Yeah fiber cement is solid, but you gotta prime the backer board really well or moisture still finds a way in down here. Seen it hold up for 15 years when it's done right though.

That line about it figuring out patterns you never saw hits home. My buddy had a similar thing happen with his photos. Some AI tool sorted years of pics by themes he didn't even know he had, like all the shots of his dog near windows. He said it was creepy but also kind of amazing, like having a ghost in the machine that knows your hobbies better than you do. Now he's got folders for things he never would have thought to make, and it's actually useful. Stuff like that makes me wonder what else we're missing until a computer points it out.

My uncle painted houses but always said personal projects kept his skills sharp, @anna_white. Guess it's all in how you look at it.