t be a Waste Maker."
- Third, and the most basic, "Be truthful."
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