An exploration of truth and the ways that we can deal with it.

The fixer …

Why rely on someone else when you can do it yourself?

AI RENDITION ARTICLES

Van Overboard

7/19/20243 min read

The Lost Art of Fixing Things (And Why It Matters)

We live in an age of convenient helplessness.

Once, survival meant knowing how to mend what broke—today, it means knowing who to call. A flickering TV? "Toss it." A faulty washing machine? "Time for an upgrade." We’ve outsourced even the simplest repairs, trading self-reliance for a lifetime of subscriptions, service fees, and planned obsolescence.

But it wasn’t always this way.

The Day I Fixed the TV (And Learned a Lifelong Lesson)

When I was a teenager, my mother’s bulky CRT television started turning everything green. A well-placed thump would sometimes jolt it back to color—until even violence failed.

So I did the unthinkable: I unplugged it, unscrewed the back, and peered inside.

Circuit boards. Dusty knobs labeled RED, GREEN, BLUE. A jungle of wires—but nothing a brush and some switch cleaner couldn’t handle. Ten minutes later, the TV roared back to life, brighter and sharper than before. No engineer. No bill. Just curiosity and a willingness to try.

That moment sparked something in me. Over the years, I fixed washing machines, rewired plugs, and even subscribed to Television magazine—not to become a repairman, but because fixing things felt like reclaiming a stolen birthright.

The Conspiracy Against Repair

Somewhere along the way, we were convinced that tinkering was dangerous, that expertise belonged only to "qualified professionals." Schools stopped teaching basic wiring. Manufacturers sealed devices with "no user-serviceable parts." Mechanics were pressured to replace perfectly good parts ("Just slap in that extra power steering pump!").

The truth? Many "complex" repairs are shockingly simple:

  • A dry solder joint? Five minutes with an iron.

  • A clogged drain? A £5 plunger beats a £150 plumber.

  • A dead appliance? Often just a £10 capacitor hiding behind scare tactics.

Yet we’ve been trained to see repair as risky instead of empowering.

The Throwaway Trap

Modern technology isn’t designed to last—it’s designed to fail. Light bulbs that burn out on schedule. Phones with non-replaceable batteries. Printers that reject third-party ink. It’s not incompetence; it’s a business model.

And the cost?

  • Environmental carnage: Only 11% of plastics are recycled. The rest chokes landfills and oceans.

  • Financial servitude: Why own when you can rent forever?

  • Lost resilience: A society that can’t fix anything is one crisis away from collapse.

Fighting Back (One Repair at a Time)

The solution isn’t nostalgia—it’s rebellion:

  1. Learn the basics. YouTube tutorials make it easier than ever.

  2. Demand repairability. Support companies like Fairphone or Framework.

  3. Reject "disposable" culture. A repaired item beats a recycled one.

Because true progress isn’t about helplessness masked as convenience. It’s about taking back control—one screwdriver, one solder joint, one stubborn "I’ll figure it out" at a time.

Further information relating to the same subject ...

The High Cost of Convenience: Data Reveals the Disposable Economy

Key Findings:

  1. The Decline of Repairability

    • 83% of European consumers would rather repair than replace broken electronics—yet only 12% actually do, citing cost and lack of access to parts (Eurobarometer, 2021).

    • Manufacturer barriers: Apple, Samsung, and John Deere have used software locks, proprietary screws, and void-if-removed stickers to block independent repairs (US PIRG, 2022).

  2. Planned Obsolescence by the Numbers

    • Smartphones: Average lifespan dropped from 4.7 years (2010) to 2.5 years (2023) (Statista).

    • Appliances: Modern washing machines last 5-7 years vs. 20+ years for pre-2000 models (German Environment Agency).

    • E-waste crisis: 57.4 million metric tons generated globally in 2023—only 17.4% recycled (UN Global E-waste Monitor).

  3. The Financial Toll

    • Households spend £1,200/year replacing "unrepairable" items (UK Consumer Rights Group).

    • Right-to-repair laws could save EU citizens €20 billion annually (European Environmental Bureau).

  4. Environmental Impact

    • 70% of landfill toxic waste comes from discarded electronics (EPA).

    • Manufacturing a single laptop emits 190kg CO2—equivalent to driving 500 miles (MIT Research).

Case Study: The Light Bulb Conspiracy Revisited

In 1924, the Phoebus Cartel (including Philips and General Electric) artificially limited bulb lifespans to 1,000 hours—down from 2,500+ hours. Today, the practice persists:

  • Printer ink chips disable cartridges before ink runs out.

  • iPhone battery throttling lawsuits revealed intentional performance degradation.

Result: Consumers replace devices 3x faster than technically necessary.

The Repair Revolution: Data-Driven Hope

  1. Right-to-Repair Wins

    • EU mandates (2023): Smartphones and tablets must have replaceable batteries by 2027.

    • US states (NY, CA): Require manufacturers to provide tools and manuals for 7+ years.

  2. Consumer Shift

    • iFixit reports 253% surge in repair manual downloads (2020-2023).

    • Framework Laptop (modular design) grew 400% YoY—proof demand exists.

  3. Economic Incentives

    • Repair creates 200 local jobs per 10,000 tons of waste vs. 20 jobs for landfilling (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

Action Plan: How to Opt Out of the Throwaway Trap

✅ Prioritize repairability: Check iFixit scores before buying.
✅ Learn critical skills: 76% of basic appliance fixes require under £20 in tools (Which? UK).
✅ Support legislation: Push for UK Right-to-Repair laws (we lag behind EU/US).

The Bottom Line: Data proves disposability is a choice—not an inevitability. The question is: Will we keep paying for convenience, or invest in resilience?