This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

[mooncliff]

Construction of a building, bridge, road, is a small part of the total cost of its service life. This is what happens when you stop doing maintenance. Very quickly.

Life After People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XDbcMND7fY

This made me think of what I see all over the US: huge overbuilding during the boom after WWII, but now without the cheap energy, and therefore without the cheap money, to maintain it all.
LA has some of the worst roads. Bridges fall down and sag for no reason. Thousands of buildings in LA need to be torn down and rebuilt because they will not withstand a strong quake. Telephone poles made of wood instead of spun concrete like elsewhere, even where population density is high. Inadequate electrical grid that fails, often for no reason. Potholes being filled by KFC and allowed to put their logo on it. Marginally built infrastructure to begin with, and now, no maintenance because no money.

[lektrode]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

eye got snagged by the word 'maintenance' moon - but good one!

Construction of a building, bridge, road, is a small part of the total cost of its service life. This is what happens when you stop doing maintenance. Very quickly.

Life After People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XDbcMND7fY

"this isnt the story of how mankind might disappear..."

but it sure does resemble what happens - in places like... oh, i dunno - like maybe D E T R O I T ???
when politix (of one particular group) determines the outcome - and we wont even get into whats happnin elsewhere

its also why, IMHO - there is NOTHING that humans could do to the planet, that wouldnt be completely obliterated 100years after humans - or more precisely - politix wipes us all out.

including, with all due respect for the affected, whats happnin in fukushima.

[don]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

Good one. I like the way it opens.

"If people should no longer exist on the planet"

If? Is someone expecting humans to be around until the sun eats the planet?

[lektrode]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

Good one. I like the way it opens.

"If people should no longer exist on the planet"

If? Is someone expecting humans to be around until the sun eats the planet?

apparently some in the .gov do - seeing as thats how long it'll be before any of the bernanke bux actually get repaid? (vs rolled over)

[Master Shake]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

Good one. I like the way it opens.

"If people should no longer exist on the planet"

If? Is someone expecting humans to be around until the sun eats the planet?

Why wouldn't they (or some future hominid species) be?

[dcarrigg]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

Good one. I like the way it opens.

"If people should no longer exist on the planet"

If? Is someone expecting humans to be around until the sun eats the planet?

Indeed. I would be surprised if we should be half as successful as the horseshoe crab in terms of species longevity. Although, if one measures success in terms of species destruction, I'd say we've got a shot at the gold, albeit a long shot. There are some jellyfish out there that are pretty good at extincting little critters.

[lektrode]

Re: This is what happens if you don't do maintenance

Indeed. .....There are some jellyfish out there that are pretty good at extincting little critters.

never making us bigger critters afternoons no 'nice day at the beach' - after having met one up close and personal like, after dropping into a herd of em while windsurfing...