The Restart Project Podcast

“I wanted broadband”, says Chris Conder, co-founder of the Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN). We learn from the bold initiative of a community in Lancashire who simply wanted access to the Internet and decided to start their own community-run broadband infrastructure. Throughout our interview with Conder, we also hear from B4RN volunteers, staff and participants at their “Computer Clubs”, where people get technical help with their broadband. Internet access in rural areas Broadband doesn’t reach everywhere, because it is not profitable enough for big operators, and the British government does not pressure for greater reach. Conder stresses that fibre broadband does not go directly to every home, but rather depends on the phone line and, if you live far away from the cabinets, you will hardly get connection. And you will pay the standard price. This in an issue across many rural areas in the UK. But neighbours in Melling, rural Lancashire, desperately wanted quality broadband for their community. So they teamed up with Barry Forde, former Head of Technical Services at Lancaster University. He was determined to get a fibre feed into each village in the area and start the infrastructure that became B4RN. The role of B4RN After trying various other projects and collaborations with the local university, they found that they needed to take ownership and run the project themselves. B4RN has changed the scenario by running a fibre to every single home, now over 5000 properties across more than 50 parishes. Thanks to “total madness”, in Conder’s words, and to a lot of determination. They have just exceeded a crowdfunding target to expand further. The initiative is run by staff and volunteers, but also each home gets actively involved, sometimes digging their own gardens themselves to set up the fibre! Connecting the community Beyond connecting to the Internet, people have connected with each other thanks to B4RN. Conder describes how neighbours have gotten to know each other through the project, helping each other setting up the system, digging gardens or solving technical questions. B4RN is also a “community benefit society” employing over 30 staff and hundreds of volunteers in the area, increasing the opportunities for locals, and especially the younger ones, to live and work in their villages. While broadband for this area was not seen as profitable, it has other difficult-to-quantify value, like contributing to community cohesion, education and disaster preparedness. B4RN sets a standard for resilient, community-based use of technology and the internet, and serves as an inspiration. Links: B4RN Mesh networking on Simple Wikipedia Triodos Crowdfunding: Invest in connecting rural communities to the UK’s fastest broadband Feature image by B4RN. The post Restart Podcast Ep. 44: Community infrastructure with Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) appeared first on The Restart Project.

With Restarters Ben Skidmore and Dave Lukes, Ugo discusses some tech news and then dives into the world of repurposing computers – how can we give them a second life? From charges against Samsung to the ‘ebook apocalypse’ In France, a court has charged Samsung Electronics with misleading claims regarding labour rights violations, including the exposure to chemicals or breaking up labour unions at its Asian factories. We discuss the importance of this case and how these charges will probably unfold further, and look at other manufacturers too. Regardless of the final outcome of the case, we hope to see more publicity around it across Europe. We also talk about the Microsoft ‘ebook apocalypse’, as the company is removing all purchased ebooks from user’s libraries. We reflect on our ownership of online products, which manage our right to access rather than own these items. Sticking to Microsoft, we note that CERN, the physics research centre in Switzerland, has decided to move to open source due to Microsoft removing their status of ‘academic institution’, which resulted in higher fees. The second lives of computers Inspired by a thread on our online forum, we talk about repurposing old computers, including ‘obsolete’ ones. We talk about the importance of open source software, often underestimated. For instance, when devices are not well supported by mainstream operating systems, or even become fully unsupported, open source alternatives can extend the lives of our devices. We can also give new uses to them, like repurposing them as miniservers for backing up media files or even… for playing retro computer games, like Ben! Despite seemingly technical hacks, we discuss the availability of guides and feedback online. We also talk about the option of reusing components when our computers fail (normally it is only one component that fails!). Keyboards, mouses, or even display, can all easily have a second life. Finally, we discuss the dilemma around energy efficiency when using old devices, in context with the embodied energy involved in the manufacturing of products. Links: Restarters.net Wired: Microsoft ebook apocalypse Hankyoreh: French court indicts Samsung CERN: Migrating to open-source technologies The post Restart Radio: The second lives of computers appeared first on The Restart Project.

