Young people do not know how to repair equipment

Many people, especially with technical education, have the pleasure of repairing any broken things in the house. However, such a pleasure is unfamiliar to the younger generation of users, writes The Telegraph, quoting the words of the radio frequency equipment professor at the University of Manchester, Daniel George.

The professor says that the modern youth is distinguished by a consumer attitude towards 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 the thing is broken, 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Danielle George believes that many broken or outdated gadgets can be easily repaired with the most basic knowledge in electronics and engineering. To promote his ideas, the professor reads a series of Christmas lectures entitled “ Sparks fly: how to hack your home” ( Sparks will fly:) . She hopes to inspire the younger generation to think about what can be done with everyday household things.
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Ideas include using a magnifying glass and shoeboxes to turn a mobile phone into a projector. Or how to use foil to fit too small batteries into the socket with contacts. How to turn a water bottle into a lamp , how to control fireworks from a laptop, send text messages using the 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 Lego and etc.


Prof. Daniella George

“We lost an entire generation that grew up in factory electronics,” says Daniella. “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 there is a large community of “makers” (maker community) who are thinking about what to do with all these gadgets. They rework them and use them for other purposes. I was talking to a guy who used LEDs on a bicycle as a signal to receive a message while driving. ”

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 current 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 more suitable position to display creative and innovative abilities. I think every person has the potential to become an inventor. ”

Christmas scientific lectures are organized on the model of the famous lecture of Newcastle inventor Joseph Swan, 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 channel at 20:00.