Fixit Clinic April 1 Fremont Main Library: Can you coach?

[Fixit Clinic]

Hi Fixit Coaches:

We've got a Fixit Clinic scheduled for Saturday April 1 (no foolin’) at the Fremont Main Library from 1PM to 4PM. Can you coach that day? Please sign up at http://goo.gl/xS1MRK

This is our second Fixit Clinic at the Fremont Library: photos from our previous Fremont Fixit Clinic are here: https://goo.gl/photos/Sp7q1RZmKbWP2DXU6

Hosted by City of Fremont Environmental Specialist Lori Marra, It’s been heavily promoted and will probably be very busy (see below.)

We’ll also have these school groups participating: 

1) FIERCE (Fremonters Enabling Real Change in the Environment): they participated last time

2) An AP Environmental Studies class at American High School that would like to fix flat bike tires while giving quick interviews to participants for their classroom action project.

3) The Makers Club at American High School along with some students from the Green Club at Thornton Junior High School want to make no-sew t-shirt tote bags.

So they’ll be a lot of first time Fixit Coaches at this event; having lots of veteran Fixit Coaches around would be most helpful.

Here's the Fixit Clinic listing on Google+: https://plus.google.com/events/c47ubjaeq6qut68edkub7fge1fg
And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1349572851752598/

So far the Fixit Coaches signed up are:

Lovejit Kharod

Roy Henrichs

Ruth Grace Wong (Walking from Fremont BART (.6mi away))
Sarah Foster-Peck

Steve Berl
Vita Wells (New: Welcome!)

(maybe two other new Fixit Coaches)

Please check in on the coach's sign in form, indicate whether you can offer carpooling or need a carpool: http://goo.gl/xS1MRK

Hope you can make it. -Peter

=========================================================================

[chris witt]

you made the Bigtime with your appearance on the PBS Newshour today. now
you really *are* World Famous.

[je...@lmi.net]

because it is (truly) the most interesting part of today's episode, here is is queued to the exact segment:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SGwbRY7Bwew&t=51m44s

very pro peter. w00t!

[Louis Rawlins]

Aw, man! That's awesome.

Congratulations Peter and Fix-It teams! :D

Louis

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[KO]

Wonderful! Well deserved PR both for you, Peter, and for the message so clearly sent, that we don't HAVE to be a country a wasters!

hooray!

However, I am like the newscaster, with many projects at MY home that need fixing. I am working down the list..anyone good at EV battery management and regulators?

choose love,

KO

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic...@googlegroups.com.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Virus-free. www.avast.com

[Ryann Murrin]

Congrats!!!! That's awesome!!!

Ryann

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 19, 2017, at 11:02 PM, chris witt <ctw...@sonic.net> wrote:
>
> you made the Bigtime with your appearance on the PBS Newshour today. now you really *are* World Famous.
>

[Joe Margevicius]

Peter,  I think the Fixit Clinic is a terrific asset to the world, and you, Peter, are to be congratulated for started it, and getting people educated on how to fix things, thus saving the planet some of it's valuable resources for future generations (and less pollution!). 

Now for a few questions:  What's the history of the Fixit Clinic?  I volunteer at the Repair Cafes (some on the Peninsula), started in 2009 by a women in the Netherlands. 



What is the history of the Fixit Clinics?   Both organizations are doing the world a service - interesting that 2 should be "created" about the same time!

Living on the Peninsula, it is not as convenient for me to participate in the Fixit Clinics (though I have done a few), but I also find that the Repair Cafes are less micro-managed, perhaps because their focus is more on keeping stuff out of the landfill and emphasize use of people fairly expert in electronics (it is Silicon Valley after all - lots of geeky engineers here), and other fields, versus the Fixit Clinic's purpose of educating people (including volunteers) to fix their own stuff - both organizations do both things, but their focii is a little different.   As both a 20+ year electronics designer, and a 10 year university-level educator, I think teaching one how to fish is superior to giving the caught fish to someone!  But fixing something quickly does bring in people who just want to re-use their "thing", and don't have the time nor interest in learning how to fix it -- both focii are important, and I suspect that never is there a lack of "customers". 

