Quality Versus Quantity

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

clifp, there is an old adage that goes something like:

Anyone can build a bridge that won't fall down. It takes some exceptional engineering to build a bridge with just enough material so that is barely stands, but does stand.

And you are 100% right. The extra effort expended making the bridge stronger than required could have been utilized for something worth while. Opportunity cost.

-ERD50

Haha I used to win these bridge building competitions against a bunch of civil engineers. We had a program that would simulate the stresses and whatnot as a train drove across it. The goal was to use as little material as possible. I always ended up with a cheap barely stuck together bridge that would collapse as the train crossed and in some cases and up swinging the train to the other side before destroying it's self.

I viewed a standing bridge as an engineering failure.

 

[FUEGO]

Bridge building competitions. I won our undergrad engineering bridge building competition. The winner was to be determined by the maximum weight held relative to the weight of the bridge. I don't recall the exact constraints, but you could only use wood and certain types of glues and epoxies. We kept working and working on our design and it just wasn't coming together well. We were in the student lounge of an old building, and it was getting hot, so I propped open the window with an old 2x4. That's when it hit me: Occam's Razor. That old 2x4 was petrified from old age apparently and was super strong based on our initial tests. And extremely dry, so lightweight as well.

We entered this old 2x4 in the competition and after they loaded it up with about 1,500 pounds, their loading machine broke. They declared ours the winner based on the load to weight ratio. We had written "Occam's Razor" on the side too.

 

[haha]

Or I can but green coffee beans, varietals from around the world, Hawaiian, Jamaican, Indonesian, Central a & South American, and roast them myself to the degree that suits me. I don't recall those being available in the 70's.
-ERD50

There was a coffee roaster in The Seattle Public Market in the 60s that sold green beans. I think this was the prototype store for Starbucks.

I used to roast my own beans, grind my own wheat, all kinds of tedious hippie chores.

I would way rather walk into any one of 20 or so neighborhood coffee bars and get something even better. Though I did keep myself pretty well caffeinated with those home roasted beans.

One thing that maybe should go into this quality debate is the freedom that comes from having stuff that you can offload on Craig's list quickly, and replace just as quickly (and cheaply) if you move. It is not hard to get burdened by stuff that is too good to pitch out. And as far as your children or grandchildren wanting or using any of it- unless it's gold coins don't hold your breath.

I definitely understand the appeal of Shaker furniture, good Persian rugs, Creuset Cookware- but those things also have a downside.

Ha

 

[harley]

I used to roast my own beans, grind my own wheat, all kinds of tedious hippie chores.

I would way rather walk into any one of 20 or so neighborhood coffee bars and get something even better. Though I did keep myself pretty well caffeinated with those home roasted beans.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the time the gov't realizes the huge tax base out there, and I won't have to roll my own anymore.