By Allison Arieff
Consider this fact of modern life: nearly all of the technological products that we buy and use are designed with planned obsolescence in mind. They are built specifically to fail after a relatively short period – one year, two, maybe five. If you doubt that, think about how often you have to replace your smartphone. Gadgets are designed to die.
The irony, however, is that the same Silicon Valley culture that produces these gadgets seems to be obsessed with living forev...