Hello readers!

This month sees the celebration of Small Dog Electronics’ 20th Anniversary! Taking a look back, the Apple landscape has changed significantly in many ways over the years, and not just linearly. Apple went from a niche product to a staple of the industry with devices reaching the hands of almost every first-world citizen. The first “Apple Stores” were Apple Specialists, like Small Dog Electronics. These independent stores were tasked with learning to work with and repair these products, without the years of experience and bountiful resources we have now.

I took an opportunity this week to approach repairing my ailing car exhaust system, to which the winter, in its last death throes, delivered a finishing blow. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on something so large and basic rather than delicate electronics. As I lay under my Subaru in my Dickies jumpsuit and struggled to fit the hacksaw where I needed it, I felt the usual impatience and pressure for time, and a frustration that my desired solution had not been compatible with the problem.

I continued trying to determine how to modify the existing pipe to fit my solution, with some frustration. At this point, I had a cognitive shift where I determined the best course would be working to modify my solution, not to modify the problem. I left the dark undercarriage where rust was falling into my eyes, and modified the pipe I was installing to better fit the existing system. This led to a relatively easy solution for me to carry out.

Sometimes in repair (as well as life in general), making one or more shifts in thinking is the most important part of finding a solution. More often than not, it is easy to become so focused on the problem that it becomes difficult to step back and analyze the available options from a different perspective. I always recommend taking time to be careful and spend time reading up on service methods, analyzing potential solutions, and being certain before moving forward. Too many times we have seen expensive components unnecessarily damaged by well-intended attempts to repair unrelated parts.

With that said, we always wish the best of luck in repair, whether in our shop or DIY. We’ve prepared some articles today to help you along, keep you safe online, and spark some interest in the past.

Warm regards,
-Mikhael
mikhael@smalldog.com