Planned Obsolescence

Throughline

NPR

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.7 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2019

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever wondered why your smartphone or toaster oven doesn't seem to last very long, even though technology is becoming better and better? In a special collaboration with Planet Money, we bring you the history of planned obsolescence – the idea that products are designed to break.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Alright, so can you introduce yourself?
0:03.4	Yes, I'm Lawrence and I'm one of the producers on Threwline.
0:07.2	Hello, Lawrence.
0:08.2	Hello, Lawrence.
0:09.0	Lawrence, you're an absolute machine.
0:10.8	You do so much for the show.
0:12.4	You come up with episode ideas, you write, you cut tape,
0:15.0	you help fact check, you find archival footage, you book guests.
0:17.2	Oh, we make you do a lot.
0:18.8	I don't like this run.
0:20.4	I don't, it makes me really uncomfortable.
0:22.8	I'm sweating.
0:23.6	But Lawrence, you're also the mastermind
0:25.4	behind our Threwline Twitter account.
0:27.4	You are Twitter Yoda.
0:29.0	Yeah, and I love that part of the job because I get to engage directly with our listeners.
0:33.8	And, you know, hear what they think of the show,
0:35.6	sometimes as soon as it comes out.
0:37.6	And there are some amazing tweets I've said that I really want to read to you guys.
0:42.6	I'm all nervous.
0:43.6	They're amazing.
0:44.4	Don't worry, bro.
	...

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