Actually, do things ever get easier to tinker with as technology matures? Is it easier to build or repair a radio now than it was when they were first sold? A computer? A car? A washing machine? A vacuum cleaner?
> Is it easier to build or repair a radio now than it was when they were first sold? "Build"[1], yes. "Repair", not really. A lot of things (like radio) can be an isolated module you just drop in. Right now a bright HS student can produce a clock radio by plugging together an arduino, an I2C FM receiver, I2C display, an I2C audio amp and a speaker. Pop it all into an enclosure and you have a real clock radio. Compare…
Well not really, i imagine you'd have grabbed a HeathKit clock radio kit and assembled it without knowing how an opamp worked, or you did what i would have done and taped wires from a 9V to the hands of an analog clock such that they'd power on a transistor radio at a specific time lol