An important attribute of technical debt is that it grows in an unpredictable, nonlinear fashion. Each bit of technical debt, when added to the pool of existing technical debt, might do significantly more harm than the size of that new debt might imply.

In the late 1990s metal-reinforced glass ionomers were introduced for use as core buildups. These contain a silver alloy admix.

“Where’s the man with the trumpet?” Ralph, sensing his sun-blindness, answered him. “There’s no man with a trumpet. Only me.” The boy came close and peered down at Ralph, screwing up his face as he did so.

[…] he trembled violently ; on replacing him at his seat, the agitation continued, his arms bendingly extended, and with such a look, he thanked me […]