Technicians: M. Overing, C. Norton, C. Sansom

Check out previously repaired items: Digital Multimeter, Stopwatch, Xbox Controller

• The RSGC ACES Fix-It Club asks you to reconsider taking that small table lamp to the curb if you suspect it may just need a switch or plug replaced.
• Just before you drive to Lowe's for another $40 coffee maker to replace the one you've had for three years because the heating element has stopped functioning, let our team of ACES technicians have one last look. We just might be able to bring it back to life.
• The RSGC ACES Fix-It Club will diagnose the problem, repair it if we can, and absorb the cost of replacement parts up to $10.
• We don't guarantee we can fix the appliance, and, at your direction, we are happy to dispose of it properly for you (after cannibalizing any useful parts of course). At the very least you'll have piece of mind that the item, in our opinion is beyond repair.
• So, if you feel you can use our service, bring the appliance to our shop (Room 302) after school any day of the week and let us take a look.

Why should preparation for your future include a broad understanding of how things work?

Acquiring a general, working knowledge of technologies (beyond computers and communication devices) will enable you to develop deeper critical thinking and problem-solving skills thereby providing you with the increased stability to withstand the pace and breadth of technical change that continues to accelerate. We can only speculate as to the influence the few years working in the Swiss Patent Office had on Albert Einstein's contribution to the Laws of Physics. The variety and patterns of the designs that crossed his path most surely advanced his problem-solving skills in a manner few others pursuits could have matched.

Manufacturers, advertisers and marketers continue to use all means necessary to convince us to adopt and maintain dependencies on their proprietary products. A consequence of heavy reliance on specialized products is the limiting of individuals' ability to react quickly to change thereby restricting choice and options. I advocate careful and strategic consideration of all new opportunities, keeping a sharp eye on situations that may lead too easily to specialized behaviour and/or dependency.

Finally, a number of my grads regularly report that one question that comes up regularly in job interviews is, "Tell me about a project or activity you're working on in your spare time, for fun". Employers are increasingly looking for self-starting, self-motivated individuals that have a passion for 'making' and 'doing' beyond simply what their coursework requires or what they get paid to do. As an agent for our Fix-it Club you will gain the confidence, curiosity, and passion to pursue exactly the kind of activity employers (and the world in general) are looking for (and desperately need).

As the ad suggests: "Stay curious, my friend".