"What is next? Telling every kid not to open 'a system' to figure out how things worked?
Or may be lets ban engineers to be engineers?"
Sears catalogs and manuals used to have exploded-view diagrams so that consumers could determine how to repair broken products (and so that they could select the proper part to order from Sears). We need to return to that world.
I sincerely hope that we will see a backlash against corporate control of consumer goods.
The more we know about what we own, the more we can learn, the more we can modify things suit our needs, and the more we can reclaim. Fixing something means it won't enter the waste stream. The sort of individualism that hackers embrace imparts a strong sense of ownership over possessions (and code). Think Ikea. Part of the appeal is the pleasure and sense of ownership that come from assembling furniture yourself. Why should electronics be any different?
I have a project in the works to help spread knowledge about the inner workings of things:
I sincerely hope that we will see a backlash against corporate control of consumer goods.
The more we know about what we own, the more we can learn, the more we can modify things suit our needs, and the more we can reclaim. Fixing something means it won't enter the waste stream. The sort of individualism that hackers embrace imparts a strong sense of ownership over possessions (and code). Think Ikea. Part of the appeal is the pleasure and sense of ownership that come from assembling furniture yourself. Why should electronics be any different?
I have a project in the works to help spread knowledge about the inner workings of things:
http://takeitapart.com
It is what it sounds like. Sign up if you like, and I'll send a single email when it launches.