*Last call to complete our radio survey. Closing soon on the 3rd of July!* Ravi Agarwal is a multifaceted artist and activist based in New Delhi. We hear Ravi’s reflections on his life between disciplines, and we learn about the work of his NGO, Toxics Link. We talk about the toxicity of e-waste and the threats it poses to people working in recycling sites. Ravi’s activism and Toxics Link Ravi tells us about the start of his activism when as an avid birdwatcher, he helped lead a campaign to protect the Delhi forest. Moved by his capacity to work for change, he then got interested in waste issues and eventually founded Toxics Link. Toxics Link was a pioneer organisation researching electronic waste in India, as well as influencing the first national e-waste legislation in India. They also focus on all other kinds of waste streams, from plastics to municipal waste or biomedical waste. Electronic waste and human health Ravi walks us through toxic materials in e-waste. There are almost 50 of them in various ranges of toxicity. From heavy metals like lead or mercury to flame retardants. (The latter are chemicals present in plastics which protect cases from fire, however they can cause cancer when released from the case). So when electronics are not recycled properly, these toxic components can become very threatening to human health and the environment, and particularly to workers in recycling sites in India. Ravi tells us about the associated long-term health effects that result from the exposure to these toxic materials, which can also be passed on to their children, for instance through breastfeeding. Merging art and activism We hear about Ravi’s solo show ‘Ecologies of Loss’ where he examines how people relate to their environment. We talk about the reception of Ravi’s work, both in India and worldwide, and we reflect on his way of balancing his art and activism. Ravi describes himself as an artist, photographer, environmental campaigner, writer and curator. While seemingly complex, he says that all these processes inform each other – in his own words, “we all inhabit the world in many forms at the same time”. Links: Restart: Radio survey Ravi Agarwal Toxics Link Ravi: Ecologies of Loss [Featured image by Ravi Agarwal] The post Restart Podcast Ep. 43: A life in art, activism and electronic waste with Ravi Agarwal appeared first on The Restart Project.

*Radio survey* We would really appreciate your thoughts on Restart Radio. Please take our short survey! We talk about the climate crisis and the concept of deep adaptation – the idea that we will need to radically change our lives in the face of global changes. From worker rights to Norway’s right to repair First, we discuss some news. Female workers at South Korean semiconductor plants are at much higher risks of leukemia and other cancers than their male counterparts. This research examined 201,057 current and former workers at six semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics. We also comment on the story of a Samsung LCD worker who has finally received “work accident” recognition 15 years after developing a brain tumour. On more positive news, we discuss plans from France to ban unsold electronics and clothes from being destroyed, as part of a new circular economy law. While we welcome this initiative we do wonder: what will happen to these products when destruction is banned? Lastly, we talk about latest right to repair news from Norway, where professional repairer Henrik Huseby met Apple in court for a second time, after Apple appealed losing in its lawsuit last year. Like Huseby, many repairers face barriers to get spare parts and have to use refurbished screens which Apple absurdly claims are ‘counterfeit’. The climate zeitgeist A climate emergency has been all over the news in the UK recently. From Sir David Attenborough taking a big stand on the climate, to Greta Thunberg’s visit to Parliament, to Extinction Rebellion’s protests. Different target dates have been set for net zero emissions, by different groups in the UK. (Since we recorded this episode, the UK became the first country to set a netzero target by law.) We explore this current climate crisis and then talk about the concept of “Deep Adaptation” – the idea that we will need to radically change our lives in the face of global changes. What will our life, and that of future generations, look like in 10 years? Then, we play a clip from Restart Party goers sharing their views on the latest climate science. These include a fear that we will not have the