The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
The problem is the cost of labor. I just got a quote on fixing my old home movie projector. It needs two rubber belts (glorified rubber bands) and a cleaning. The quote: $150. The cost of materials $.10.
Some entrepreneur could make a living off taking in broken stuff shipping it off to a third world country for repair where labor is cheap and then shipping it back. This seems to work for fixing people and didn't I read that some fishery is Scotland is shipping local shrimp to Thailand for cleaning and then shipping them back to the UK?
Many items are made in automated factories and contain parts too small to be manipulated by humans, so fixing them is impossible.
The whole thing started with the demise (in the US) of the returnable glass milk bottle and has just gone down hill from there... Policies not Politics ---- Daily Landscape
If constructors gave away schematics and didn't sue reparators all the time (and try to control them), the situation would be very different.
Another negative effect of intellectual property.
Another howler was when drink cartons acquired a plastic spigot, making them a lot harder to recycle, this within the last 10 years. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
by Frank Schnittger - May 31
by Oui - May 30 50 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 23 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 27 3 comments
by Oui - May 13 66 comments
by Oui - Jun 91 comment
by Oui - Jun 58 comments
by Oui - Jun 257 comments
by Oui - Jun 112 comments
by Oui - May 31118 comments
by Oui - May 3050 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 273 comments
by Oui - May 2742 comments
by Oui - May 24
by Frank Schnittger - May 233 comments
by Oui - May 1366 comments
by Oui - May 928 comments
by Oui - May 450 comments
by Oui - Apr 30273 comments
by Oui - Apr 2666 comments
by Oui - Apr 8108 comments
by Oui - Mar 19145 comments