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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 12:31 AM

    The antidote to materialism isn't minimalism; it's maintenance. Keep things. Fix them. Mend them. Grow old with possessions you know well because you've cared for them.

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Replies

  • justmichellejustmichelle@beige.party
    May 30, 2025, 12:37 AM

    @SordidAmok I have the pair of loaf pans my mom gave me when I moved out of the house. I can't remember if they were new then. If they were, they're 38 year old loaf pans. The comal I use for all my flatbread was my grandmother's.

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  • triswebtrisweb@m.trisweb.com
    May 30, 2025, 1:08 AM

    @SordidAmok I love this.

    As I listen to a tube amplifier made in 1958, that I restored and repaired, driven by a preamp made in 1980 that I repaired from absolute shambles, through speakers I found on the side of the road and restored.

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  • vandenberglegsvandenberglegs@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 6:07 AM

    @trisweb @SordidAmok My amplifier was given to me by my father-in-law after he used it for probably 25 years. My stereo speakers were bought by my dad in the early 70s from an estate sale, so now idea how old they are. I grew up listening to these speakers and they're still going strong.

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  • ocdtrekkieocdtrekkie@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:22 AM

    @MegaMichelle @SordidAmok Choose what you buy carefully. I recently upgraded two flashlights with new LED bulbs. ...The stores here didn't sell flashlight bulbs anymore because new flashlights don't have bulb sockets, but I was able to find them online.

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:31 AM

    @MegaMichelle It does require some learning on the part of the individual.

    Thriftstores and antique shops have a lot of stuff that was made to last.

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:49 AM

    @MegaMichelle Not a lot. Mending clothes and darning socks don't take a lot of time. I do that while listening to Democracy Now or watching a show. I maintain and modify my guitars. Not much else requires it. Almost everything I own is old.
    Some stuff - laptops, phones - are out of my range. I'm still learning.

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  • Michelle HughesMegaMichelle@a2mi.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:51 AM

    @SordidAmok

    I like watching youtube videos of people doing crafty things, but it seems daunting to me. I tried to get into building RC planes once, and I spent a bunch of money on tools and materials which now collect dust in my basement. That's why I prefer computer programming hobbies. All you have to do is read.

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  • Michelle HughesMegaMichelle@a2mi.social
    May 30, 2025, 2:25 PM

    @noodlemaz @SordidAmok

    Yeah, we have a hackerspace that does that on ... Thursdays, I think?

    Many years ago, I brought in an mp3 player that had a broken headphone jack. I brought in a new headphone jack that I'd ordered, but I found out those weren't as standard as I thought, and the new one was too big to fit.

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  • TeflonTrout :bc: he/himTeflonTrout@beige.party
    May 30, 2025, 2:15 PM

    @MegaMichelle @SordidAmok Ah! That's what they've trained us to think, but with certain exceptions (Apple, Samsung, etc) most things are made with bespoke parts....that are in turn made from industry standard COMPONENTS.

    I built my pc to be long lived, so it has a spacious, easy to open case with excellent airflow. It turns 10 next year and is going strong, but it was dropped once while moving. Clips that held the CPU fan in place broke, but those are pretty well standardized despite looking integral to the fan itself in my case.

    Many complex looking items are also highly modular, too! iRobot vacuums are dead simple to take apart and there is a strong aftermarket parts supply. DJI drones are similar, parts are cheap af on alibaba, and come straight from the manufacturer of the og components.

    If something dies, you have nothing to lose by taking it apart to troubleshoot it, and potentially hundreds of dollars to save!

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 3:46 PM

    @TeflonTrout @MegaMichelle "If it's broke, you can't break it more" is a phrase I use. I have been able to extend the life of some electronics by a few years, sometimes with really sketchy kludge work. I love a good kludge.

