If it’s broke, then fix it a bit
I come from a long line of tinkering fools. The sort of person who believes that most things can be repaired, even if the object doesn’t necessarily function, as originally designed, in its new form factor. A descendant of blacksmiths and shady tree garage mechanics. In short, if it ain’t broke yet, well we’re not done here.
That’s not a universal. In fact, there have been more than a few successful interventions through the years, and the badge of tinkering fool is worn proudly. That’s why I want to proclaim that this is a genetic trait. We do pass it on from father to son to son.
Tonight, I watched son #2 hunt for the right tool to do a surgical repair on that gadget that is ubiquitous. An iPod Shuffle (generation one) has developed erratic earplug disease. That’s a disorder that means sound disappears when the jack is moved in the wrong direction. In our consumer-driven world, the gadget is “beyond hope”. In a tinkering fool’s world, that’s a reason to hunt for a skinny screwdriver and a laser pointer (better to see what we’re doing). Poke. Shift left and repoke. Test. Is it better? Maybe? Continue on, me son, you’re on the road to perdition.
You see, he’s studying in the field of mechanical endeavours, and a tinkering fool is anathema to those who become experts. We’re the reason why the whole world is slowly dissolving in ruin. It has nothing to do with some Law of Thermdynamics. If my genetic theory is proven, he will be an engineer that actually makes things work, and that just won’t do, now will it? (Duck and cover).
I’m proud to see my son trying to repair something. Better the guy who wants to fix than the guy who wants to buy a new one. The world of disassembled alarm clocks predates him, but the corpus of knowledge from his forebears will serve him well.
