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Repair is a Radical Act

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Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#91

Post by [deleted] »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #81
raverbashing wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a source/description for that?

Parent is probably referring to Lenovo's use of the Windows Platform Binary Table, which allows OEMs to put a Windows program in the firmware. Recent versions of Windows will then automatically run this program on each boot. This is apparently intended to allow persistent remote management/anti-theft software. http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2015/Aug/44 http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/lenovo...

[deleted]

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#92

Post by jschwartzi »

lmm wrote: post #74
rukuu001 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the cost at US wages was a significant fraction of what it would cost to buy a brand new replacement This is why I get the highest-quality stuff I can and repair it. Instead of replacing mediocre things every year or two, I have a few superb things that I spend $100-$200 a year maintaining (total, not each).

I'd be surprised if that ends up cheaper once you take into account the inconvenience of arranging repairs.

It absolutely does. Four years ago I replaced a cheap stamped-steel chef's knife bought for 20.00 with a forged knife bought for 100. I have to keep it sharp and hone the edge, but so far I haven't had to replace it, and it's not even showing signs of wear.

Buying expensive cooking tools is definitely cheaper over time than buying whatever crap gets stocked at the grocery store.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#93

Post by maxerickson »

Tepix wrote: post #87
lmm wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised if that ends up cheaper once you take into account the inconvenience of arranging repairs.

If you factor in the cost for the environment, absolutely!

I wonder if the drive to the shop has a higher environmental cost than a new shirt.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#94

Post by stefantalpalaru »

yourijiu wrote: post #72
pjc50 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're unconcerned about Superfish etc?

Disregard the other Superfish comments. All 5 Lenovo Laptops we had (replaced since then) had a BIOS Rootkit by Lenovo. NO clean Os, no fancy AV will be of any use. If your not in the mood to rewrite your bios Lenovo will (has proven to)use this backdoor to secretly install malware again and again as they have done again since superfish. Furthermore it'll leave a big backdoor for everyone right to the core since they…

> NO clean Os

There are other operating systems besides Windows, you know? And if you insist on running Windows, Dell snooping on you is your last concern - Microsoft is already doing a much more thorough job.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#95

Post by akgerber »

kaybe wrote: post #80
douche wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an LL Bean catalog delivered to me the other day. Almost everything I saw in it was exactly the same designs as twenty years ago - although I will admit I didn't peruse the women's apparel sections that closely. It may not be your fashion cup of tea, but the stuff tends to last forever and a day. I believe that they still honor their lifetime warranty, either repairing or replacing anything that you buy from th…

I darn the woolen socks my grandma made me. Maybe it's an emotional thing, making socks by hand takes a long time and adding a few minutes for repair so I can continue to use them seems like a small investment.

I mostly darn sweaters as opposed to socks, but nice wool socks can cost $10-$20 so they're worth making a 5-minute fix on.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#96

Post by jmagoon »

jschwartzi wrote: post #92
lmm wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised if that ends up cheaper once you take into account the inconvenience of arranging repairs.

It absolutely does. Four years ago I replaced a cheap stamped-steel chef's knife bought for 20.00 with a forged knife bought for 100. I have to keep it sharp and hone the edge, but so far I haven't had to replace it, and it's not even showing signs of wear. Buying expensive cooking tools is definitely cheaper over time than buying whatever crap gets stocked at the grocery store.

Totally the case with cookware. The difference in quality between my $60 cutting board and my $5 cutting board is incredible. The $5 one has already been trashed, while I've had the $60 one for 7 years now and it's still going strong.

Same for a Creuset that was gifted to me. There's a good chance I'll be able to pass it on to my children, just like my parents passed on their high quality ceramic crockpot to me. Forged knives, copper pots, real sheet pans (not the flimsy quarter inch crap sold at walmart), etc. are all things that last almost forever, even with repeated, high use. You can see why restaurant kitchens almost always go for high quality--the parable of the workingman's boots.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#97

Post by yourijiu »

stefantalpalaru wrote: post #94
yourijiu wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disregard the other Superfish comments. All 5 Lenovo Laptops we had (replaced since then) had a BIOS Rootkit by Lenovo. NO clean Os, no fancy AV will be of any use. If your not in the mood to rewrite your bios Lenovo will (has proven to)use this backdoor to secretly install malware again and again as they have done again since superfish. Furthermore it'll leave a big backdoor for everyone right to the core since they…

> NO clean Os There are other operating systems besides Windows, you know? And if you insist on running Windows, Dell snooping on you is your last concern - Microsoft is already doing a much more thorough job.

You're probably talking about GodOS http://templeos.org/

It's true i haven't tested it yet on my DELLs, but these machines sit in a separated Vlan behind a big black blinking box and cannot communicate with anything outside.

But these HP machines could as well run DOS or TempleOS, since the culprit is in the BIOS - you don't even have to boot a kernel to have access your Fujitsu machine from the outside.

Dell, Windows and Abit snooping my habbits is still different than a shady third-party from NewPanama phishing my bank logins, reloading new malware.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#98

Post by stefantalpalaru »

yourijiu wrote: post #97
stefantalpalaru wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NO clean Os There are other operating systems besides Windows, you know? And if you insist on running Windows, Dell snooping on you is your last concern - Microsoft is already doing a much more thorough job.

You're probably talking about GodOS http://templeos.org/ It's true i haven't tested it yet on my DELLs, but these machines sit in a separated Vlan behind a big black blinking box and cannot communicate with anything outside. But these HP machines could as well run DOS or TempleOS, since the culprit is in the BIOS - you don't even have to boot a kernel to have access your Fujitsu machine from the outside. Dell, Window…

Run Linux. The BIOS malware needs to be loaded and executed by the OS, and Windows is the only OS that does that.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#99

Post by ggchappell »

Some nice thoughts.

> All you need is a sewing kit and a set of repair instructions.

Or, more practically for most of us, you pay some guy to repair your stuff.

Look around. There are little shops all over offering services like zipper replacement. They often don't charge much. Make use of them. And when buying a product, consider how repairable it is.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#100

Post by scott_karana »

voltagex_ wrote: post #28
ghaff wrote: post #2

This tends not to work with electronics which tend to be at least somewhat obsolete by the time you'd repair them--and, frankly, is less economical than it used to be for many items. That said, I do tend to fix or have fixed clothing with a relatively minor issue that is otherwise still good.

My X1 Carbon appears to be almost wholly unrepairable, but it's not like any of the similar alternatives I could buy are any better.

The X200 series is thicker, and a bit heavier, but shockingly repairable. :)
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