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Upgrades

There are a lot of American websites that describe ways to make use of old products after upgrading to newer models. If you type “creative ways to reuse things” into Google, you are met with over 20 million websites with such titles as “40 Awesome Ways to Reuse Old Stuff” and “534 Ways to Reuse Things You’d Normally Throw Away.” These sites have suggestions for reusing everything from bicycles to wrenches, and even to fruit peels.

Some of the suggestions listed on these websites include: Using an old bicycle as a sink stand. Turning an old cassette tape into a coin purse. Bending old wrenches into wall hooks. Cutting old credit cards into guitar picks. Turning an old suitcase into a chair. Grinding old egg shells to make sidewalk chalk.

Used cars

According to DEKRA’s 2014 report German automobiles scored very highly in terms of reliability, ranking first in six of nine categories.

The overall winner was the Mercedes E-Class, followed by the Audi Q5 and the Audi A5. Car of the Year was the Mercedes B-Class. As reported by the Kölner Stadtanzeiger on February 19, 2014.

Reliability is in Germany one of the essential characteristics of any product, and at the same time a key element of the German brand.

Familiarity breeds contempt

A New Broom Sweeps Clean – A fresh leader gets rid of the old and brings in new ideas and personnel. This term can be found in English as early as 1546 in John Heywood’s proverb collection.

Climb/jump on the Bandwagon – Join a growing movement in support of someone or something, often just as that movement appears to have become successful. This phrase developed after American politicians in the late 19^th century began using bandwagons when campaigning for office.

First known use: 1899 by President Theodore Roosevelt: “When I once became sure of one majority they tumbled over each other to get aboard the band wagon.”

Familiarity Breeds Contempt – The better you know someone, the more likely you are to find fault with them. First known use: 1386 in Chaucer’s “Tale of Melibee.”

The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side – A different situation always seems better than your own. First known use: 1400s.

You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks – Old dogs (and people) learn less well than the young. Although this phrase primarily refers to people, not products, it nevertheless shows how Americans tend to view old things as outdated and unadaptable. First known use: John Fitzherbert’s 1534 “The Boke of Husbandry.”

“March to our own beat”

WordPress software powers 70 million websites. Just about half of the biggest blogs in the world run on WordPress. Automattic – owner of WordPress – is not your typical Silicon Valley Web start-up.

“We march a little to our own beat, and sometimes it’s out of sync with Silicon Valley — and that’s been to our advantage and disadvantage,” co-head Toni Schneider said.

“We don’t get sucked into the latest thing, while some of our competitors are distracted by the latest shiny object. The disadvantage is sometimes we’re against the grain of what everyone else is excited about, and people ask ‘Why don’t you have x yet?’ — but we go at our own pace.”

Another way that Automattic is unusual is its extraordinarily low rate of staff changeover. It currently has 106 employees — and it has only ever hired 118 people.

Automattic was founded by Matt Mullenweg. From Houston. An American with a German background.

Not in Kansas anymore

In May of 2007, a grade 5 tornado (the highest possible) destroyed the town of Greensburg, Kansas, killing 13 people, injuring more than 60 others and flattening 95 percent of the town structures (while seriously damaging the other 5 percent). The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide at its base, and traveled almost 22 miles (35 km). Wind from the twister was estimated at 205 mph (330 km/h).

In May of 2011, a grade 5 tornado ravaged the city of Joplin, Missouri. Although this tornado was only .75 miles at its base, and traveled 6 miles on the ground, it also had winds estimated at over 200 mph, and, because this tornado hit a city rather than a small town, it had far more devastating figures of destruction: 158 people died, over 1000 people were injured, and around 7,000 homes were destroyed (not including businesses and public buildings).

According to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) an average of 1253 tornadoes occur in the United States every year. Although more common in “tornado alley” (the Midwest), tornados have been documented in every state in the U.S. After the United States, the country with the largest average number of annual cyclones is Canada, with around 100 twisters.

If there’s a relatively high probability that your home will be completely destroyed in a storm, then long-lasting won’t be one of your main concerns when buying it or having it built for you.

Drowning cars

Because Americans like to upgrade products so often, they have developed interesting ways to dispose of their old products. One such way is in an ice car competition.

In many northern cities in the U.S., there is a tradition that involves driving a car out onto a frozen lake in the middle of winter, and taking bets on when the car will break through the ice when temperatures rise.

The activity became popular in the 1940s when civic groups (such as the Lions Club) realized that putting an old, unused car on the ice and betting on when it would crash through would be a fun competition and a good way to dispose of an old piece of machinery and generate revenue for local cities.

These days, with environmental awareness on the rise, most cities have laws against dumping old cars in lakes. As a result, in cities that continue this tradition, the towns typically remove the engine and transmission, and make sure there are no fluids in the car that might damage the environment. Additionally, the cars are usually tethered to the bank so that they can easily be pulled out of the lake once they break through.

In cities that participate in this tradition, having your car plunge through the ice is considered something of an honor, and it’s not unusual for people to donate their old cars when they want to buy new ones.

Cost-benefit relationship

Langlebig. Long lasting, to work over many years; effective over a long period of time; functional, usable over an extended period of time.

Germans prefer products which last a long time, rarely need repair or replacement, and pay for themselves several times over. The unstable economic times of the 20th century have taught the Germans to calculate precisely and carefully the relation between investment and use.

Residential homes and automobiles in Germany, for example, are much more expensive than in other countries. On the other hand they are often of higher quality, meet higher standards. The Germans will pay more, however, for many other kinds of products, such as furniture, household appliances, tools, and clothing.

Many well-known, but expensive brands continue to command customer loyalty. They are of high quality and solid durability. They offer a sense of security to the German consumer.

Although Germans in general like the newest in technology, they are bothered by the fact that many electronics – computers, television sets, mobile phones – are improved upon in ever shorter product development cycles. In those cases it is rarely worth it to invest in expensive models.

Durability, reliability, and quality are product attributes not easily distinguishable. Durability is a question of how long a product lasts. Reliability is about how well it performs. And quality is a general term encompassing many product attributes, but focused primarly on craftsmanship.