The Restart Project Podcast

Apologies for the slightly incomplete audio file, brilliantly “fixed” by Dave Pickering. This was our last show for 2015 on Resonance 104.4 FM. We had Restarter Ten and our podcaster Dave in the studio, sharing some of their thoughts on the most exciting repairs they witnessed during the year: a team effort to repair a TV capacitor topped the bill for Ten, while Dave shared his memory of the proud and passionate owner of an old radio. We took the opportunity to celebrate Resonance’s debut on DAB in London, significantly increasing the station’s reach in the London region. We then discussed three news stories from the last week: the implications of the  unfortunate end of Mozilla’s effort to create an alternative operating system for smartphones; extended warranties for gadgets, and whether they’re worth it; and finally, an uplifting story to end the year: a wonderful replica of our favourite robot, WALL-E, created by 17-year old Bolivian self-taught inventor Esteban Quispe. For background reading (and watching), in order of our discussion: Mozilla confirms its Firefox OS phones are dead Why gadget warranties are (almost) never worth it Bolivian WALL-E: Teen Inventor Makes Robots Out Of Trash Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! We loved producing Restart Radio in 2015 and we look forward to many more shows in the new year. If you like our critical take on the tech news, please consider supporting our yearly fundraiser – we are still just over 30% of our fundraising goal. The post Restart Radio: Firefox OS for phones is over and the Bolivian WALL-E appeared first on The Restart Project.

After talking about a surprisingly smooth laptop screen repair, and a failed “life hack” involving a keyboard and a dishwasher, we discussed our top good news stories of the year. As with all good news, there is often a “boo” to add to the initial “yay!” 5. Apple is quietly investing in mobile repair and reuse (Yay!) Apple has never sold refurbished iPhones in first world markets, unlike all of their other devices. And we’ve noticed they have become more repairable, partly to help Apple build a business model for in-store repairs and reuse. However access to parts is becoming a serious issue and there are fears Apple is restricting supply to indie repairers. And we know the move towards repair is simply to sell more to secondary and tertiary markets, and they are even attempting to speed up the upgrade cycle in the US. (Boo!) So this is a case in point about “circular economy” – if we close all of the loops (and broaden them to new markets), but accelerate global manufacture without cleaning it up, we have a problem! 4. As a part of the “Circular Economy Package” the Ecodesign Directive will be broadened, beyond “energy efficiency” ratings – which apply mostly to white goods, heating and cooling equipment and big displays – to look at resource efficiency, which is more relevant for the majority of devices we see at Restart Parties. Meaning, ecodesign will focus on longevity of devices where the majority of resources are consumed in manufacture. One concrete action they will look at is, starting with displays, to focus on safer disassembly (for reuse and recycling but we think repair fits in here too). Other commentators expected much more in this package to promote reuse, but we had, er, very low expectations. 3. Europe exports less toxic e-waste than we thought. A CWIT (Countering WEEE Illegal Trade) study shows that only an estimated 4% of e-waste is illegally exported from Europe, to places like Ghana. What this does mean is that the problem is really right here in Europe, where we are still landfilling up to 1/3 of e-waste, much of it working and/or repairable. 2. Fairphone introduced the first modular mobile on the market. Hugely disruptive both for being so repairable by design, but also for the low prices of spare parts. Is this the future of repair? Simple repairs most people could perform themselves? Is this a model for further disruption in hardware? Community-based, values-based projects, that lead by example? 1. There is a real appetite for Restarting in educators and students. We’re currently working with a school in New York, and talking to two in London. We’re talking to two amazing groups: Mouse and Biomodd London about education collaborations. We think there is real scope to activate Restart groups in schools, promoting hands-on skills, but not just Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, but also actually hacking, troubleshooting and fixing the devices we use to learn. Watch this space!   The post Restart Radio: top 5 good news stories of 2015 appeared first on The Restart Project.

