Category: How To

I was sitting on my living room rug last Tuesday, surrounded by a chaotic nest of black cables and a manual that read like a legal contract, wondering why my…

I spent thirty-four years in a physics classroom watching teenagers stare blankly at whiteboards, and I see that same glazed expression whenever someone tries to explain how to improve TV…

Last Tuesday, I found myself staring at my new television, feeling that familiar, low-grade irritation that comes when a piece of technology tries to be smarter than its owner. Most…

I was sitting at my workbench last Tuesday, squinting through my loupe at the tiny, copper-laden pins of a discarded charging port, when it hit me how much we’ve all…

I spent thirty-four years in a physics classroom, and if there is one thing I learned, it is that people love to sell you a “magic” solution that is really…

I spent thirty-four years in a classroom watching students try to force physics to behave, and I see that same misplaced confidence every time I see someone fumbling with their…

I was sitting at my workbench last Tuesday, squinting through my loupe at the escapement of a 19th-century carriage clock, when my wireless headphones decided to start stuttering mid-crescendo. It’s…

I spent thirty-four years in a physics classroom watching students stare blankly at equations, but nothing quite matches the sheer, silent frustration of a pair of headphones that simply refuse…

I spent thirty-four years watching teenagers stare blankly at their screens in my physics classroom, waiting for a signal that simply refused to arrive. It’s infuriating, isn’t it? You’re sitting…

I was sitting at my workbench last Tuesday, trying to seat a tiny escapement wheel into an 1890s mantel clock, when my tablet decided to go on strike. There is…