Given the audience of this email, can you talk to these subjects - history, focus, training of volunteers by you, etc. 

Thanks,
Joe Margevicius

On 6/19/2017 11:27 PM, je...@lmi.net wrote:

[Fixit Clinic]

Hi Joe and cc: Chris, Jeff, and the other Fixit Coaches:

On Jun 20, 2017, at 8:46 PM, Joe Margevicius <joe.mar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Peter,  I think the Fixit Clinic is a terrific asset to the world, and you, Peter, are to be congratulated for started it, and getting people educated on how to fix things, thus saving the planet some of it's valuable resources for future generations (and less pollution!). 

Now for a few questions:  What's the history of the Fixit Clinic?  I volunteer at the Repair Cafes (some on the Peninsula), started in 2009 by a women in the Netherlands. 

<olnnmnhiacaooaca.png>

What is the history of the Fixit Clinics?   Both organizations are doing the world a service - interesting that 2 should be "created" about the same time!

I’m a long-time customer at Al Lasher’s Electronics in Berkeley. I used to talk to Bob and Ellen Lasher about holding repair clinics in the store. (The original title was “Beyond all hope appliance and electronics repair.”) (Fixit Coach) Jeff Williams is another long-time Al Lasher’s Electronics customer who mentioned wanting to do something similar to them. Bob and Ellen gave Jeff my phone number, probably to get us off their backs ;-).

I knew Maile Urbanic through the Berkeley Linux Users Group (BLUG) where we helped people fix their computers. Maile lived at the UC Berkeley Albany Village: she also liked the idea of holding repair clinics and helped us schedule a repair event at their community center, promoted through the UC Village weekly email newsletter. Jeff, Maile, and I were the Fixit Coaches. We brought tools from home to share with the participants. (Jeff, Maile: please let me know if I overlooked someone.)

Martine Postma of the Repair Café and I communicate periodically: right now we’re trying to figure out how to leverage the internet to more effectively capture and leverage the data we’re collecting at our in-person events (along with the Restart Project in the UK https://therestartproject.org/.)

Living on the Peninsula, it is not as convenient for me to participate in the Fixit Clinics

We’re looking to have regular Fixit Clinics on the SF Peninsula, I’ve been contacted by several libraries there.

(Peter Skinner of Palo Alto Repair Café interviewed me before their first event. A bunch of Fixit Coaches carpooled over to help out at their second event, see photos here: https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNeJ0F-8GrMZtQT_etzjtZklOJiDFxSAQ9DkHBf)

(though I have done a few), but I also find that the Repair Cafes are less micro-managed, perhaps because their focus is more on keeping stuff out of the landfill and emphasize use of people fairly expert in electronics (it is Silicon Valley after all - lots of geeky engineers here), and other fields, versus the Fixit Clinic's purpose of educating people (including volunteers) to fix their own stuff - both organizations do both things, but their focii is a little different.

Martine and I have discussed this too, i.e. the Repair Café “free repair service” model vs. the Fixit Clinic “community educational repair workshop” model. One issue is: once you set expectations for “free repair” in a community it’s very hard to back that out: the Flagstaff Sustainability Program and Castro Valley Sanitary District are trying to reset expectations right now.

Yes, repairing things for people is wonderful and needed and feels great regardless of the nuances of the event model but I’m always asking: “How can we do even better? How can we have a greater positive impact on humankind and on the planet?” At this moment my best thinking is that repairing things one-by-one for people doesn’t scale and isn’t going to lead to the wholesale changes in our civilization’s consumption mindset we're ultimately looking for: we should allocate our limited resources to target the subset of the population that’s inquisitive and community-minded and empower them to implement and facilitate those changes.

As both a 20+ year electronics designer, and a 10 year university-level educator, I think teaching one how to fish is superior to giving the caught fish to someone!  But fixing something quickly does bring in people who just want to re-use their "thing", and don't have the time nor interest in learning how to fix it -- both focii are important, and I suspect that never is there a lack of "customers”. 

People who just want to get something fixed are not the primary customer for Fixit Clinic. I want to specifically target the subset of people who are inclined to be curious and inquisitive, and more likely to retain what they learned and eager to disseminate that further in their community (and, ideally, to return as a Fixit Coaches too.) We strive to minimize the intellectual and spiritual distance between the participants and the Fixit Coaches. At an ideal Fixit Clinic the roles of coach and participant blur together.