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  • Mx VerdaMxVerda@lgbtqia.space
    May 30, 2025, 7:54 AM

    @kkarhan @SordidAmok yup, I was just thinking I want to keep using my N64, PS2, and 3DS, but we need repairability, mechanics, and maker spaces by default. It's human af after all

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 11:20 AM

    @MxVerda @kkarhan See, you're talking about stuff outside my range. I know very little about that kind of tech. Repairability is something we should demand, and maker spaces are awesome - gaming consoles are outta my league though.

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  • Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
    May 30, 2025, 3:54 PM

    @SordidAmok @MxVerda OFC.

    Humanity as a species surpassed the point where "everyone can know everything" 10.000 years ago, so it's reasonable to accept that and actually act as a society...

    • I know jack shite about cars beyond "air and fuel goes in here, makes boom, hot exhaust and torque comes out there and there" but I don't have to.

    And frankly if we'd reach that point that there's noone available to fix it then certainly society has collapsed so far that even a bicycle with rubber tires is considered "peak technology"…

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  • Mx VerdaMxVerda@lgbtqia.space
    May 31, 2025, 7:32 AM

    @kkarhan @SordidAmok I complain a lot so I'm decent at concentrating aphorisms. And NSFW art, but I lack the long covid'd brainpower to plan anything

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  • J. David Weaverthechristianlens@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:48 AM

    @SordidAmok
    Yes.
    The opposite of consumption isn’t lack—
    It’s care.

    Fix the chair. Mend the shirt.
    Keep the wedding ring though it’s worn.
    Read the old book again.
    Kneel on the same wood floor.

    Because what you care for, you become.
    And what you become, you carry into eternity.

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  • Common SparrowCommonSparrow@mindly.social
    May 30, 2025, 1:54 AM

    @SordidAmok I have some household items which were my grandmother's, which are still in regular everyday practical use. Her heavy-duty Silverseal roasting pan is from the 1950's, and her beautiful Singer featherweight sewing machine is from the 1930's. (I wrote about the sewing machine in an earlier post, with a picture of it here):
    mindly.social/@CommonSparrow/1
    I love things that "take a licking and just keep on ticking"!

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  • Snippety Snap (she/her)shansterable@ohai.social
    May 30, 2025, 2:08 AM

    @SordidAmok
    Even bath mats can be family heirlooms.

    My mom was born in 1935 and went off to college 72 years ago. At that time, her mom gave her a bath mat with a label that had her name sewn on it.

    When I moved out as an adult, my mom gave me that bath mat. I am still using it today. Yes, it's a bit tattered, but my mom passed away in 2022, and I like that it still has her name on it, sewn on by my grandmother.

    Lesson: Buy quality items that endure.

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  • Sponge Of Truthretrosponge@kind.social
    May 30, 2025, 2:31 AM

    @SordidAmok It's frustrating some stuff is so hard to repair. For example, I've got an iPad. It's still perfectly fine after eight years. I would be happy with it. Unfortunately the battery is shot and it loses 75% of the battery when unplugged from charging in the time it's taken you to read this.

    Changing it is beyond my physical capabilities and paying someone else to do it is beyond my financial capabilities so I'm screwed.

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  • Old Man MillerMillerTimeGarage@c.im
    May 30, 2025, 2:39 AM

    @SordidAmok
    Unfortunately, 90% of the population doesn't know a screwdriver from a hammer and can not fix anything.

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  • Critter (he/him)critter_in_flux@fluffs.au
    May 30, 2025, 2:47 AM

    @SordidAmok learning to use a sewing machine as an adult was great for keeping clothes running well past their wear out point.

