.A couple of years is a long time

Many would be quite happy to change every six months

There's a breathless quality to it - if you need to charge more than once a day, if the display or the icons don't have the same fluidity...

It's easy to be dissatisfied.

And advertising plays a starring role in it for sure. Making comparisons is now completely acceptable.

In this game, no one wins. Whether it's a house, a car, or any highly priced article, there's always something better.

So, 'Buy For Life' is a site that sticks out like a sore thumb

It is meant for people who look for good quality, durable products that are meant to last.

In today's world, they could be called 'cheapos'

And the site approaches the listing of products in ways we don't see in regular ecommerce sites

Do you want a lifetime warranty?

Or products that are plastic free?

Recyclable products ?

Or vegan without animal cruelty.

There is even a listing of products that can be repaired. Good heavens. What's next?

Maybe some of us will decide we don't need the glitziest smart phone on the planet to survive.

What's your take?

Imagine a waitlist - for shopping at a supermarket

Here's the kicker.

You carry your own packaging as well.

It started off with a crowdfunding project.

They offered to sell groceries and other household necessities without any packaging

The articles would be bought in bulk from manufacturers, reducing the packaging costs right along the supply chain.

Almost like going back the time without plastic and having to get glass bottles for everything.

They have had to understand the complexity involved in sourcing and distributing every single product in the store, evaluate demand and the stocking necessary.

At the end of the first year, they had about 3000 customers and a long waiting list.

Apparently, it takes 6-7 months of waiting to get admitted.

The work involved for customers is also much higher than shopping at a standard supermarket.

What's the draw?

Cutting down on the waste. Reusing and recycling as much as possible.

The average customer generates 30 kgs of plastic waste a year from discarded packaging.

To many people, this will look like several steps backwards.

Why go back to living the way we did before plastic took over?

An experiment in sustainability and the willingness of people to do their bit.

Do you think it's mad? Or sensible?

There's one place you can walk through water

The Moses Bridge in the Netherlands

And like in the Biblical fable, you can experience it without getting your feet wet

The steps from the bridge dip into the water and as you descend, water rises to waist level on both sides without spilling over into the actual path.

It looks like an optical illusion but it's real.

The idea was to preserve the look and feel of the moat without having an overhead bridge disturb the visual symmetry.

It's also a permanent demonstration of the product Accoyo, a wood treated with a non-toxic coating to prevent erosion and decay, even while it goes through all the seasons.

So in winter, a solid block of ice rises in the path of the wood making the bridge disappear altogether.

During that time, it becomes an ice skating rink attracting a different set of enthusiasts.

It was built in just 3 months and opened in 2010.

A decade later, it's a testament to the design and the materials used that the bridge continues to function perfectly.

Even during heavy rains, pumps drain away excess water without it spilling into the path

Making it among the best real life-demonstrations of product quality on display.

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