(see http://fixitclinic.blogspot.com/p/start-one_13.html)

Given the audience of this email, can you talk to these subjects - history, focus, training of volunteers by you, etc. 

Thanks,
Joe Margevicius

Hope this helps.

-Peter

[sulfu...@gmail.com]

The best way to teach people to fish is to provide instructions about taking stuff apart , how to identify components, what function does each component do?  How to test each component and what tools to use? Perhaps located on a Fix it Clinic web page or linked to something already out there

I've been to many fix it clinics and can take stuff apart but I'm still not close to the electronics part and multimeter use

There are many maker spaces that are incorporating taking things apart which would be a valuable asset for generations upon generations to come. Makers will find it valuable when developing new products and saving older products. Makers love to help one another so the information is passed on outside of fix it clinic meetings

It's one thing to read electronics in a book and another to learn the same material connected to a meaningful project they will remember

I think it would be useful to start visiting maker spaces and schools to help teachers teach their students or inviting teachers to learning workshops they can use as professional development

In turn the students can document their project and what they learned and soon there will be thousands of take apart instructions available 

It could be sort of like the Scratch software projects page 

[Ron Eversole]

Congratulations Peter and great education piece about the work that you started. I hope it generates even more interest in saving broken devices.

Ron

[Joe Margevicius]

Thank you Peter -- that was very helpful, and gives me a better sense of the Clinic versus the Cafe.  A further question: how does the Fixit Clinic advertise for such people who have something "broken" and want to learn how to fix their own thing?  ... and do you turn away people who don't want to learn but are just bringing in something to fix?

Thanks,
JoeM

[KO]

with inspiration from FIx-it and Richard Jesch we conducted two fix-it/make-it  summer sessions at CAmp 510.. It's true, the first year mainly things got taken apart and maybe hot glued into something else. Year two, kids came back with ideas and MADE stuff.. Unfortunately, the student body was more mixed with public school students who had no previous introduction to fixing and several fixed items were savagely broken as well as things destroyed instead of taken apart. The workshop succumbed to the expectation that participants needed to go home with a finished project, even though our description clearly described the experience as PROCESS-focused. I have given up with making in schools as it has become "Assembling" by curricula in many cases, but not all!

choose love,

KO

Virus-free. www.avast.com

[KO]

Peter..

nice to get the history of Fix-it too!

My occasional Fix-it coach perspective is that there is a percentage who come in with no fix-it paradigm and not much tools experience ["righty tighty/lefty loosey" being the mantra much of the time] Fixing something with guided instruction is life altering for those people, starting with using Google for manuals,parts and youtube for instruction...Who'da guessed all that knowledge was on the internet? Others come in with stuff that requires great expertise or archane tools outside their fix-it abilities. At which point the experience & knowledge diversity of coaches shines.

Many times, the lesson is the difference between "fixed" and "repaired" and the discovery that recovery of FUNCTION is the prize, not having it look like new. I think this encourages future fixing activities, but have no clear data to show.

Some people need things done for them for various reasons, this demands full attention of one or more coaches and others in general and creates a community-type feeling when the project is solved. When people can do their own fixing with a bit of direction, more people can be coached.

As at the exploritorium, the AH HA! moment lights up the room.

choose love,

KO

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Virus-free. www.avast.com

[Louis Rawlins]

Hi Peter, Joe, All.

This conversation is great. I've only attended a couple of clinics, but I'd say this resonates deeply for me:

On Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 9:55 AM, KO <BahrBe...@sonic.net> wrote:

Fixing something with guided instruction is life altering for those people, starting with using Google for manuals,parts and youtube for instruction...Who'da guessed all that knowledge was on the internet? Others come in with stuff that requires great expertise or archane tools outside their fix-it abilities. At which point the experience & knowledge diversity of coaches shines.

Many times, the lesson is the difference between "fixed" and "repaired" and the discovery that recovery of FUNCTION is the prize, not having it look like new. I think this encourages future fixing activities, but have no clear data to show.

