I am currently working on my research about “the Consumer Culture & Urban Design” for one of my urban design electives.
And came across this:
“Future Ruins”: A photographic critique on the urban planning in the 1970’s.
(Image credits: Ballardian)
A technological detritus of domestic appliances?
Reminds me of Michael Thompson’s “Rubbish Theory”. There is a disjunction between economic decay and physical decay - most of our gadgets cease in economic value before they ‘die’, which is exactly why my poor CRT monitor is still sitting in one corner of my living room after I got it replaced btw.
Which is also precisely why, “in an ideal world,” Thompson writes, “an object would reach zero value and zero expected life-span at the same instant, and then disappear into dust. But, in reality, it usually does not do this; it just continues to exist in a timeless and valueless limbo where, at some later date it has the chance of being discovered.”
In today’s technological frenzy, things which were extremely cool at one point of time stop signifying our social desires - in almost a blink of an eye - but they continue to exist physically… So the backdated version of Playstation gets tucked in some corner of our storage. And the old car parts sit in some junkyard somewhere out there.
Sure i guess, perhaps in a decade or two, you could sell these things as antiques?
But seriously, what do we (really) do… with all the old Playstations and CRT monitors and old car parts in the world?
***
Oh well, I’m leaving the CRT monitor there for now (until I find time to dispose it) so let me know if you need one, FOC! 
Okay back to work!
Nobody wants your CRT, girl! Hahahaha
Hey does it occur to you that this theory works for culture, music, architecture….? Maybe even relationships! Lol. All things have a ‘value’… I guess all these relate back to how people value things and naturally, value can constantly be created/destructed.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. I am sure someone out there in some third world nation, would die to have your CRT monitor! Either that, or you could really consider keeping and selling it to a museum in a century or so! Lol. I guess that should be THAT “later date it has the chance of being discovered” Thompson was talking about.
It is fascinating how the rubbish theory works on almost everything in the world.
Jie! Your life seems to be consumed by architecture.
…
Good for you. (:
Hopefully, I’ll see you in Aussie soon.
All these affect urban design quite abit, huh?