DIY electronic repair will save you money

Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

by Sean Roberts, Alestle Photographer

Your laptop just fried. Your phone screen just smashed.  That’s going to be an expensive repair, but it doesn’t have to be.If you have the technical know how to open up electronic components, you should consider repairing electronics yourself.

While this isn’t for everybody, I have saved hundreds of dollars buying replacement parts and fixing things myself. When my motherboard for my laptop fried, a repair from a Dell technician would have cost something in the range of $400, if not more. I spent $150 and replaced it myself.

I also just broke the glass on my HTC Tilt 2 Smartphone. HTC would likely want more than $100 to fix it, but a quick search on eBay shows me that a $30 replacement part will do just as well, and I won’t have to search for a new phone either. If you’re worried about where to start, a quick Google search or a YouTube video tutorial can give surprisingly easy instruction.

While this is definitely not for everybody, if you’re comfortable with opening up electronic devices, you should seriously consider replacing them yourself instead of taking them in. For a college student on a budget, the stress of opening up your phone and counting those tiny little screws is well worth buying a new one and not eating for a month.  If you’re interested in replacement parts, there are plenty of sales on eBay or replacement part  hubs, you might be surprised by the deals you can find.

Just to show you how easy it is, here are some online video tutorials for basic electronic repair that I found on YouTube.

Technostressed out

by Rachel Carlson, Alestle A&E Editor

Rachel Carlson

You know when you’re sitting at your computer minding your own business, just reading Texts From Last Night or finishing up that final paper, and the Internet slows down or your computer freezes? Immediately you freak out, cursing the computer for not working. How dare this machine — holding your pictures, music, papers, countless e-mails, computer programs and, of course, solitaire and “Mines” — crash on you?

Then comes that headache and feeling of absolute dread that you’ve lost everything you’ve been working on. Plus, how are you going to update your Facebook status?

The stress you’re feeling because you feel disconnected or lost actually has a name: Technostress. And it seems to be taking over our generation.

Just think how many times do you check your e-mail a day? Your phone? They seem insignificant in theory, but inevitably waste our time and cause us stress when we can’t seem to work them or they malfunction. Nine times out of 10, it’s probably our fault they’re not working.

Not only are you checking your own updates, but if you get on Facebook you’re most likely “creeping” someone’s page to see what they are  doing or what their status says their weekend plans are. Who wrote on their wall or tagged them in a picture? Don’t forget Twitter either. Ashton Kutcher could be buying  milk at the grocery store and you might miss it. (To read Aleste photographer Sean Roberts blog on Twitter, click here.)

Seems borderline needy.

I’m not being anti-technology right now (Where do you think I typed this?), but it is true that we let it take over our lives. Can you imagine one day without your phone or computer? Seems like it would be hard, but doesn’t part of you wonder how nice it would be to have no interruptions? No loud beep of a text message or ring of the cell phone.

I got to try it this summer when I went on a float trip  and luxuries like a cell phone were unnecessary. To be completely honest, it felt nice to be able to ignore the world for a weekend.

Shutting down the ‘everyday, instant everything’

By Ashley Hinkle, Alestle photo editor

A weekend with

Ashley Hinkle

out a phone. Sounds daunting doesn’t it?

In all actuality, it really wasn’t that bad. It was nice not receiving text messages and cell phone conversations that could have taken place at some other time rather than in the middle of weekend activities. We are all so digitally connected that we are lost without our devices. Amazingly, it is possible to function without them.

In order to set plans, I had to call individuals through landline phones. The toughest part was trying to remember their phone numbers. Trying to find a phone book was a bit of a problem as well.

Once phone numbers were obtained, my friends wouldn’t answer my call because they didn’t recognize the number. They didn’t call me back until they listened to my message. The landline phone that I used didn’t even have caller ID, so I answered every incoming call and hoped it was who I wanted to talk to.

Plans were finally made: meet in a parking lot at 1:30. That turned into an hour long wait. My friend didn’t show up until 2:30, and I was stuck waiting without knowing what was going on. I sat there thinking to myself, “Hmm… This would be a great time to be able to call from a cell phone.”

While somewhat of a nuisance, this experience was actually eye opening. It was nice getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday instant everything and revert back to what things were like when I grew up. My weekend actually felt longer, time seemed to slow down, and suddenly–just by having my phone off–I was actually able to stop and smell the roses.