Motherboard has a fantastic series titled: “State of repair“.
I’ve seen a couple of episodes now and was amazed how modern day technology is more and more unrepairable (or at least that’s what the OEM-er would like you to think).
I like to way the documentaries are filmed and directed; it shows respect for the people that are portrayed and time is spend on delivering the story.
Quote from Motherboard
The future is wonderful, the future is terrifying. We should know, we live there. Whether on the ground or on the web, Motherboard travels the world to uncover the tech and science stories that define what’s coming next for this quickly-evolving planet of ours.
Take a look at the guys who keep the (aging) newspaper machinery running for the New York times. It got me thinking about my own work and the pride I take from fixing stuff, teaching it to my son and anybody else that wants to listen. But it takes so much time in today’s world.
And then the farmers in Nebraska with John Deere Tractors, completely filled with proprietary software and firmware systems, impossible to fix yourself. (as they always did in the last 150 years of mechanisations) When reading a title like “Tractor Hacking” I’m sold man!
The right to repair is now adopted by 18 states in the US and looks like a spreading awareness that an owner should be able to at least diagnose what is wrong and be able to know what’s inside.
And not to miss in the overview are “the last Pinball technician in New York city”.
Are these jobs the new jobs that will be added to these kind of lists soon?
I love Pinball machines and come to think of it, it’s probably because of the direct connection between me doing something and influencing mechanical / electrical stuff; addictive!
Finally on this list (so far), the crew from Motherboard follow the Ifixit guys in their hunt to get the latest Iphone X to be able to tear it down as quickly as possible to show the world what’s in it!
I was truly amazed when the Ifixit lady sad: “chip manufacturers want us (Ifixit) to tear down stuff and to show the world that their chip is inside the Iphone, because they can not say than themselves due to NDA, etc”.
Ifixit, just as repair.org want to create awareness for the (electronic) world around us and how it influences us. See also this video.
Somehow all the above mini-documentaries are also an ode to Makers and tinkerers. To those who just dare to pick up stuff and say: “O really, I’m not supposed to know what’s inside or to repair it? But I own it! I paid for it, so I will fix it (or break it even more 🙂 )
NB; here a link to the Ifixit Iphone X tear down movie on youtube.
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