After moving into my new place, I bought a record player.
Not a new one. A Dual 701.
Made around 1973 or 1974.
Dual was never dominant in Southeast Asia.
The market here leaned toward Technics.
But that is not the point.
The point is this:
A 50-year-old machine still works.
Not as a nostalgic display piece.
Not as a museum artifact.
It works. Every day.
Now compare that to what we call “high technology.”
I change my phone almost yearly.
Right now it is a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
In a few months, there will be another model.
And another after that.
We call them smart.
Smart enough to be replaced every year.
Most devices today are not built to endure.
They are built to cycle.
Software updates outpace hardware.
Batteries are sealed.
Parts are proprietary.
Repair is friction by design.
Nothing is meant to stay.
And yet here is a 1970s turntable, fully mechanical, serviceable, comprehensible.
No firmware.
No subscription.
No planned sunset.
If you want to talk about sustainability, start there.
Not with marketing labels.
Not with carbon offsets.
Design something that lasts fifty years.
Then we can talk about green.