With very few exceptions, everything in the world is simple to fix. The key, I’ve found, is to not be scared, and just get your hands dirty. Over the years I’ve learned how to replace transmissions, swap a suspension in minutes, fix bicycles, fix computers, fix arcade machines and at this point, I’m quite certain I could fix just about anything I’m faced with. Again, the key is to be confident in yourself, and go for it.<br/><br/>A great example is a car. When you look at it as a whole, sure it’s a complex system, however, when is the last time you’ve ever heard of someone having to work on the whole car at one time? Right, it doesn’t happen. In all cases, they’re merely working on a sub-system of the vehicle, all of which are fairly simple little machines. Brakes, for example, are ridiculously simple. Your pedal is connected to some things that push fluid around. When you push the pedal, the fluid doesn’t contract, so it needs to find a place to go. Your brake calipers are the path of least resistance, so the fluid pushes the caliper out, which squeezes the brake pads, which makes the brake pads hit the rotor, which causes friction, which slows you down. A brake caliper, which might seem scary and complex, is really only made up of less than a handful of parts. No magic there…<br/><br/>Today, I was in a second-hand shop, and found two lamps that really interested me. They were priced reasonably, but one didn’t work. I asked the salesman what they could do with the price, and he gave me 66% off the broken one. He said they had been working when the came in just a few days ago, but someone had broken it yesterday and not said a thing. Deal.<br/><br/>I brought the lamps home, got to work, and had fixed the issue in less than two minutes. Worst case, I would have had to rewire it, which I know is a pretty simple task as well, but I lucked out and just had to get the switching mechanism unstuck/unbent.<br/><br/>The step by step is below… See how simple things are? Go fix something!<br/><br/><div style=”text-align: center;”><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F01.jpg&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>The Lamp<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F03.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 1 – Remove the shade<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F04.jpg&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 2 – Remove the bulb<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F05.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F06.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 3 – Remove the harp<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F07.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 4 – Open the socket (these plastic ones screw open)<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F08.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 5 – Figure out your problem (in this case, the chain arm was bent/stuck… it shouldn’t be as far left as it is)<br/><br/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F09.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><img src=”http://www.iammike.org/gallery/?displaypic=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2F10.JPG&amp;non_lr=”/><br/>Step 6 – Pull on it and bend the arm back into place<br/><br/>Step 7 – <a href=”../gallery/?display=fixing%20stuff%2F2010%2008%2015%20-%20Lamp%2FMVI_4567.AVI” target=”_self”>Enjoy your fixed lamp</a><br/><br/><div style=”text-align: left;”><br/></div></div>