The Restart Project Podcast

This month, Dave takes a look at drones from the perspective of three different people. For Faraz, one of our Restart volunteers, drones are an interesting piece of equipment that pose more challenges than you might expect. Faraz shows us his mini-quadcopter and explains the appeal for someone who likes to tinker with their gadgets. But we are not all as technically clued-up as Faraz. With the consumer drone market booming, there’s a risk that all those accidental crashes might fill our e-waste dumps with extinct flying machines. We talk to Coby Leuschke from Rocketship Systems Inc about how the DIY community are using open-source software as an alternative to mass-produced or "disposable" drones. Coby is the man behind online platform Boxbotix, which makes it easy for people to design, build and maintain their own drones, which last much longer than the versions that might have flown off the shelves at Christmas. Drones can have much more serious applications than just a whiz around the park. Our third guest is Ivan Gayton, who used drones with Doctors Without Borders for mapping disease in subsaharan Africa. It remains to be seen what kind of drone will triumph in the future: will it be the disposable toy that finds its way to dumps or more hackable and repairable models, both buy-and-fly and those emerging from open-source communities?

We all know that it's possible to ease the guilt of throwing something away by telling ourselves it will be recycled. But who is in charge of the recycling system, who pays, and does it work? This episode, Janet is joined by James Kirkham from the East London Waste Authority. We venture beyond the skip to see what happens to our gadgets after we throw them away. As it stands, London’s boroughs each have their own collection strategies, for all kinds of waste including electronics (WEEE). Whether you find it easy to recycle your broken toaster or not depends on where you live. Some boroughs offer kerbside pick up, some have local drop off points, and some Londoners – like Janet - have to take two buses to get to their nearest recycling point. It has been suggested that London have a uniform recycling system. But London’s boroughs have very different needs. Some have much bigger population densities and rates of consumption. In a friendly way, we grill James about why rates of recycling can be so low in London, and what this might mean for the future as the population grows. Perhaps the repair revolution we need is grounded in an awareness of just how challenging that magic word – “recycling” – can really be.

When was the last time you backed up your data? If that question gives you a sinking feeling - don't worry, you're not the only one! This week we talk about how, why and where to back-up. Drawing on stories from our Restart Parties, as well as your contributions to our Twitter poll, we explore what it is about storage that people find so daunting, and how to avoid losing data forever. First, we look at the semantics of 'the cloud' itself. With a growing sense that data is immaterial, it is easy to lose sight of the 'thingness' of the internet. But as 'natural' as this cloud may sound, it has its own carbon footprint. The annual Greenpeace report 'Clicking Green' reveals that the IT sector takes up 7% of global energy usage, and this is rapidly growing. So what's the safest, surest, greenest way to avoid losing data? We compare Apple and Android solutions for smartphone storage, and take a look at some apps which claim to do the job. Happily, it seems that Apple and Google are working towards greener, cleaner data services. But it remains to be seen whether the clean energy sector can keep up with the ever growing world of data. Links to things we discussed: Greenpeace report 'Clicking Clean' - https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/10/apple-facebook-and-google-top-greenpeaces-clean-energy-report/ Ars Technica: The case for using iTunes to back up your phone - http://arstechnica.co.uk/apple/2016/02/the-case-for-using-itunes-not-icloud-to-back-up-your-iphone/ Huffington Post: How to prevent losing data - http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/03/31/how-to-prevent-losing-personal-data-on-your-digital-devices/ Edelmen.com: Why people don't trust the cloud - http://www.edelman.com/post/clouds-gather-tech-trust-horizon/ [Feature Image by Flickr user Joe Shlabotnik]

Ugo is joined by Restarter Ben Skidmore to discuss Apple’s controversial ‘Airpods’: do they live up to all the hype? Ugo and Ben take a look at some of the advantages and drawbacks of these new wireless ear-buds, and wireless listening more generally. The wireless explosion could be the end of broken cables; but the cost and difficulty of fixing these new devices could also be a repairperson’s worst nightmare. You may not be willing to part with your favourite headphones, and you don’t have to: we go over some tips for reducing wear and tear and increasing the lifespan of our personal listening equipment, and some tips for DIY repair. If you want the wireless experience, there’s a dongle available that connects directly to your own headphones, and then wirelessly to your device. Ugo also shares a love-story about his own favourite noise-cancelling headphones, which were fixed in Nairobi for him five years ago with a simple toothpick. When the earpads began to deteriorate, it looked like the end: but this story has a happy ending. Check out our feature image to see what you can do with some new fabric and a needle and thread!

