Some Thoughts on Obsolescence in the 21st Century

Columnist Giles Slade recalls, “My dad bought me a good watch when I was 16. It was a 23-jewel, self-winding Bulova built to last a lifetime. It carried an implicit recognition that I’d grown up – sort of – and that keeping time, meeting deadlines, being where I was supposed to be were all important considerations for the adult I’d become.” Slade asked his son when he turned 16, what kind of watch he wanted for his birthday. The answer of course, was “”Can I have an iPod instead?”

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