Young people do not know how to repair equipment

Many people, especially those with a technical background, experience the pleasure of being able to fix some broken thing in the house. However, such pleasure is unfamiliar to the younger generation of users, writes The Telegraph, citing the words of professor of radio frequency equipment at the University of Manchester, Danielle George (Danielle George).

The professor says that modern youth is characterized by a consumer attitude to things. They expect the thing to “just work” and have no idea what to do in the event of a breakdown. Unlike the older generation, if a thing breaks down, they simply throw it away and buy a new one.

Danielle George believes that many broken or outdated gadgets can be easily repaired with the most basic knowledge in the field of electronics and engineering. To promote his ideas, the professor gives a series of Christmas lectures entitled “ Sparks Will Fly: How to Hack Your Home” ( Sparks will fly: How to hack your home ). She hopes to inspire the younger generation to think about what can be done with everyday household things.

Among the ideas is the use of a magnifying glass and shoe box to turn a mobile phone into a projector. Or how to use foil to fit too small batteries into a socket with contacts. How to turn a water bottle into a lamphow to control fireworks from a laptop, send text messages using a barbecue, turn a smartphone into a microscope, access the Internet using a flashlight, turn a washing machine into a wind turbine, assemble a Rubik's cube using the Lego constructor, etc.


Professor Danielle George

“We lost a whole generation that grew up in factory electronics,” says Danielle. “Most of these things in our homes look working all the time, and since they don't break, we just get used to them.” They are almost like black boxes that never die. And when this happens, we throw them away and buy something new. But now a large community of “makers” has formed, who are thinking about what to do with all these gadgets. They remake them and use for another purpose. I spoke with a guy who used LEDs on his bicycle as a signal to receive a message while riding. ”

In recent years, dozens of maker community sites have appeared on the Internet. People share ideas on how to hack gadgets and find new uses for them.

“The modern generation of young people is in a unique position,” says the professor. - Everyday technologies are improving at a phenomenal pace, and our society has never been in a better position to display creative and innovative abilities. I think every person has the potential to become an inventor. "

Christmas science lectures are modeled on the famous lecture of Joseph Swan, the inventor of Newcastle, who showed the public the world's first light bulb in 1878. They are broadcast daily from December 29 to December 31 on the BBC at 20:00.