resources to maintain our way of living, and suggest that we will need to extend the lifespan of the products and materials that we buy. They also point to the sometimes confusing balance between where responsibility should lie: is it about focusing on the micro-actions or about pushing governments for high-level change? Inspired by Mary Heglar’s essay on sustainability and personal action, we talk about the power in magnifying our individual acts, and escalating our everyday frustrations to seek change. And while we must work urgently to avoid run-away climate change, we conclude that we also need to start envisioning what a radically changed world will look like, and what we will lose. (We ran out of time and didn’t do the topic of “Deep Adaptation” justice at all. But we’ve added some more links below that go into greater depth on the topic.) Links: Restart: Radio survey Restart: Taking care of resources in fair, net-zero economy Hankyoreh: Female workers at semiconductor plants face greater risk of leukemia and death Hankyoreh: Samsung LCD worker receives industrial accident recognition 15 years after developing brain tumor The Telegraph: France ban unsold clothes electronics destroyed world first VICE: Apple is still trying to sue the owner of an independent repair shop Louis Rossmann: Witness in Norway trial Vox: Mary Heglar on the environmental movement and personal action Jem Bendell’s website, focusing on “Deep Adaptation” Restart: How to Restart the World with Lewis Dartnell [Featured imaged by David Holt is licensed under CC-BY 2.0.] The post Restart Radio: Climate anxiety and deep adaptation appeared first on The Restart Project.

We’re doing a listeners survey and we would really appreciate your feedback! In this episode, we travel to North West England to meet Dave and Anne Carlos, co-founders of the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic. Set up by the Emmanuel Church, this Computer Clinic wants to serve the community by lowering people’s barriers to technology, while making devices last for longer. We interview Dave Carlos, and we hear from various organisers, fixers and attendees of one of these ‘clinics’, which take place at the Rossall Tavern, the local pub. Lowering barriers to using technology At the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic, anyone can get help with technology. A team of ‘geeks’, as they proudly call themselves, will have a look at your device, and help you maintain it, repair it… or simply use it better! The area of Fleetwood used to be a prosperous fishing town, but it has been deeply affected by economic change. Many people can’t spend much on technology, and hence they can find it hard to repair their products. Even getting help with software, or getting simple tips to use your devices, can be hard. In this context, the Computer Clinic has created a space for digital inclusion, where money, and knowledge, are no longer such high barriers to own technology. Like at our Restart Parties, there is no cost for attending the clinics. Also, even though the Computer Clinic is set up by the Emmanuel Church, any one – participant or organiser – can be part of the events, whatever their faith. Part of a wider movement We got in touch with the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic when they signed the Manchester Declaration. As Dave Carlos told us, they signed the declaration for a clear reason: “anybody who’s ever worked on a laptop knows that it is not meant to be repaired […]. The Manchester Declaration is not only talking about the fact that we need more repairable kit. But that manufacturers have a responsibility to make it repairable.” Rob Ginny, Pastor from the Emmanuel Church, also reminds us that the Church as an institution generally needs to catch up with environmental matters. With this mindset, supporting a movement where people reuse instead of throwing away, seems like the right direction. People come to the repair movement with many different backgrounds and perspectives. The West Fleetwood Computer Clinic is putting humans at the centre, thinking further than their own community. They are now recording repair data through the Fixometer, and they are part of the wider network of communities who are fixing to improve life for each other, and for the planet. Links: Facebook: West Fleetwood Computer Clinic Fleetwood on Wikipedia Manchester Declaration The Restart Project: The Fixometer The post Restart Podcast Ep. 42: A computer clinic for (and by) the community appeared first on The Restart Project.

