The Restart Project Podcast

For March’s show we take a look at perhaps the most unavoidable topic in our world today, coronavirus (COVID-19). We took this as an opportunity though, to discuss the issue in light of a topic that is relevant all the time, the supply chains that are integral to the electronics industry and how sustainable they really are. Janet was joined by long-time Restart volunteer, Panda Mery, to delve deep...

In early February, the European Right to Repair Campaign launched a petition demanding the addition of smartphones to future EU legislation on device repairability. Restart is a part of this campaign. What we are asking for sounds simple: good design of our devices, fair access to repair manuals and spare parts, and information on our products and how to repair them. However, manufacturers have bl...

On ‘Safer Internet Day’, Janet and Ugo are joined in the studio by Restarter Ben Skidmore to discuss the developing Sonos scandal, planned device obsolescence, and the new UK legislation to increase the security of connected devices. But first: last week, we launched our petition adding smartphones to the Right to Repair campaign. We are calling on the European Commission to introduce legislation...

Two tinker-travelling retirees from Melbourne, Australia fill our podcast with positive energy and joy this month. Dave talks to Karen and Danny, who spend their weekends travelling and helping new community repair groups get started in their homestate of Victoria. Danny is a talented repairer of all things mechanical and electrical and Karen is an accomplished mender. They have been tinkering, me...

We interview Norwegian professional repairer Henrik Huseby about his court battle against Apple, which will reach Norway's Supreme Court next year. In 2017, Norwegian customs officials seized 63 imported, refurbished mobile screens destined for Huseby, who runs a very small repair shop in a town just outside of Oslo. Apple alleged the screens were "counterfeit". Apple demanded Huseby sign an unfai...

This month we chat with author Adam Minter on his newest book "Secondhand: Travels In The New Global Garage Sale". We've followed Minter's coverage of resource flows and waste for a couple of years now, and we were excited to read this book. Minter starts his book with a visit to "decluttering" in Japan and in the US, and we ask about this, and what the lifecycles of our stuff have to do with our...

Our Restart Parties — community repair events — are amazing citizen laboratories to examine the downstream impacts of our throw-away economy. Events generate rich repair data which can have impacts beyond the immediate fixes. Over the years with volunteers and members of the public, we've seen and recorded thousands of repair attempts of a vast array of consumer products. In this episode, Dave int...

Television has changed so much during the past couple of decades, from the way signals reach our living rooms, to the way television hardware and software is designed. Correspondingly, our viewing habits have changed too. Behind the scenes, there are teams of engineers working throughout the "ecosystem". We often see our products as stand-alone physical objects, but these days they are embedded in...

Earlier this year, we travelled to Turin to take part in Fixfest Italia - the first national community repair gathering in Italy. In the lead-up to Fixfest 2019 in Berlin, as an unusual treat, we are now sharing our first ever Restart Radio episode in Italian! It features interviews recorded in Turin during the event, capturing participants and organisers' excitement, and the energy at the event....

"I wanted broadband", says Chris Conder, co-founder of the Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN). We learn from the bold initiative of a community in Lancashire who simply wanted access to the Internet and decided to start their own community-run broadband infrastructure. Throughout our interview with Conder, we also hear from B4RN volunteers, staff and participants at their "Computer Clubs", where...

With Restarters Ben Skidmore and Dave Lukes, Ugo discusses some tech news and then dives into the world of repurposing computers - how can we give them a second life? From charges against Samsung to the 'ebook apocalypse' In France, a court has charged Samsung Electronics with misleading claims regarding labour rights violations, including the exposure to chemicals or breaking up labour unions at...

*Last call to complete our radio survey. Closing soon on the 3rd of July!* Ravi Agarwal is a multifaceted artist and activist based in New Delhi. We hear Ravi's reflections on his life between disciplines, and we learn about the work of his NGO, Toxics Link. We talk about the toxicity of e-waste and the threats it poses to people working in recycling sites. Ravi's activism and Toxics Link Ravi tel...

