A "Give it Time" Repair

    Aaron Kaufman was one of the car builders on the reality TV show Fast N' Loud (cancelled in 2020). He said something during one episode that has really stuck with me. I cannot remember his exact words, but Aaron said something like, "There is a certain spirit in old cars that makes them want to run." 

    I really liked the idea that an old car has an inherent desire to do what it was built to do. 

    Now, to be clear, I don't think machines are alive or self-aware. But I do use this idea when I find something that appears to be broken. I anthropomorphize the object by mentally saying to it, How can I help you do what you were designed to do?

    I have learned over the years that sometimes I just have to give the machine a little time to work it out for themselves.

    Take this kitchen timer as an example.

    

    I used to use this at school to time student speeches. I've got a smart phone now, so I thought I'd take the timer home and use when I grill. It wasn't working when I took it out of my desk, but I blamed that on a dead battery.

  I popped in a new battery when I got home. No dice. The screen was still blank. I cleaned the contacts for the battery to no avail. Whacking the timer against the heel of my hand didn't help, either. I was considering grabbing a screwdriver when Daphne walked into the kitchen and asked me what I was doing.

    I explained what was going on, and added at the end, "I could just throw it away, but I think this guy really wants to work. I'm just going to leave the battery in and let it sit for awhile. She smiled and lightly shook her head at me. 

    I checked on Taylor the Timer an hour later. The screen was still blank, but there were signs of life when I spun the battery with my finger. The screen would flicker incoherently. Encouraged, I let him sit on the dining room table overnight.

    His screen was still blank in the morning. I picked him up and gave him a slight tap on his back with my finger. That was all he needed. 

   

    Daphne was walking our dog Ellie at the time. Char and I had to leave to get Char to jazz band rehearsal, so I left Taylor sitting proudly on our kitchen counter where Daphne was sure to see him. I got this text a few minutes later.

    Taylor worked flawlessly the two times we grilled together, and he was wide awake when I took these photos yesterday. 

    Sometimes the first step of a repair is to not use a tool at all.