Janet, James and Restarter Ben Skidmore talk about the overlooked but fascinating world of product standards, and how they affect our right to repair devices. To learn more about standards, we hear from Chloe Fayole from ECOS, the European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation. Before diving into standards, we discuss some recent news. To start, we celebrate Fixfest Italia, the first national community repair gathering in Italy. James tells us about his time at the event, and how exciting it was to meet people in the Italian network. We also comment on the recent near-hysteria around plans of a Huawei 5G network rollout in the UK. Product standards: the power of industry During the show, we play our prerecorded interview with Chloe Fayole, who walks us through the world of standards at European level. Standards define guidelines for products or processes. They are not legislation per se, however, they are increasingly used as a tool to implement new legislation and policies. Therefore, Chloe warns, it is crucial to be aware of how industry-dominated standards are, and the need for more voices to be represented. People want more repairable products, and the product standards developed at European level can affect the repairability and lifetime of our devices. Chloe talks about the importance of creating standards both in a horizontal way (for all products), which could include ease of disassembly or the provision of spare parts for a minimum of years, but also product-specific, going into the detail and particularities of each device. Reclaiming the citizens’ voice Product standards and our right to repair are closely linked. However, contributing to the discussion around product standards demands a lot of time and technical skills, and these conversations are heavily industry-dominated. So how can citizens be heard? People have a role in expressing themselves and their expectations of products, adding the consumer perspective to the conversation. As an example, Chloe talks about ‘making obsolescence a scandal’ and reporting it, but also about the importance of gathering data to know the barriers experienced by consumers when trying to repair what they own. We also stress the need to include professional repairers in the conversation, given their direct expertise with repairability and issues affecting product lifetimes.   Links: Chloe Faloye ECOS Restart: Compelling evidence that people want repairable products Restart: New Right to Repair rules, broken down by a pro The Boring Conference: About The Verge: The UK gets its first official 5G launch date The post Restart Radio: The overlooked but fascinating world of standards appeared first on The Restart Project.

We are currently in the midst of Earth Week, but in this episode, we are going to space. The environmental cost of technology is not just felt on the ground. And e-waste doesn’t just exist on earth, it exists in orbit too – and we’ve created loads in the past couple of decades. Eager to know more, we reached out to the European Space Agency (ESA) and talked to Luisa Innocenti. She is Head of ESA’s Clean Space initiative, which exists to reduce the environmental impact of space activities both on the ground and in space. The uncontrolled, polluting space debris Waste in space is commonly called space debris, which includes all objects in space which are not controlled, ranging from a few millimetres to an entire satellite, so from a few grams to several tons. Space debris can be very dangerous if it collides with active satellites. Over the last decades, we have created loads of e-waste in space – we discuss the question of responsibility when countries abandon the objects they launch in outer space. Tackling waste through ecodesign ESA suggests various solutions to tackle space debris. One of them is ecodesign, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of space tech throughout its lifetime, from design to disposal. It is crucial also to plan for durability and obsolescence when designing this technology. As Luisa points out, in what relates to satellites: “when you are in space, you cannot replace a part if it doesn’t work”. We also talk about strategies to plan for the end of life of satellites in space, and technology to remove the debris already there. Linking space and earth tech We may not realise enough how much our daily use of technology on Earth is depending on technology in orbit: the best example is the navigation systems. Space technology is crucial for the accurate location in our phones, but also for weather forecasting or for watching live TV almost anywhere in the world. As most of our devices rely on things orbiting around our planet, space debris needs to be tackled to keep our technology working. We also ask whether keeping space “clean” is important in its own right. April was Space Month at Restart Radio. Check out our space-themed radio show on iridium, mobiles and dinosaurs! Thanks to ESA for the extra audio from this episode, including satellite launches or the dramatic end of the Rosetta mission. Thank you also to the ‘Space Roomba’ podcast episode, from Flash Forward, which was an initial inspiration to learn more about space debris. Links: ESA: Clean Space ESA: Luisa Innocenti The Restart Project: Repairing for the Earth, Repairing Everywhere The Restart Project: The iridium anomaly, your mobile and the dinosaurs Flash Forward: Space Roomba [Featured image on Clean Space’s ecodesign, from the European Space Agency. Space debris GIF also from ESA under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence.] The post Restart Podcast Ep. 41 Exploring waste in space appeared first on The Restart Project.