In this episode, we explore what happens to all of our e-stuff when we throw it away. Our favourite waste campaign slogan is quite simple: There is no “away”. So where is this “away”? And this is what podcaster Dave Pickering finds out on a roadtrip to Kent, to a recycling plant in Sittingbourne. At Sweeep Kuusakoski, the largest plant of its kind in southern England, Dave sees what happens to our small gadgets and appliances when they are taken to be recycled. The process of recouping raw materials out of electronics is quite high tech at Sweeep – and some of what is recouped is quite valuable. To the backdrop of much crunching, and other industrial sounds, Sweep Commercial Director Justin Greenaway explains the ins and outs of the business. Some products, especially screens, present special problems due to the potentially toxic materials used in their production. We were not surprised to learn, Sweeep’s greatest challenge is actually simply getting more people to recycle, especially smaller electronics and electricals. As we’ve written about in past, recycling rates are abysmally low in Europe, including the UK, and much of it comes down to awareness and accessibility of recycling facilities. Sue Brown of Havering Council explains the role of the council in collecting waste, and making it easier for residents, and how everything post-collection is handled by large waste contractors. As Dave concludes, there is not only a question of awareness about the importance of recycling electronics, there is a serious question about access to recycling services, when car-less apartment dwellers, disabled people, and cyclists are forced to make trips to far-away recycling hubs designed for cars.   The post Restart Podcast Ep 6: where do our gadgets go when they die? appeared first on The Restart Project.

In this show we talked about Adele’s flip phone, and why it caused such an uproar. “Retro” electronics seem to be all the rage, but why? And what of these “new” retro-styled DAB radios, are they really winning us over? Music and sound seem to be one area where we continue to have an emotional bond to the electronics we listen with, but also the physical media itself, even in a digital age. We talked about the enduring appeal of not just vinyl, but CDs and radios – many of which continue to be designed by UK brands – and how Bluetooth can breathe new life into stereo components older than we are. We ended our show talking about the enduring appeal of electronic music, sharing our experience at a recent Autechre show and our admiration for musician David Vorhaus AKA White Noise. We concluded that musicians are often natural Restarters. Links and background Why Adele use a Flip Phone to say ‘Hello’ Sir David Attenborough narrates Adele’s ‘Hello’ (video) Autechre’s music is a remix of song that never existed – LA Times review White Noise track called “Polka Dots” Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: Adele and Autechre Special… music, media and audio equipment appeared first on The Restart Project.

In this show, we discussed with Restarter Dave Lukes the “Big Fix“, Hackney’s festival of repair taking place this Saturday, featuring a Restart Party, as well as bike, furniture, fabric repair workshops and much more. We then spoke to Restarter Orsetta Hosquet about a US laptop refurbisher turned artist, inspired by the glitches produced by faulty video cards he was substituting. This made us think about perfection and appreciating faults, when possible.  But this story also made us think about the patience that the repetitive work of commercial repairers requires, which is why Restarters love the variety of gadgets they get a chance to try repairing at our events. We then talked about the wave of consumerist events leading us to the end of the year, the infamous Black Friday and more. More retailers this year are announcing their special deals weeks in advance, even giving details on why it’s better to shop in the middle of the night. We were inspired by news that Alibaba broke all records of online shopping earlier this month during China’s “Singles Day”. Orsetta shared her experience working in a large store during sales: people’s anxiety and often buying products they don’t really need, just because they’re on sale. For background reading, in order of our discussion: Motherboard on the professional Macbook refurbisher creating glitch art Quartz on Alibaba’s record sales during China’s largest online shopping day The Mirror on how big Black Friday really is Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: The Big Fix and the art of glitches appeared first on The Restart Project.

In this show, we discussed the true meaning of “digital inclusion” – what does it mean to have an online device, when we can perceive helplessly that it “rots” before our eyes? With Restarter Dave Lukes, we asked if statistics about device ownership, numbers of people online, really mean anything if we are becoming mere passive receivers of information and playing catch-up to access key online-only services. Then we talked about how mobile users in Europe and North America have few choices in terms of form-factor, and even fewer in what relates to the underlying software powering smartphones. As a counterpoint, we talked about the mobile ecosystem of Shenzen, China, as featured by this great MIT Media Lab video. Lastly we mentioned the “back-alley upgrades” happening to iPhones in China, and what this all means. For background reading, in order of our discussion: André Lemos’ essay: The Dogmas of Digital Inclusion MIT Media Lab’s Knotty Objects WSJ on Chinese iPhone upgrades Photos of Chinese iPhone upgrades Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: breaking the mobile mould appeared first on The Restart Project.

