Wireless Wednesday for 5/14/14: With Mitch Evans - 'Fix It' Websites
Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 4:22PM Rick and Mitch talk websites where you can go to learn how to fix things. And the app of the week!
Have a listen:
* TOPICS - The NCAA Tennis Championships are going on in Athens at the Dan MaGill Tennis Center for the next 11 Days, Rick is attending that and he attended the Google Roadshow earlier this week
And when you break something, these websites will tell you how to fix it
Fixing things is a great way to be more self-sufficient and save some money. You never know what’s going to break next, but if you have the resources to fix some of the most common issues with your computer, electronics, home, car, and bike, you’ll be prepared to deal with most of the problems that come up. If you have a toolbox with the basic tools and these four websites bookmarked, you’ll be a handyman in no time!
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1. iFixit - for electronics
With almost 2,000 Mac repair guides, 2,000 phone repair guides, and 1,000 PC repair guides, iFixit has you covered for just about any electronic repair you could want to undertake. There are camera, automotive, appliance, household, and computer guides, as well.
The guide on how to replace the headphone and speaker jack assembly on a Samsung Galaxy SIII has no less than eleven steps to take off the back cover and remove the battery, SIM card, and microSD card. Nothing is left to chance in these guides, which is great for inexperienced tinkerers.
The pictures included in each guide are of high quality, making it very easy to see what needs to be done to make the repair, and some guides also include videos. Each guide includes a list of tools and parts that are needed, many of which you can purchase directly from the iFixit store, which offers useful things like the iOpener, a heated pack that will help you open your iPad, and this cool magnetic project mat. Between the supplies for sale and the thousands of repair guides, you’ll always have what you need to fix your laptop, phone, tablet, or game console.
2. The Family Handyman - for stuff around the house
Though The Family Handyman is a subscription magazine, their website offers a wealth of repair tips for various parts of your home. There are sections for heating and cooling, electrical, floors, automotive, painting, pest control, plumbing, and a wide range of other things. It’s not always easy to find what you’re looking for in the category pages, but running a search will help you get to the guide you need.
Although the images aren’t quite as detailed as the ones you’ll find on iFixit, you should be able to use The Family Handyman to get through almost any repair without too much trouble, especially if you have some mechanical or construction experience. For example, in an article about installing a tile floor in your bathroom, you’re instructed to remove the toilet, but left to figure out how to do that on your own.
3. DIY Auto School - for fixing your car
Fixing your own car can be a bit scary, but DIY Auto School make the process a lot easier. From restoring a rusted-out car to fixing a dent, the guys from the school will give you tips to get you through the process, even if you’re a total newbie to car repair (though you might want to leave some of the more complicated repairs to a professional).
DIY Autoschool is a YouTube Channel
Because DIY Auto School is a YouTube channel, there’s not much organization to speak of, so your best bet is to go to their page and then search for what you’re looking for and see if they have a video on it. There are many videos on how to restore old cars and fix dents and collision damage. You’ll also find a number of videos on how to prep and paint your car and some more common tasks like replacing brake pads.
4. Park Tool - fix your bike www.parktool.com
If you’ve done any work on your bike in the past, you might’ve used tools made by Park — they’re one of the leading manufacturers of bike repair tools (you might recognize their signature blue color on the website). On the homepage of their repair section, there’s an image of a bike, and all you have to do is click on the part of the bike that you need to fix. If you’re having brake problems, click on the brake section; if you need help with your bottom bracket, just click on the bottom bracket shell. The miscellaneous topics section also contains some very useful articles.
5. Swingfix - Fix your golf swing - www.swingfix.golfchannel.com
Golf Channel teachers like Michael Breed give tips and use videos to help you improve your golf game.
App of the week:
Weber's On the Grill app- for the summer grilling season
For iOS and Android $4.99
Specifically for Apple® and Android users, Weber’s On the Grill™ for iPhone, iPad, and Android features 280 classic Weber recipes plus 40 recipes for rubs, marinades, and sauces that are sure to get you fired up. You can tag your favorite recipes, create and share a master grocery list, and even email your favorite recipes to friends and family.
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