Coinciding nicely with the first image of a black hole, this April is Space Month on Restart Radio, where both our live show and podcast will be space-themed. In this show, we talk to Jessika Luth Richter, a circular economy researcher at Lund University in Sweden, and we learn about the relationship between raw materials and space, including the ‘Iridium anomaly’. First, we chat about tech news. From the recent Apple GiveBack trade-in programme to their leaking of plans to respond to Right to Repair pressure, to the hijacking of ASUS software updates or the risks of ‘smartphone zombies’ – are you one of them? Discovering Iridium: from mobiles to dinosaurs During the show, we learn about a very particular chemical element: Iridium (Ir). While Iridium is very rare on the Earth’s crust, it is found on much higher concentrations (around 100 times higher) on an internal Earth layer, the one marking the boundary in geological times of 66 million years ago. So where could this metal have come from? The hypothesis is: from an asteroid, which could also have triggered the extinction of dinosaurs. Next we talk more about this element and discuss some of its current uses today. Despite its rarity, Iridium is used in the manufacturing of electrical contacts, certain electrical wires and electrodes. It can also be found in smartphones with OLED displays. Given its great properties for industry and tech, alongside its scarcity and supply risks (85% is mined only in South Africa), Iridium is a critical material. Space mining and environmental cost Could we get raw materials from space, like Iridium from meteorites? Rare earth elements from the moon? We talk about space mining, and how, despite various efforts, this seems still far away. The further we want to reach out in space, we will have to face questions of infrastructure, how we are getting there and back to Earth. We talk about space missions, Space X and people’s dreams to travel outside Earth. Be it for mining or for passenger travel, we reflect on the environmental cost of travelling to space. While space exploration inspired the environmental movement when we were able to see Earth from outer space, we still need to think about how we use materials on Earth. Or will we mine materials from space, for them to simply become waste? *As part of Space month, both our live show and podcast will be space-themed. Watch out for our Space podcast at the end of the month!*   Links: Lund University: Jessika Luth Richter Restart Radio [our previous podcast with Jessika]: Critical materials in our electronics Apple GiveBack The Guardian: Students accused of cheating Apple out of nearly $1m in fake iPhone scheme Motherboard: Hackers hijacked ASUS software updates to install backdoors on thousands of computers  Reuters: South Korea radar and thermal camera system warns ‘smartphone zombies’ of traffic Motherboard: Internal documents show Apple is capable of implementing Right to Repair legislation Chemistry Explained: Iridium The Guardian: Black hole picture captured for the first time in space Phys.org: OLED Screens Asterank [a database of 600,00 asteroids] [Featured image of Eros asteroid by NASA/NEAR Project (JHU/APL) in Wikipedia is in the public domain] The post Restart Radio: The Iridium anomaly, your mobile and the dinosaurs appeared first on The Restart Project.

