Article

2024-11-29 Science & Technology

How Corporations Rob Americans Of The Joys Of Fixing Their Own Property

[Federalist] I recently built a coffee table. This was my first foray into woodworking, so the table is far from perfect — with slight asymmetries and an uneven finish. A level would tell me it misses the mark of an IKEA table’s engineered flatness. But if you’ve ever built something with your hands as a hobbyist, you would know my reaction looking at this table in satisfactory triumph — "Who cares?"

Unfortunately, when it comes to trying your hand at repairing your personal property, certain manufacturers do care, and they’re getting in the way of consumers and hobbyists who just want to get their own electronics, appliances, and vehicles up and running again. This assault on our property rights and agency is at the core of the national push for legislation that secures the "Right to Repair" our personal property and explains why a half dozen states have already codified such a law.

There are innumerable legal and philosophical arguments that support the right to repair, which the Texas Public Policy Foundation addresses in a recent research paper. But I want to return to the coffee table illustration for a moment and pull on the thread of tinkering.

In simple terms, tinkering is the playful relative of engineering. This is where children learn firsthand how things work — what tools can do and the properties of different materials. Tinkering usually starts small with LEGO bricks, but in the case of almost every successful inventor and builder — people like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, etc. — it quickly graduates into taking tech apart and putting it back together, deconstructing a car engine, and other engineering-like activities.

The problem is that many large corporations simply don’t want us to tinker.

Your iPhone? You void the warranty the second you crack it open instead of bringing it to the Genius Bar. A John Deere tractor you want to repair with your grandson? You can’t — John Deere requires that customers bring it into the shop on grounds of copyright law. Your dishwasher? Chances are it’s made by one of 86 percent of appliance companies that do not provide service manuals to customers as they do not recommend self-service (which is code for forcing you to work with one of their partnered technicians they get a kickback from).

Posted by Besoeker 2024-11-29 00:41|| || Front Page|| [11146 views ] Top

#1 copyright law

That internet of things when your equipment become 'fly by wire' rather than straight up old mechanical design.

Posted by Procopius2k 2024-11-29 07:29|| 2024-11-29 07:29|| Front Page Top

#2 And they want to know why people keep repairing old stuff.

Posted by ed in texas 2024-11-29 08:11|| 2024-11-29 08:11|| Front Page Top

#3 when I started repairing my 2008 Jeep I found there is no mechanical connection between the accelerator pedal and the fuel injection system it opened my eyes. Everything was electronic.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2024-11-29 11:14|| 2024-11-29 11:14|| Front Page Top

#4 In 2012 I found myself able to replace a rusted out radiator core support on my 2001 F150. It is the sheet metal supporting the radiator under the hood. Sheet metal cost $110, labor to remove & replace all the other stuff in the way was $1700 - probably more now. I bought an aftermarket core support, parked my F150 in back and replaced the rusted out support with a new one. I had another daily driver, so I could take months in my spare time to do this. I did no welding, but used pop rivets, nuts and bolts to reassemble. I got a few more years of driving out of this. By 2019 the F150 ultimately succumbed to rust.

Posted by Elmaper+McGurque1612 2024-11-29 13:51|| 2024-11-29 13:51|| Front Page Top

#5 Everything was electronic.

Lack of connections mechanical,
Will leave you frustrated and frantical.
With solder and glue, we'll soldier on through,
To a future annoying and rantiful.

Posted by SteveS 2024-11-29 15:22|| 2024-11-29 15:22|| Front Page Top

#6 Bravo, SteveS!

Posted by trailing wife 2024-11-29 16:29|| 2024-11-29 16:29|| Front Page Top

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