This month, to celebrate the Restart’s 5th birthday, we’re looking back on some of our favourite moments from past podcast episodes and Restart Parties. We’ve gotten to know a lot of interesting people over the years, and a lot of interesting machines – from old German radios, to noisy dishwashers, to DIY arcade games. This episode features conversations with repair and tinker heroes, designers, activists, and authors such as Jonathan Chapman, Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, Jennifer Gabrys, Tim Hunkin, Adrian Smith, Steve the Spindoctor, and John Thackara, as well as the voices of our Restart volunteers and the owners of broken gadgets. Looking at the way we interact with our gadgets reveals a lot about who we are, as individuals and as communities. Putting this episode together led us to reflect on the diverse reasons that people repair, and the ways in which these reasons are connected. Whether its a love of tinkering, a passion for design, a desire to help the planet, or an economic strategy, engaging in repair brings us to the heart of a web that connects a diverse array of people and things. A big thank-you to everyone who has helped us with the podcast over the years, and to our podcast producer Dave Pickering. We’ll be back with the podcast in September after a short break over the summer. We’d love to get your feedback. Please leave us a review on iTunes - the more reviews we have, the easier it is for new listeners to find us. Drop us a line if you’ve enjoyed the show, if there’s something you’d like to see covered, or if you’re a repairperson, designer, researcher, tinkerer, or a person with a broken gadget and a story to tell about it. We’re always on the look-out for new and exciting topics.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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