Intro

Right.. just set this thing up a few minutes ago as a way to perhaps organize my thoughts or connect with people who are interested in similar things. Few words about myself, I am a slightly bored 27 year old man living in the shadow of Toronto around the Highland Creek area where I grew up. I recently finished some work I was doing elsewhere and moved back in with the parents. The company I was working for is pretty disorganized/retarded so I am broke right now until they can get their shit together to pay me. Usually when I'm not working I spend a lot of time frequenting thrift stores or cruising for curb scores. I look out for stuff like electronics, bikes, leather/fur, video/music recordings (esp pre-digital), building materials and god knows what else.

Basically I keep bringing this stuff home because I figure it's got some sort of lasting value that outweighs the trouble/cost of acquiring and storing it. We tend to get offered shittier consumer goods all the time; someone sources a cheaper part, the chinese get it made, and big retailers can offer it for a fraction of what you would have paid for the equivalent a few years ago (even when you correct for inflation). The shorter working life is a bonus for the manufacturer anyway. Building a toaster today to last 20 years would be unthinkable: once everyone's got a toaster, you're out of a job. It's no wonder that Value Village got bought up by that big american bargain outfit: thrift and bargain stores now compete against each other directly.

Assuming all this is true though, is there really any reason for me to be shelling out good money for this stuff and cluttering the family garage with it? Maybe not. Usually I have some kind of theory of a project I'd like to do with something. Later I might lay out a few ideas/plans for some of these planned recycling projects, and hopefully that will help me get motivated to actually get on some of it. I'll try to throw in some links as well.