Gary: Thanks for the TDG mention in a real Medium article. While a few others have kind of alluded to it, you are the first to spend some reasonable time with it.
I have been kind of the bicycle repairman in our neighborhood. Today's kids' bike are lucky to get two summers before too expensive to repair. I can't believe how many steering column bearings and pedal axle bearings have turned to bits of metal, rendering the bike useless. That never happened in bicycles of my childhood. Bikes would last six or more summers, being passed down from kid to kid.
So I really like your idea that we need to build things to last--and only need a few models of each device.
I remember reading an Economist article of many years back. The western economists convinced the Indian government to allow free trade of international bicycles into India. Previously, India just had a few models from local factories. There always was a reasonable source of parts and expertise to fix these bikes. They probably lasted a decade or two. Methinks this was a better policy.
BTW, I’m running for president of the USA.