On our show this week, we had a special guest, Alison from The Goodlife Centre, a workshop and learning centre not far from Resonance FM’s London studios in Borough. Through her thriving business, Alison has helped thousands of Londoners learn about DIY, electricals, plumbing and making/repairing furniture. She tells the story of some “dollhouse DIY” as a child and how her love of materials and production took her in fascinating professional directions. We also talked about why people no longer have DIY skills – why nobody can change a plug – and what motivates them to go to The Goodlife Centre to learn. We then discussed two stories: a feature about a Minnesota appliance salesman-turned-indie-repairman and a comparison of open source, grassroots innovation to prevent climate change as opposed to the massive climate talks scheduled for December in Paris. For background reading, in order of our discussion: “Maytag Man rejects the throw-away society, one appliance at a time“ COP vs. POC: innovation under the radar of the climate talks Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: from changing plugs to changing the world appeared first on The Restart Project.

On our show this week, we talked about connections between Restarters and repairing bikes. We spoke to longtime Restarter Ten, who shared the story of his legendary repair of a vintage coffee grinder in Herne Hill market. Ten was joined in the studio by another of our committed volunteers, Dave. They share a passion for fixing and for bicycles, so we discussed the difference between repairing bikes, which use standard, interchangeable spare parts and laptops and mobiles, which rarely do. While recalling two smartphone battery replacements at the recent Restart Party at Remakery in Brixton, for the first time we had an unannounced guest appearance from Joseph, Resonance 104.4 FM‘s sound engineer, sharing his experience taking apart his mobile phone to change its battery. We then discussed two bits of news: a (now fixed) bug in the iOS Facebook app, quickly draining the battery of iPhones, and increasing doubts about over the viability of the current system for recycling electronics, as well as alternatives to reuse parts of no-longer repairable devices. For background reading, in order of our discussion: The Facebook app is draining your iOS device’s battery and Facebook’s official response and fix Fall in metal prices leads to concerns over the cost of recycling WEEE Our advice on what to do when a device is no longer repairable Green Festival of Repair and Mending in Leicester Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: from repairing bikes to smartphones appeared first on The Restart Project.

On our show this week, we talked about women in fixing, with women outnumbering men 2-to-1 for the first time at Resonance 104.4 FM studios. For a special Ada Lovelace Day discussion, we talked to Orsetta, a long time Restarter talked to us about how she got started tinkering and fixing. She was one of only two girls in her secondary school carpentry course, helping to break barriers. But first, we discussed two techie tidbits: first, the news that Apple finally relented and announced it would help frustrated owners of delaminated Macbook Pro screens. Second, prompted by a call from help from our community, we discussed the pros and cons of wireless charging as a work-around for a common failure in mobiles. For background reading, in order of our discussion: Staingate.org How Does Wireless Charging Work? Findingada.com Our reflection on women fixers Please subscribe, send us your comments, tips, and share! The post Restart Radio: where are the women fixers? appeared first on The Restart Project.

In this episode, we discuss commercial repair of gadgets, electronics and home appliances. Most of us can testify, it feels less and less of a possibility these days. Podcaster Dave Pickering interviews designer and writer John Thackara about how this may be a “temporary blip”. He paints a picture of what local, (re)emergent economies of repair might look like. Thackara’s new book How To Thrive in the Next Economy (Thames & Hudson, 2015) shaped our questions and provides clues for readers. With input from professional repairers and participants at Restart Parties, we discussed transparency, trust, cost, access to information, informal solutions, as well as the need for repair to be embedded locally in retail. Repeatedly, people told us they would like to learn from the experience of paying for a repair, and not be treated like a number. Lastly, Ugo mentions the symbiosis between community repair events like Restart Parties and commercial repairs. The bottom line is, a better relationship with our stuff, often mediated by talented repairers, will improve our quality of life. The post Restart Podcast Ep 5: How repair economies can thrive (again) appeared first on The Restart Project.