It’s our last radio show of the year, and the weather is getting colder. This week we take a look at Norwegian repair culture, before turning back to the UK, where the growing fuel poverty problem needs some serious attention. After writing her masters thesis on the Restart Project, Kaja Ahnfelt started running “Fiksefest” - Restart Party in Norwegian - in Oslo. This new branch of the movement is part of a growing wave of environmental initiatives in Oslo, including clothes swapping parties and other local efforts. But its also part of a rapidly emerging maker culture. We talk to Kaja about how these two agendas can be merged. We are also joined in the studio by Dave Lukes, a longtime Restart volunteer and team leader. We take a look at the recent hype around ‘smart meters’. Dave explains that their impact on helping save energy is minimal: the main problem is home insulation. With badly insulated homes that are expensive to heat, the UK has been labelled the ‘Cold Man of Europe’. Fuel poverty in the UK is increasing, and now effects an estimated 2.38 million households. The Ken Loach film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ recently drew attention to some of these issues; but at this rate, the problem could still take eighty years or more to solve. Luckily, there are some solutions with promise. Oldham council’s Warm Homes Scheme has helped insulate many homes in the area, alleviating many of the mental and physical health problems that come from living in a fuel poor home. Dave also lets us in on some cheap ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home: find out how to make your own draught excluder, and why a full freezer is better than an empty one.

The UK toy market is the largest in Europe. As we approach Christmas, last year's toys find themselves shoved to the back of a cupboard or into a tip to make way for the new ones. Increasingly, the top-selling toys are electronic. We explore a brief history of electronic toys, from the ever popular ‘Operation’ and ‘Walkie Talkie’ to creatures that seem to be always watching like The Hasbro Furby. (Inspiration for the analog Elf on the Shelf?) The recent trend is for toys that connect to other devices via wifi and apps. Studies have shown that ‘screen time’ in early childhood needs to be restricted. We explore what this might mean for toys that claim to be physical, but need to be hooked up to iPads and television sets. Maybe last years toys don’t need to end up in the tip or the shredder after all. We’ve learned from our Restart Parties that kids are naturally good at taking stuff apart - the first step of fixing. And there’s always the possibility of creating something entirely new from broken parts. As 2016 draws to a close, we also say goodbye to a few devices. Samsung is struggling to recall all its dangerous Note 7s, and it looks like they might have to hit the ‘remote kill switch’ some time soon. Ugo’s cherished ‘Pebble Watch’ has an uncertain future as the company is sold to Fitbit.

In part 2 of our special 2-part podcast, we join Steve the Spindoctor again for a day in the life of an appliance repairer. Back in the van, Dave talks to Steve Neil about sausage rolls, social media, what clogs washing machines, and the challenges that small businesses face today. Steve fixes a botched dishwasher installation to the amusement of a very young Restarter. This week, we also hear from people at a Restart Party in Camden for an insight into what people really do when their white goods break. Steve names two types of people: those who throw things away, and those who get their things repaired. But here at Restart, we’d say there are also people that try to fix things themselves. With help and advice from people like Steve, it becomes just that little bit easier to move into that third category. Be sure to catch up on Part 1 if you missed it last week!

In a special 2-part series, Dave talks to Steve Neil in his van about his work ethic, the trials of being self-employed, and why some machines seem to break so often. We even follow Steve on his repair trips to see how this doctor goes about diagnosing his patients. Join us for a fascinating insight into an exciting and dynamic job, for tips on home appliance maintenance, and for a few laughs along the way: Steve’s good humour is infectious! Be sure to tune in next week for part 2. Looking for a repairman? You can visit Steve’s website here: www.londonspindoctor.com/index.html [feature image from Steve's website]

We’re all familiar with the videos of people pushing each other out of the way to get to the products on the shelf. Huge savings on electrical equipment make this one of the areas of biggest spending. Do consumers really need to buy more, or is it just the next step in the ‘halloweenization of everything’? Polls and surveys of consumer confidence reveal a huge range of results. We take a look at recent studies and question whether they are representative of how financially stable people really feel. Levels of consumption may not be the best measure of our society’s economic health. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and its equivalents, such as the Chinese ‘Singles Day’, generate huge amounts of money, but where does this money really end up? Many of the jobs generated by online sales in particular are poorly paid, and the huge spikes in demand can just aggravate already bleak working conditions in the places where products are manufactured. Perhaps it’s time we paid more attention to other ways to enjoy Friday, such as ‘Buy Nothing Day’. We also take a brief look at the new Apple laptop models and the hashtag #donglelife. And let’s not forget the ‘Apple book’, which might just take the prize for the most overpriced object on the market at the moment.