The idea of "what's scalable" in regards to the Fix-It Clinic seems to me, to be the ability for people to find personal mastery in restoring function to whatever they've brought in. Even people that I spent time with that didn't restore their item to functioning got a huge kick out of taking things apart, understanding how it was supposed to work, and doing it themselves.

It's truly something to hang out with someone who felt like they never had the right to remove the hinges from a box, and to see them leave the clinic feeling confident enough to do that (and more) whenever they need. That's the part that I think scales nicely, along with the community. The more people are empowered to think and do for themselves, the more we'll see positive change.

That's my working theory, at least. :)

Louis

[sulfu...@gmail.com]

I think if each site like Castro Valley library or tool libraries had their own trained coaches that those sites could setup and advertise to teach their local communities, senior centers, religious venues, maker spaces and schools. After all libraries offer classes to the public so why not free workshops on fixing things and promoting their resources like tool lending, fix it tutorials, books...to their audience?

So students and educators could just contact their local fix it hub for tools, coaching training and support any time of the year?

[KO]

Please write a letter to library admin! Albany City has a tool library on its own..only for Albany residents. Oakland and BErkeley CITY libraries have tool libraries. maybe other city libraries have such. I tried to start one at Fort Mason Eons ago. An idea before its trendiness.... IN ALameda county Library,the maker coaches they hired that I met had no tech skills. Our branch was lucky and another one as well because existing staff had skills and weren't intimidated by the 3D printer.. I think the printer is out of commission at this time tho..hmmm could get fixed!

choose love,

KO

[Steve Berl]

Finally got to watch the video. Very cool.

-steve

On Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 7:04 AM, Ron Eversole <reeve...@comcast.net> wrote:

Congratulations Peter and great education piece about the work that you started. I hope it generates even more interest in saving broken devices.

Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: fixit-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:fixit-clinic@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ryann Murrin
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2017 5:18 PM
To: ctw...@sonic.net
Cc: fixit-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Congratulations Peter!

Congrats!!!! That's awesome!!!

Ryann

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 19, 2017, at 11:02 PM, chris witt <ctw...@sonic.net> wrote:
>
> you made the Bigtime with your appearance on the PBS Newshour today. now you really *are* World Famous.
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.

> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Fixit Clinic" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fixit-clinic+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

-steve

[Fixit Clinic]

Hi Joe (and cc: Fixit Coaches):

On Jun 21, 2017, at 7:35 AM, Joe Margevicius <joe.mar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you Peter -- that was very helpful, and gives me a better sense of the Clinic versus the Cafe.  A further question: how does the Fixit Clinic advertise for such people who have something "broken" and want to learn how to fix their own thing?

Here’s an example of the current wording for our events, suggestions for improvement are always welcome:

==========================
Fixit Clinic CCXIX (219) Menlo Park Library
 
Want to learn how to repair broken stuff for your friends and neighbors? Train as a Fixit Coach at Fixit Clinic workshops; sign up here: goo.gl/kwVNlv
 
Celebrating repair by conveying basic troubleshooting skills, Fixit Clinics are do-it-together hands-on STEM-oriented fix-n-learn community-based exploration and discovery workshops where Fixit Coaches convene to share knowledge on disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair.
 
Fixit Coaches will be training and in residence at the Menlo Park Library, available for consultation on broken items. Feel free to bring your broken, non-functioning things -- electronics, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, bicycles, fabric items, etc.-- for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. We'll provide workspace, specialty tools, and (some) guidance to help you disassemble and troubleshoot your item. Whether you fix it or not, you'll learn more about how it was manufactured and how it worked, ready to share your new-found confidence and insight with your friends, neighbors, and the community at large. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to be a Fixit Coach yourself.
 
WHAT: Fixit Clinic CCXIX (219) Menlo Park Library
WHEN: Saturday, July () 1PM-4PM
WHERE: Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St, Menlo Park, CA 94025 
HOW: Register at http://goo.gl/qTzh9J then
- Bring your broken item with all parts necessary to recreate the symptoms (carry-in only: no oversize items)
- Bring any parts and tools you already own that might be helpful (e.g. hand tools, sewing supplies)
- Come ready to describe what’s wrong and what you’ve tried (research the web for others with the same problem)
- Come ready to learn and to share your knowledge with others
WHO: An all-ages family-friendly event: accompanied children are heartily invited! 
COST: Free!
WHY: To make friends, learn and teach how to fix things, and have fun!
 
