[Themaintainers] Question from a journalist

[Lynn Berger]

Hello Maintainers!

Short version: I'm a journalist working on a story about the value of
repetition and why we usually overlook it because we're more interested in
novelty. I draw a parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to
maintenance and want to point out that this is silly, not least because
maintenance is often a condition for innovation. And now I'm wondering: do
the people on this list have some examples of when maintenance work led to
new insights that led to innovation?

Slightly longer version:
My name is Lynn Berger and I've been on this list for some time. I have a
PhD in communications from Columbia University (I studied 19th century
photography and the law) but for the last six years I've been working as a
journalist at De Correspondent, an online journalism platform based in
Amsterdam. I cover technology and culture there; a few years ago I wrote a
piece about the rediscovery of maintenance, with pride of place for the
maintainers. (Those who read Dutch can find it here
<https://decorrespondent.nl/6816/he-innovators-gamechangers-en-disrupters-vergeten-jullie-het-onderhoud-niet/227102304-f476506a>,
and a short followup I wrote on repair, here
<https://decorrespondent.nl/7414/waarom-het-recht-op-repareren-ons-allemaal-aangaat/247027066-a9e9bbdc>
.)

Currently I'm working on a story about the value of repetition and how we
tend to overlook it because we're more interested in novelty. I draw a
parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to maintenance and want to
point out that this is missing the point, not least because maintenance is
often a condition for innovation.

And now I'm wondering: do the people on this list have some examples of
when maintenance work led to new insights that led to innovation?

I'd be grateful for a few good and concrete examples. And for your time, of
course!

Thank you in advance and keep up the good work (!)
Lynn.

Lynn Berger
De Correspondent <http://www.decorrespondent.nl/lynnberger>
Barentzplein 7BG
1013 NJ Amsterdam
@LynnBerger1984 <https://twitter.com/LynnBerger1984>
06 24102193
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