This week Ugo returns from Brussels where he’s been investigating the policy conversations that are happening around products and their durability. Eva van Velzen from the Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken (or Network for Sustainable Consumption) joins us on the show to talk about the repair cafés popping up all over Flanders. People can bring in anything to be fixed, from electronics to clothes and furniture. The network also held a political repair café in Ghent, where five politicians were invited to learn practical repair skills. We talk about our own Restart event held in parliament last week, where UK MPs were invited to experience hands-on some of the problems with disassembly and repair. We investigate the rumours that EU-regulated toasters were not producing proper British toast. Ugo clarifies exactly what categories of appliances come under EU regulations as part of the Circular Economy Package, and we discuss how we can move towards policy for more durable and repairable household appliances. What tips can we take away from Brussels to help fix Britain's throwaway economy?

After running together from our Parliamentary Restart Party, we had the pleasure of chatting with Marie Lefebvre and Divya Pujara of the Leicester Fixers. Together they have been hosting Restart Parties in Leicester for a year now. Marie is a researcher at Loughborough University, and she focuses on how and why owners of gadgets repair them - or do not. After studying marketing and then design for sustainability, she became more interested in this less-studied area of the circular economy and started her Phd. With a friend, she decided to host a "Festival of Making and Mending" last year, and was convinced that electronics repair should be a part of it. She sought help from Leicester Hackspace, where she met Divya, an electronics engineer and teacher who had been contemplating hosting a "repair surgery". Leicester Restart Parties were born. Their story is really inspirational.

After our recent "Remote Kill Switch" episode, we have been collecting connected device horror stories. Only a couple of weeks ago, a bunch of CC TV cameras, routers, and video recorders nearly took down the internet. We talked about this "botnet" - and how some really crap, mundane devices were taken over remotely and used in a cyberattack. Other stories, care of the "Internet of Shit" tweet, amused us but were less global in dimension. Including the British geek who spent 11 hours configuring his smart kettle. Eleven hours for a cup of tea! We recalled the hacking of "Hello Barbie" - a connected toy that could be hijacked remotely. And probably the best wrap-up and summary of how we can create our own horrors, was Terence Eden's talk at Thingmonk called "The (Connected) House of Horrors". We played back his top tips, which start with: don't do it! Don't connect everything! And then, if you must, don't buy unsupported crap.

We started this show with a discussion about one of the most iconic mini consumer devices - the iPod, which turned 15 years old this month. Older iPods can be improved and maintained, and we talk about their staying power. Then we talk about the downside to miniaturised and thin devices, discussing how Samsung locked itself into a disastrous design with the now infamous Note 7. Not only was it very difficult to refurbish, but after the device was discontinued, there is speculation about whether it can be safely recycled at all. We talk about less dramatic, but very important design trade-offs with thin devices - and how we need to be more aware than ever when picking our next device.

Remember the three Rs? Reduce, reuse, recycle? Why is there so much focus on recycling and so little on the other Rs? Why do perfectly useable products end up in the shredder, when so many people go without in the world? This episode features an interview with Cat Fletcher, one of the UK's most articulate and passionate reuse activists. She played a key role in the founding of Freegle, a UK version of Freecycle, and has carved out a niche in Brighton, promoting reuse within the heart of her local council. Cat's vision of a people-centred resource efficiency is something many of us can get behind. We all reuse stuff, and we always have. And the internet has opened up new possibilities. The real question is whether government and innovators can help us to divert more from landfill and the shredder, in this twitchy, impatient era.

Every day we see repair shops and hardware stores closing. For years in London, we've watched the vibrant repair economy along Tottenham Court Road decline. So many Restart Party goers come to us because they simply do not know where else to go for help with broken electronics. But we know all is not lost, just that some kinds of repair businesses are getting harder to find. We talked to Hackney Fixer James Diamond about mapping he is doing with us for the East London Waste Authority on repair businesses in east London. Through online and on-the-street research, James has identified over 160 repair businesses which fix battery-powered gadgets and appliances in four boroughs of east London. Half "exist" in some form online, and half survive entirely via word of mouth and passers-by. While some types of repair businesses are fading, like those for small appliances, others, especially for mobiles and tablets are growing. We talked about some of the main attributes that we are searching for in reliable businesses, that increase trust with consumers: transparent pricing structures, some form of warranty, issue receipts, among others. It turns out that only some businesses tick all of our boxes.