First-time Fixit Coaches always welcome; sign up here: http://goo.gl/kwVNlv
 
More into on Fixit Clinic at www.fixitclinic.org, https://www.facebook.com/FixitClinic/, https://plus.google.com/+FixitClinic
 
==========================

  ... and do you turn away people who don't want to learn but are just bringing in something to fix?

We don’t turn anyone away: we’ll at least give them advice as to how to address the issue. And if they have a physical disability that prevents them from using tools of course we’ll help. But I’d prefer if there were readily available manufacturer-supported (or independent) repair services for them..

It’s about attitude: if they’re intellectually curious but just intimidated with disassembling the item themselves that’s OK; it’s when they're disengaged from the exploratory process that it stops being fun.

(An additional concern about the “free repair service” model is that it reinforces the existing non-sustainable status quo: manufacturers will continue to offer sub-par goods that consumers will continue to accept, trusting that they can get them fixed for free when they break.)

Thanks,
JoeM

Thanks for your questions, -Peter

[Joe Margevicius]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the response.  ... a couple of comments:

you write:
> We don’t turn anyone away: ..... But I’d prefer if there were readily available manufacturer-supported (or independent) repair services for them..

and

> An additional concern about the “free repair service” model is that it reinforces the existing non-sustainable status quo: manufacturers will continue to offer sub-par goods

and

> Fixit Clinic CCXIX (219) Menlo Park Library

I think there is a disconnect here !  ...


The Repair Cafe's model is more like that "free repair service", but in practice, in the Palo Alto, and Mt. View Cafe's, there are "apprentices" who accompany the more experienced volunteers.  These apprentices mainly come from the Stanford Mechanical Engineering program (organized by Lawrence Garwin - lawrenc...@yahoo.com), and have been an excellent way to train those people who will becomes those "manufacturers of sub-par goods" in what constitutes bad design (e.g. HP printers that can't be taken apart).  Also, all volunteers are encouraged to engage the "customers" into helping fix their stuff, and based on my experience, over 1/2 of the people do.

The main disconnect however is that Fixit Clinics are needed in places where the Repair Cafes are not !  I know you know the amount of effort it takes to set up one of these Clinics and Cafes, so why duplicate efforts for the same customer base?  I know the Repair Cafes better since I've been attending them since the beginning when Peter Skinner and a few others started it in Palo Alto.  They take and incredible amount of setup time ! .. and coordination.  The amount of "customers" who show up is a lot .. a lot.  (I have attended Fixit clinics in Berkeley - a big one with lots of people, and at the Library in Fremont - a little one).

So, why the Menlo Park Fixit event?  ... why not places on the Peninsula not covered by the Repair Cafe?  pick San Mateo, or San Jose ? (I'd go to them) 

BTW, for anyone interested, this Sunday, there is a Repair Cafe in Mt. View and Maia and Greg would be most happy to have your help repair...@gmail.com

As a separate topic, I still don't understand how the Fixit Clinic advertises?   ... do you just put up a flyer in a library, or post it somewhere on the web?

Thanks for your time and your enthusiasm Peter! 
Joe

[Fixit Clinic]

Hi Joe and cc: Fixit Coaches:

- Menlo Park Library was just used as an example, there isn’t actually a Fixit Clinic scheduled there yet; sorry for the confusion.

- As more schools teach leading with “design thinking” we are holding more Fixit Clinics at colleges and universities to teach the next generation of designers and engineers how to design for durability, maintainability, serviceability from the get go; hence the recent Fixit Clinics at MIT and USF with UC Berkeley planned (and relationships with Harvard, Tufts…)

- Because of Fixit Clinic’s many locations I rely on the specific venue and regional sponsor(s) to do the promotion; for example the City of Huntington Beach sends out notices with the residential water bills. Additionally; at the moment I put all of the Northern California events on Facebook and Google+ (and on the Bay Area Science Festival year-round calendar when I remember.)

-Peter

[Joe Margevicius]

... excellent !   :)