The stuff we use in our lives tends to break down over time. Sometimes, the effect can be quite dramatic.
Let’s celebrate those random, unheralded objects for doing their job well…y’know, before they got absolutely devastated by the ravages of time.
Rubbed off the face of the earth.
Evidently the northeast is a popular area to explore on this old globe at the New York Public Library.
Specifically, New York itself.
College flashback.
If you’ve ever had to cram for something that requires a lot of highlighting, the image above is probably painfully familiar.
Diminishing returns.
You can tell just how far most kids make it on these monkey bars. It seems like barely anyone ever reaches the end.
Now it’s just a poker.
Every time you sharpen a knife, it loses a little bit of its blade. Sharpen it enough times and it’ll look like this.
Through wind, through snow, through sleet, through hail.
Believe it or not, these are both the same model of USPS hat. The difference is that the one on the right has been used steadily for five years.
Not looking good, you are.
If you buy a LEGO Yoda keychain, this is what will eventually happen. Like Luke, he’s even lost his hand.
Best seat in the car.
Look at the spot under this dog’s paws. Seriously, look at it: the doggo has literally worn away the paint.
More mortar than bricks.
These bricks by the sea have been eroded by the salty air. At least the mortar between them is holding up well.
Pillows deflate over time.
These are two identical pillows. After a year of use, the one on the right is a shrunken shell of its former self.
Time for a new scoreboard.
A lot of competitive games of darts are played on this board, judging by the fact that the chalkboard has eroded into nothing.
Burnt in.
Old-school arcade cabinets displayed more or less the same image, all the time, for years. Here’s the burn-in on an old Pac-Man screen.
Thousands of transactions.
I’d love to see a time lapse of how busy counters get worn away like this. It’s not like anyone tried to do it, it’s just sheer repetition.
Haul it up.
This railing has been used for years by fishermen hauling up crab traps on ropes. You can see the indentations made by this rope.
Everyone has something like this.
These rugby shorts are fifteen years old. The owner’s wife wants him to get rid of them, but he points out he’s been with these shorts longer than he’s been with her.
Another worn counter.
This market bought a set of counters oh, a hundred years ago, and has been using them ever since.
So many tunes.
The pedal on this piano in a common area is going to be worn down to nothing before too long.
Get a new keyboard!
Keyboards are mostly inexpensive and they’re integral to good ergonomics. It might be time to put this one out to pasture.
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Original color.
The area under this ripped jeans patch shows just how much color is lost with repeated wearing and washing.
Half a century old.
This old paint scraper was a gift from this guy’s boss all the way back in 1967. Decades later, it works as well as it ever did.
Gamer problems.
This thumbstick has finally worn down to a nub after more than six years of gaming. At least these are easy to replace.
