Part 3 of Made to Break

In the third and last segment of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America, by Giles Slade, he continues to discuss obsolescence in America. Slade writes about the invention of the chip in chapter seven, the cold war in chapter eight and lastly cell phones and e-waste in chapter nine. I have to say, chapter seven was a repeat of what I have already read in the book Computers. Much of this chapter is about the competition between the company’s Apple, Microsoft, and IBM. So I found chapter seven a little boring. What I did find interesting was the different characters that made up the cold war chapter. I had no idea that the Soviet Union was holding on by a thread in their competition with the United States. 

Slade credits Gus Weiss as, “…the brilliant cold warrior responsible for turning planned obsolescence into a weapon against the Soviet Union…” (pg. 228) I had always wondered why the USSR stole from the United States all the technology they did, and in reading the section on “Industrial Espionage” I took note on the fact that Western technology “stolen or covertly purchased” from the Soviets assisted in their equal strength. (pg. 233)

Slade went on to describe the “Farewell” documents and how with these documents and the dissatisfaction of a KGB officer assisted in the downfall of Soviet’s neck and neck race with the United States. It is this race, the “Cold War” and the men behind the scenes that were major factor in the obsolescence of weapons. What I found fascinating in the reading were the two men, Gus Weiss and Vladimir Vetrov. Slade wrote detailed descriptions on both men and their part in the Cold War.

Slade closes his book discussing the cell phone and e-waste. He writes, “In the United States, cell phones built to last five years are now retired after only eighteen months of use”. (pg. 261) This statement gave me a moment of pause, because I am guilty of this very act, as are so many other Americans. But it is not just cell phones, computers, televisions and so on, we want it fast and shiny, like all our toys. Yet, this fascination with the new never last for very long, that is why our e-waste is growing out of control.

As Slade has stated throughout his book, consumers “…are creating unmanageable mounds of electronic waste…” (pg. 261)  He closes his book with a warning, as consumers of e-waste, we must stop and think about not only our next toy to buy, but we also need to address the “disassembly and reuse” of that same product. (pg. 281) I feel Slade has backed his argument with well documented examples, and gives his reader a lot to think about.