The downward spiral of progress

FOR MORE THAN a decade, starting nearly 20 years ago, I believed that I would never need to think about buying sneakers again. When I needed new sneakers, I simply went to a suitable shoe store and found a pair of Jack Purcell sneakers, size 12, a clean white replica of the dirty and fraying shoes I'd worn into the ... (Full article: 1304 words)

This article is available in our archives:

Globe Subscribers

FREE for subscribers

Subscribers to the Boston Globe get unlimited access to our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Non-Subscribers

Purchase an electronic copy of the full article. Learn More

• $9.95 1 month archives pass
• $24.95 3 months archives pass
• $74.95 1 year archives pass