iFixit

iFixit Is in Popular Mechanics

Update: Popular Mechanics has now published the story online. Read our DIY manifesto in its entirety on their site.

If you haven’t picked up the new copy of Popular Mechanics, here’s another reason to do so: our co-founder Kyle Wiens contributed an article to the print edition!

iFixit co-found Kyle Wiens in popular mechanics

The article, “Why We Fix,” is a dyed-in-the-wool tinkerer’s explanation of why we do what we do—why repair, for us, isn’t just an action: it’s a state of mind and an amazing challenge. Here’s an excerpt from the article, to whet your appetite:

There are certain noises that, I swear, I can feel in my bone marrow: The hard-edged scraping of metal on metal, the death grind of misaligned gears, the low clanking of an engine on the verge of failure. These are the noises that have defined my life.

I’m a tinkerer by inclination and a fixer by profession. Ten years ago, my college roommate and I founded iFixit, the world’s free, online repair manual. We teach people how to repair the stuff they own, in part because most have forgotten how—a cultural memory lapse reinforced by society’s celebration of ending over mending.

But here’s the thing: “Broken” isn’t a permanent state. It’s a challenge—as if entropy is issuing us a personal ultimatum: “Fix this, or it’s mine.”

Challenge accepted.

Read the rest of the article in Popular Mechanics.