Nathan Proctor

How open source kept (some) AI companion robots online Moxie the robot folded when the manufacturer lost its VC funding. Thanks to former employees and some dedicated citizen troubleshooters, some Moxies got a second life.

Thought-provoking piece by my friend @rj-x.bsky.social on what happens when robot companions "die", the power of open-source tech, and the obligations of tech companies in an era when people are encouraged to give their hearts to AI. pirg.org/articles/mox...

a screenshot of a tweet that says "every day we stray further from the love of God" over a photo of someone in a grocery store holding a bottle of Heinz "MAYOREO" sauce - it's like mayo, but with oreos in it? Christ.

Sometimes social media gives us the impression that our thoughts and opinions are what we offer the world, and the most important way to influence others. I think this is a mirage. We need to get to work.

A photo of a woman in a home office using a blue iFixit opening tool to remove the back cover of a laptop. An iFixit guide is displayed on a smartphone. Other iFixit tools are on e the table, along with a replacement battery. Overlaid white text in a blue rectangle reads "The State of Right to Repair."

The #RighttoRepair movement is constantly changing.

Here are some highlights from the State of Right to Repair report from @nathanproctor.bsky.social at PIRG. 🧵

A summary and the full report here: pirg.org/edfund/resou...

we under-appreciate maturity -- both in our own lives and in the larger world. We elevate the voices of childish commentators and politicians, and have created a deeply unserious society ... armed with planet killing power.

Yikes!

FTC sues John Deere over ‘unfair corporate tactics’ and ‘high repair costs’ The Federal Trade Commission has sued the tractor manufacturer John Deere. The organization alleges “unfair” practices, high repair costs and an inability for regular consumers to repair devices on th...

"'Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,' FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a press release."

We should all be able to fix our stuff.

www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc...

FTC, States Sue Deere & Company to Protect Farmers from Unfair Corporate Tactics, High Repair Costs The Federal Trade Commission today, along with the Illinois and Minnesota Attorneys General, sued agricultural equipment manufacturer Deere & Company (Deere) over its use of unfair practices th

Really looking forward to more information as this case advances. www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

Another great insight from the FTC in their filing -- blocking some portion of repairs means that technicians don't know going in if they will be able to complete the job ... which steers them to the one place they know will have the tool needed:

FTC Again: "... Deere has been able to control and limit who can repair its agricultural equipment, allowing Deere to maintain a 100% market share and charge higher prices, via its network of authorized dealers, for all repairs that require the fully functional tool."

We share this analysis. PIRG advocate Kevin O'Reilly examined both tools carefully and published the differences in this report -- one clearly won't do all the repairs you might need:

pirg.org/edfund/resou...

"farmers must now rely on Deere’s interactive software tool called Service ADVISOR, which Deere makes available only to its authorized dealers" ... "An inferior repair tool exists, called Customer Service ADVISOR, but it is incapable of doing all repairs"

2) The software tells the story.

Software does what it is programmed to do, it's hard to argue with it. When you program it to require a propriety repair tool, that's what it will do. And you should be held responsible for what it does. The FTC:

1) The harm is really clear.

“Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan.

Big news from the FTC on Right to Repair -- the agency has announced it will file suit against John Deere for allegedly monopolizing certain repairs.

I think their analysis is spot on -- here are some reasons why I think this case is strong:

YouTube video by iFixit The Worst Devices of CES 2025!!

Have you ever wondered why your washing machine couldn’t make phone calls? No? Well Samsung has!

The Repair Coalition's Worst in Show awards are out, calling out the dark side of flashy new gizmos -- privacy, security, environmental and more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5l...

I looked into this issue for our report on the pressure to mine the deep sea to access minerals ... which just end up going into disposable products with no recycling infrastructure. The whole thing is absurd, and foolish. pirg.org/california/e...

Good time to remind Americans that we currently have massive amounts of these materials in electronics which we are instructed to throw away at an ever-increasing pace.

China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions China has announced a ban on exports to the United States of gallium, germanium and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications.

China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications (not to mention EV, photovoltaics, batteries, whatever) apnews.com/article/chin...

If you can't fix it, you don't own it

The Right to Repair Movement Will Keep On Fixin’ There are many open questions regarding how the new Trump administration will handle economic policies. Some leaders of the repairability movement aren’t all that worried about it.

Stay calm and fix on:

“... I do know that no matter what hand gets dealt, we have things that we can do to speak truth to power and to protect our communities and to move things forward.”

www.wired.com/story/the-ri...

Veterans speak up for military Right to Repair Veterans who have struggled with repair restrictions while serving their country are calling for change

I spoke with a 20-year Army veteran, who described to me how manufacturers repair restrictions put soldiers’ lives at risk -- and why he is now supporting an effort to pass a Right to Repair for military purchases: pirg.org/articles/vet...