Solar lamps have been envisioned as a groundbreaking innovation for regions with no electricity. But what happens when solar gadgets break down? We travel to Scotland to interview Jamie Cross, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, whose team has developed Solar What?, a modular and repairable solar lamp. In this episode, you will also hear from participants at our Restart Parties, sharing their thoughts on solar products and on the importance of repairability when buying goods. Promising solar without repairability Jamie tells us the story of the first testing of a solar lamp in a small village in Northern India. This technology, which was replacing the former kerosene lamps, was initially welcomed and people used the solar lamps at home for working or studying. However, after around five years, Jamie witnessed how these products weren’t working anymore: batteries reached their end of life, switches got stuck or broken… and the lamps were very hard to fix! When solar lamps break, some people might try to fix these lamps themselves, or try to get help locally. People employ  local problem solving, or jugaad in Hindi. However, if further help is needed, things get complicated when living in rural areas. We talk about issues of having to travel long distances for someone to check your device, and probably come back at least a second time if the product requires spare parts. Solar What? Designing for longer lifetimes Solar What? is a small solar-powered lamp that has been designed explicitly so it could be taken apart, repaired and kept in use for as long as possible. Rowan Spear, the team’s lead designer, joined us too for part of the interview to share insights from their recent testing of Solar What? in Zambia. Jamie’s team have also developed an off-grid Solar scorecard, which ranks solar products in terms of their repairability, recyclability or access to spare parts. We can’t help but think of our Solar ‘Hall of Shame’ comprised of unfixable products encountered at our Restart Parties. Designing solar products for repairability can extend their lifetimes and therefore also reduce the solar waste stream. According to Jamie, current estimates suggest that the electronic waste from the off-grid solar industry is equivalent to electronic waste from the mobile phone industry. Finally, we note that the same products, of the same quality, are manufactured for both the UK and other parts of the world, including places off-grid. Right to Repair discussions, now increasingly prominent in Europe and the US, should also be translated into these contexts where durability and repairability are paramount. Thirst for more? We did a teardown with Jamie and Rowan, taking apart a poor-quality solar lamp while assessing its repairability against the Off Grid Solar Scorecard. With a donation, you can listen to our bonus track. We will match your amount and make a donation to SolarAid. Get your bonus track   Links: Jamie Cross Solar What? Off Grid Solar Scorecard BBC: A history of the world in 100 objects Restart’s Solar Device Hall of Shame [Featured image by Patrick Bentley / Solar Aid] The post Restart Podcast Ep. 40: When solar lamps break down appeared first on The Restart Project.

Tongue-in-cheek, we talk about the upcoming Brexit deadline and the potential of indoor growing to feed us in a time of crisis. We are joined by Ande Gregson, founder of Greenlab and expert in urban agriculture, and by Halima Koundi, Restart Volunteer Coordinator who leads our Rosie the Restarter skillshares. First, we discuss tech news. Shared scooters are becoming an e-waste problem. Thanks to the open-data policy of Louisville, Kentucky, researchers learned that the average lifetime of electric scooters operated in the city by the company Bird is only 28.8 days. We’ve seen teardowns of shared bikes, and we worry about the high amount of technology embedded in them. Who is responsible for this e-waste when these products reach their end of life? Indoor growing at Greenlab We then get into the day’s topic. Ande founded London-based Greenlab to apply the spirit of the makerspace community to indoor growing. It is a space for early-stage businesses involved with the circular economy who want to grow products in different ways, from cotton with less water to algae for a replacement feed in agriculture. Zero waste and circular economy are at the heart of Greenlab, an environmental perspective rarely found in makerspaces. Ande highlights their work on recycling: their tables are made out of recycled timber, and they recycle food waste, plastics and metal. Although not the electronics they need to run their systems. Getting started: from a window to Arduino Halima mentions her interest in growing food at her new flat, and Ande gives out some tips for beginners – our window, for instance, is a good start to grow basil or rosemary. He also recommends looking for community seed banks which commonly give seeds out for free. We also talk about the tech that can be used to do indoor growing. Ande points us to the London Hackspace as a place where one can learn about Arduino, a microcontroller that can be used from your phone to keep track of all the conditions affecting your growing space, like temperature or humidity. We also comment on the energy consumption of indoor growing which can be quite varied depending on what you are farming, although Ande recommends relying on solar. So will Greenlab help ‘preppers’ survive Brexit? Ande is optimistic that the process won’t affect our supply chains excessively, as long as we avoid a no-deal scenario. Greenlab hosts free open evenings at their space in Bermondsey, London every last Thursday of the month. We will also be hosting a ‘Rosie Restart Party‘ on 30th March in London, which will be a Restart Party just for women and non-binary people.    Links: Greenlab Meetup: Rosie the Restarter skillshares Quartz: Shared scooters don’t last long Electric bike teardown Slashdot: Google says the built-in microphone it never told Nest users about was ‘never supposed to be a secret’ [Featured image from Greenlab] The post Restart Radio: Growing indoors for Brexit survival appeared first on The Restart Project.