I suspect a hidden driver of innovation in the modern economy is that the only time it makes sense to do home DIY/maker stuff is if you're trying to invent something actually new that has the potential to generate big returns. Repair/maintenance economics simply doesn't work.
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Replying to @vgr
Repair/maintenance economics simply doesn't work? Does for me. Saved assloads of $$$ because I was able to repair or hack stuff. Plus once you get some skills with a few materials and tools you see lots of opportunities to assemble something handy and not run to Amazon.
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Replying to @jamesbritt
That's because you a) enjoy it b) your opportunity costs are clearly favorable
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Replying to @vgr
Right. Because the repair/maintenance economics simply works.
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Replying to @jamesbritt
For you. For the majority of the developed world, it doesn't.
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Replying to @jamesbritt
The fact that replace culture has largely replaced repair culture and products get cheaper and less repairable with every generation.
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Replying to @vgr
Fair point, yet we see this push for repair culture. And, again, while not everyone is repairing everything, most people (I think) are repairing some things. It's not either/or.
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Compared to the strength of repair culture I grew up with in India in the 80s (which I think is comparable to the US in the 50s perhaps), I'd say repair culture fraction falls by a factor of 2 every decade. So it's like 1/16 as strong as it was back then
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Replying to @vgr @jamesbritt
Given the number of repair shops in my city run by an assortment of middle eastern gentlemen, there *is* a bit of repair culture geo-arbitrage going on.
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