REPAIR
I really enjoyed reading about the
Restart Project in HackSpace 23. It’s
frankly embarrassing how much stuff
we throw away, especially as we claim
to be a civilised society. Surely any
civilised society has to take some
responsibility for the planet they’re
living on, and not just keep dumping
waste into the ground and carbon
dioxide into the air? Let all of us
makers make a stand and say enough!
We’re not going to buy new trinkets,
but keep our old ones running.
Roger
Derbyshire
Ben Says: I heartily
agree, Roger. There’s
no point in just waiting
for someone else to take
responsibility, because it’s
becoming clear that
politicians and businessmen
aren’t going to solve this
problem for us. It looks like it's
up to us to save the planet. Over
to you, dear reader, what can you
repurpose, repair, or upcycle to
keep it out of landfill? Spread the
word, tell your friends, and maybe
offer to help your local Repair Café if
you have the skills. Together we can
make a difference.SPARKMUSIC
Blimey, Matt Bradshaw’s Glockenspiel looks
ace! I enjoy music, but just never seemed to
get the co-ordination to play an instrument
(or perhaps I was just never dedicated
enough to spend the time necessary to
learn). I’ve spent the last 20 years as a
programmer though, so hopefully I’ve got the
technical skills to get a robot to work. Not
sure a Glockenspiel is quite up my street
though, but I’m going to get going on a robot
drum kit. Thanks for the inspiration!Paul
MinnesotaBen Says: Fantastic news. Of course, not
everyone wants to copy projects verbatim (in
fact, we suspect very few people do), but the
great thing about projects you make yourself
is they can be endlessly tailored. Drum kit,
glockenspiel, piano – it doesn’t matter to the
servos or linear actuators doing the playing.