    I now wind up having to do mending for the housemates from time to time haha

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  • ☮ ♥ ♬ 🧑‍💻peterrenshaw@ioc.exchange
    May 30, 2025, 3:06 AM

    @SordidAmok “He fixed things--clocks, refrigerators, vidsenders and destinies. But he had no business in the future, where the calculators could not handle him. He was Earth's only hope--and its sure failure!” — Phillip K Dick

    He fixed things--clocks, refrigerators, vidsenders and destinies. But he had no business in the future, where the calculators could not handle him. He was Earth's only hope--and its sure failure!” A quote by Phillip K Dick, The Variable Man, 1953. source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Variable_Man
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  • Angelino Desmetstardust@fosstodon.org
    May 30, 2025, 5:43 AM

    @von @SordidAmok It 𝘪𝘴 both. However, I think the post stems out of frustration for people who conflate minimalism with discarding anything they don't need to the landfill.

    I must confess that's how my minimalism started as well. But by now I have a 100% sale rate on the second hand store Vinted, and 100% 5-⭐-reviews on anything second hand. Pardon the tooting of my own horn, but I am proud of it. It's remarkably satisfying to find stuff a new home.

    #Vinted #SecondHand #minimalism

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 11:35 AM

    @stardust @von Yes, that frustration, but also I enjoy stuff. I have about a dozen guitars around the house - electric and acoustic. I like my clutter. I'm happy with all this bric-a-brac. And I'll fix stuff as long as I can. In the end, it is just stuff but the end isn't here quite yet

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  • Jon FAvonVilla@aus.social
    May 30, 2025, 6:16 AM

    @FrancoisPrague @SordidAmok I love vinyl, but I don't think it's really sustainable. All that PVC! I have a 5tb hard drive for my music. It can hold maybe 15,000 albums. I admit I haven't done a calculation for drive's footprint - manufacturing of components, replacement due to inevitable failure etc..

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 11:26 AM

    @AvonVilla @FrancoisPrague All the albums, cassettes and cds that currently exist will be in landfills someday. Better to have them be used and preserved for as long as possible before the inevitable happens. Maybe better recycling will be developed.

    I'm somewhat torn about my band doing physical releases. I want to do albums and cassettes, but at the same time...

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  • François @PragueFrancoisPrague@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 2:42 PM

    @AvonVilla @SordidAmok

    I strongly advice you to watch this

    youtube.com/watch?v=FRbYKNkzpto.

    Vinyl is sustainable because the turntable and amplifier is easy to manufacture and repair. A hard drive with mp3 depends on connectors (USB), format of hard drive (exFAT), computers to read them and encoding format support (mp3, FLAC...). You can fix your vinyl ecosystem on your own (ro with little help), you can't fix a digital one alone.

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  • Jon FAvonVilla@aus.social
    May 30, 2025, 8:57 PM

    @FrancoisPrague @SordidAmok I have a similar philosophy in my music-making, using analog synths wherever possible, even when digital emulations can make the same sound. There's something inspiring about the physical presence of analog. Unfortunately, I no longer have my Tascam 244 portastudio!

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 9:05 PM

    @AvonVilla @FrancoisPrague I don't remember the model, but I had a Tascam cassette 4-track that I loved. I did a bunch of repairs to keep it going, but eventually gave it up. Now I wish I'd held onto it.

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  • Toni M.mad@freiburg.social
    May 30, 2025, 5:37 AM

    @SordidAmok

    And the best is: maintenance can perfectly be combined with minimalism.

    So nobody is forced to chose between either of them ;-)

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  • sleepy62🍁🛠️ 🖥️ 🔬 🌞sleepy62@vivaldi.net
    May 30, 2025, 5:39 AM

    @SordidAmok

    This week I finally had to retire my 2011 Macbook pro and upgrade to a 2017.

    I really like the old machine, the hardware was much more maintainable and had a real quality feel. The new one is technically better, but feels kind of cheep. Im sure it wont last as long.

    The main reason I had to do this was because of proprietary software upgrade cycles. I could no longer support the stuff I use regularly for work and play.

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  • Sordid Amok!SordidAmok@mastodon.social
    May 30, 2025, 11:37 AM

    @sleepy62 Oh I hate that. I'm using a Chromebook now - I needed something a few years ago. On the loookout for something older/better. Computers are outside my wheelhouse, repairwise

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