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Do You Believe in Magic
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Hardly a day passes when our mail doesn't include an advertisement for some miraculous new product, guaranteed to stop leaks forever, eliminate maintenance and otherwise make our lives easier. Property managers and owners must be on the same mailing lists as ETC because we encounter a fair number of these new products in the field (usually soon after they were installed or applied), when we're retained to figure out why they don't work. The advertising literature for these items is often well-presented and convincing and, as a society, we are enamored of "cutting edge" technology. The principles described seem logical and the price is usually attractive. After all, it would be foolish to replace that $100,000 roof when $1,000 worth of "MIRACUWONDROUS WATER DEFEATER" will fix all your problems at a fraction of the cost.
It would be unfair and inaccurate to say that all products that claim to be "breakthrough" or "miraculous" are worthless. Some may actually perform useful functions under specific circumstances; however, extreme skepticism should be your rule when considering new, untested technologies or unorthodox remedies. You don't want to be the "lab rat."
The fact is that new technologies are introduced all the time and some will be revolutionary. It's also true that new products are seldom completely successful in their initial incarnation. Second and third generation products usually improve on the first and succeeding generations tend to get even better. Of course, in some cases, the only thing that improves is the marketing. In other cases, the product began as garbage and even quantum improvements can't elevate it above that status.
The time may come when force-fields replace conventional roofing and magic comes in a can. Our advise is to wait until new products have proven effective in field applications rather than be a test case in what could be a costly experiment.
Lawrence Eckert
Patrick Gray
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