*Radio survey* We would really appreciate your thoughts on Restart Radio. Please take our short survey! We talk about the climate crisis and the concept of deep adaptation - the idea that we will need to radically change our lives in the face of global changes. From worker rights to Norway's right to repair First, we discuss some news. Female workers at South Korean semiconductor plants are at muc...

In this episode, we travel to the northwest of England to meet Dave and Anne Carlos, co-founders of the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic. Set up by the Emmanuel Church, this Computer Clinic wants to serve the community by lowering people's barriers to technology, while making devices last for longer. We interview Dave Carlos, and we hear from various organisers, fixers and attendees of one of these...

Janet, James and Restarter Ben Skidmore talk about the overlooked but fascinating world of product standards, and how they affect our right to repair devices. To learn more about standards, we hear from Chloe Fayole from ECOS, the European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation. Before diving into standards, we discuss some recent news. To start, we celebrate Fixfest Italia, the f...

We are currently in the midst of Earth Week, but in this episode, we are going to space. The environmental cost of technology is not just felt on the ground. And e-waste doesn’t just exist on earth, it exists in orbit too - and we've created loads in the past couple of decades. Eager to know more, we reached out to the European Space Agency (ESA) and talked to Luisa Innocenti. She is Head of ESA's...

Coinciding nicely with the first image of a black hole, this April is Space Month on Restart Radio, where both our live show and podcast will be space-themed. In this show, we talk to Jessika Luth Richter, a circular economy researcher at Lund University in Sweden, and we learn about the relationship between raw materials and space, including the 'Iridium anomaly'. First, we chat about tech news....

Solar lamps have been envisioned as a groundbreaking innovation for regions with no electricity. But what happens when solar gadgets break down? We travel to Scotland to interview Jamie Cross, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, whose team has developed Solar What?, a modular and repairable solar lamp. In this episode, you will also hear from participants at our Restart Parties, sharing t...

Tongue-in-cheek, we talk about the upcoming Brexit deadline and the potential of indoor growing to feed us in a time of crisis. We are joined by Ande Gregson, founder of Greenlab and expert in urban agriculture, and by Halima Koundi, Restart Volunteer Coordinator who leads our Rosie the Restarter skillshares. First, we discuss tech news. Shared scooters are becoming an e-waste problem. Thanks to t...

The design of technology and technological systems has deep consequences for our use of products and services. Alison Powell, Assistant Professor at LSE, researches our understanding and building of technology, from a social perspective, and how technological systems in turn change the way we work and live together. Powell spoke at our inaugural Fixfest in 2017 alongside Kyle Wiens of iFixit, and...

In December and January, European member states approved groundbreaking measures which ensured that appliances (dishwashers, fridges, and washing machines) become more repairable. But as always, the devil is in the detail. After much celebration and fanfare about the new European regulations guaranteeing some "right to repair" for consumers, we needed to chat with Steve the Spindoctor. Steve runs...

We've always been inspired by the tenacity of Jane, who is the 'inventor, founder and fixer in Chief' at Sugru, the mouldable glue company. We interview her about design within the throwaway economy and about the growth of the repair movement. In this episode, you will also hear from Restart Party goers, who share their thoughts on Sugru and discuss the importance of creativity when fixing. First,...

We interview Libby Peake, Senior policy adviser at Green Alliance. We talk about the public interest in more repairable products, and we discuss the current policy debates affecting our right to repair in Europe and the UK. First, we discuss some news. Apple is worried about the decline in iPhone sales: the company has reported to investors that this is partly due to users repairing and maintainin...

We interview Andrew Hatton, Head of IT at Greenpeace UK. We talk about the environmental implications of using the Internet and Greenpeace's campaign on the topic. First, we discuss a vote by members states of the European Union (EU) on new measures which can have crucial implications for the repairability of our products. Along with other organisations, we coordinated a "welcoming committee" in B...

Fixfest UK gathered 59 community repair activists from all across the country, representing 25 different repair groups. This event was all about sharing the love for fixing, as well as common visions and opportunities for collaborations. With the day’s theme of ‘Hope’, many ideas emerged to work for sustainable and impactful repair action in our communities. In this episode, we talk to some of Fix...