Fixfest is a global gathering of repairers, tinkerers, and activists

I would enjoy this so much. Always keeping electronic parts around home, "just in case". It feels so profoundly satisfying when you finally get to put some switch or random piece to use for a repair, after having kept it stored for 13 years in a drawer (and through moving houses 3 times!)

We did a "restart party" at our hackerspace a few years ago. Definitely could have used a good stock of capacitors. Probably power cords. Not sure what to do with all the very specific USB-C etc. ports that break.

Everything about fixing something broken is so appealing. Better for the environment, often better for your wallet, and better for the soul.

I think this applies to software too! Writing good software allows it to be maintained well and it being open source helps promote that. Publishing good documentation is another huge win for maintainability.

I fix everything I can. This past summer my Pelonis table fan fell and broke its base. I took a piece of water damaged wood shelf (veneered plywood) that I saved and used a jigsaw to cut a new base which I screwed to the bottom of the broken fan base. It works and the wood adds a little weight so its less prone to wobble. Two objects saved from the trash.

The fact that fixing what you own now requires 'activism' is doing a lot of work in that sentence.

Something that repair enables is wealth in the sense that David Deutsch uses in "Beginning of Infinity:" the repertoire of physical transformations that they would be capable of causing

Given expected further economic struggle ahead of most everyone living in the UK, such gatherings perhaps come being more appropriate than ever. If not late already. The only contradiction is with the otherwise super consumerism-oriented societal tune across most Europe, UK including.

Will be marking my calendar!

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