What lives on you ask--History is created by the people who write about it from their points of view. Everything that is in print is not necessarily true, so we question the writers and where they are coming from.

Then there are the other creative arts that speak to their time and some endure.

Inventions define their times and then are added to by more advancements.

Unfortunately wars are landmarks-peace not so much.

You certainly spark some thought.

Along these lines, I highly recommend Rational Optimist, by Matt Ridley. He introduces the concept of Ideas Having Sex, and why this is what distinguishes humans.

Could you tweak the behavior of that pop-up linking to other articles so that it only appears when the end of the article is more than the height of the pop-up from the bottom of the window? It's really annoying to have it covering text, I'm midway through an article and it interrupts to say "stop reading that, go over here instead".

Fiction that deals with universal, timeless questions of human nature seems to last as well. Many of the novels from the Romantic era are still useful today.

I love this. There's not much to I can add, just that this is really cool and extremely perceptive.

I have a 86' Civic that I've been living in n out of for a few months while exploring California.. but I guess that doesn't really count as a Rialta. Hope to run into you in SF soon :D good luck with bootstrap. That CSS package is sweet and quite purty too!

this sounds really similar to demon theory by ciaran. do a quick google search if you havent heard about it yet

And a movie quote:
You're about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something.
  -- Indana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

But thinking more, I also think a lot of the "lack of permanence" is due to the expected utility of the item.  I expect my PC to be the fastest thing on earth, because to have less is to wait extra time when rendering video (z68 cut my render times to a quarter of a Core2Duo).  When the next leap comes out (past Ivy Bridge), I'll upgrade again.

Otoh, I have a red-oak table set that I expect to be a table.  It *is* constructed to last, and I will never craft things on it without protection.  It is beautiful, and will be in my house for at least 25 more years before it goes on to another loving home.  One reason it is going to last is that it is heavy, bulky, and no accountants got after it (the table top is 2 inches of solid wood; no filler, no cardbord, nada).

I also have a set of block planes from the 1920's.  They're good and artsy, but I still use them because planing a block of wood hasn't changed during that time, so the old stuff is as good as the new stuff (though it's easier to find blades for the new planes and the all metal ones are more durable [but less artsy] than these wooden ones). 

I also have a 1950's bandsaw (cast iron).  I've changed the motor, but the bandsaw itself will last a loong time.  I probably will have to change the bearings on the lower wheel, but it'll work.  At the shop, I have a 1980's bandsaw that I think will last for at least 50 years with proper care.

You can kinda guess I like the feel of wood in my hands, eh?  But these tools, because of what we use them for, will not be replaced on a whim.  Since you play an instrument to make the sound, the good instruments likewise won't be thrown away (and if they're marginal, you can refurbish them when pieces wear out but you still love the instrument [eg, fret replacement]).  I've even refurbished an old tube amp (bad capacitors, pots were worn out) because I love the sound (even though tubes are getting harder to find).

If your use doesn't change (or even better, if it becomes a part of you like woodworking or playing an instrument), the good things will stand the test of time, and you'll get rid of the bad instruments because they no longer feel "worth the trouble" (I got rid of an electric guitar because it wouldn't hold a tune for an entire set); taking this to tools, I always buy the first tool from Harbor Freight (junk), and the 2nd one from a good place.  I don't want to tile another floor (and not because of the saw!), so wasting $50 on a tile saw hurts less than spending $400 on a good tile saw.  OTOH, those oscillating tools are amazingly useful...

Well nuts.  I now have a post button, but I can't reply to other's posts.

I humbly disagree with respect to permanancy of several things, for example, your bike.
I have no doubt that it will no longer be state-of-the-art in a hundred years, but it can evolve to a different place:one of art.
I have a 1974 replica of a 1932 Ford that I'm restoring.  I will never expect great gas mileage from it (I expect ~16 when I'm done because I'm keeping the Ford 302 engine in it), and it will never have the vehicle stability, weatherproofness, etc of a new car, but it will be my toy with many, many smiles to the gallon.

For your bike to do this, only a couple of things need to happen:
  1. You must love it (and not discard it) -- I love this car because it was my dad's.  It will be passed on to one of my sons at the appropriate time.
  2. You must care for it (much like the violin or cello), but that goes part-and-parcel with #1.

Once those are done, the memories of the object (the reason I'm keeping the car) will make it a permanent home.

I don't know much about violins but have heard about their supposed quality before. Quite some research has found that even experts can't tell the difference between a Stradivarius and a modern violin by sound alone.

Check out this and the references at the wiki.